Environment international
-
Environment international · Nov 2017
Parental occupational exposure to benzene and the risk of childhood cancer: A census-based cohort study.
Previous studies on occupational exposures in parents and cancer risks in their children support a link between solvents and paints with childhood leukaemia. Few studies have focused specifically on benzene. ⋯ This nationwide cohort study suggests an increased risk of leukaemia among children whose mothers were exposed to benzene at work.
-
Environment international · Nov 2017
Associations between internal exposure levels of persistent organic pollutants in adipose tissue and deep infiltrating endometriosis with or without concurrent ovarian endometrioma.
Endometriosis is a gynaecological disease characterized by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue. Histologically, it appears as different sub-types, being peritoneal endometriosis, ovarian endometrioma (OvE) and deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), which are of major relevance due to their varying clinical presentations. A number of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been associated with the onset of endometriosis, yet the overall set of existing studies remains fairly divergent. ⋯ The results showed significant associations between DIE and adipose tissue levels of 1.2.3.7.8 - PeCDD, OCDF, PCB 105, 114, 118 and 123, PBDE 183, PBB 153, and several OCPs including trans‑nonachlor, cis‑heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, β-hexachlorocyclohexane and hexachlorobenzene. The largest associations were observed for OCDF followed by cis‑heptachlor epoxide, exhibiting adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 5.42 (2.73-12.85) and 5.36 (2.44-14.84) per 1-SD increase, respectively. The stratified analysis comparing both disease sub-types suggested that adipose tissue exposure markers may be more associated with DIE concurrent with OvE, however these results need to be confirmed in a larger population.
-
Environment international · Oct 2017
Inverse relationship between urban green space and childhood autism in California elementary school districts.
Green space has a variety of health benefits. However, little is known about its impact on autism, the fastest-growing neurodevelopmental disorder in children. This study examined the relationship between green space and childhood autism prevalence. ⋯ The results of spatial regression models were consistent with those obtained by negative binomial models, except for grassland. Our study suggests that green space, specifically tree cover in areas with high road density, may influence autism prevalence in elementary school children beneficially. Further studies are needed to investigate a potential causal relationship, and the major mechanisms that may underlie the beneficial associations with green space, such as buffering traffic-related air pollution and noise.
-
Environment international · Jun 2017
ReviewParticipatory quantitative health impact assessment of urban and transport planning in cities: A review and research needs.
Urban and transport planning have large impacts on public health, but these are generally not explicitly considered and/or quantified, partly because there are no comprehensive models, methods and tools readily available. Air pollution, noise, temperature, green space, motor vehicle crashes and physical activity are important pathways linking urban and transport planning and public health. For policy decision-making, it is important to understand and be able to quantify the full-chain from source through pathways to health effects and impacts to substantiate and effectively target actions. In this paper, we aim to provide an overview of recent studies on the health impacts related to urban and transport planning in cities, describe the need for novel participatory quantitative health impact assessments (HIA) and provide recommendations. ⋯ We provided an overview of the current state-of-the art of HIA in cities and made recommendations for further work. The process on how to get there is as important and will provide answers to many crucial questions on e.g. how different disciplines can effectively work together, how to incorporate citizen and stakeholder opinion into quantitative HIA modelling for urban and transport planning, how different modelling and measurement methods can be effectively integrated, and whether a public health approach can bring about positive changes in urban and transport planning.
-
Environment international · Mar 2017
Review Meta AnalysisExposure to traffic-related air pollution and risk of development of childhood asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The question of whether children's exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) contributes to their development of asthma is unresolved. We conducted a systematic review and performed meta-analyses to analyze the association between TRAP and asthma development in childhood. ⋯ PROSPERO 2014: CRD42014015448.