Environment international
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Environment international · Nov 2020
Associations of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide with lung function: A cross-sectional study in China.
Few studies have evaluated the effects of ambient air pollution exposure on lung function, especially in areas with high air pollution levels. ⋯ In this study, long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants was significantly associated with impaired lung function, presenting as restrictive ventilatory patterns.
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Environment international · Oct 2020
LetterBiosafety threats of the rapidly established labs for SARS-CoV-2 tests in China.
To increase the capacity of identifying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, many Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) labs have been established in a short period of time for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid tests all over the world. However, their biosafety has not been evaluated, which could have been the first gateway to SARS-CoV-2 transmission. During 9-11 March 2020, the first comprehensive evaluation of the biosafety in all 89 labs qualified for conducting SARS-CoV-2 tests in Sichuan Province of China was conducted. ⋯ Other severe risk included failure for standard labeling of SARS-CoV-2 wastes and lacking regular monitoring of sterilization effects. Our findings would provide experiences and lessons for strengthening lab biosafety in other Chinese provinces, and also serve as an important reference for many other countries where such labs are being or will be quickly built for fighting the COVID-19. The information of lab safety should be considered to be internally linked to the national intelligent syndromic surveillance system (NISSS), for better improving the safety of the labs at the greatest need and facilitating more comprehensive surveillance of risk for disease outbreak.
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Environment international · Sep 2020
Meta AnalysisThe effect of exposure to long working hours on ischaemic heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing Joint Estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large network of experts. Evidence from mechanistic data suggests that exposure to long working hours may cause ischaemic heart disease (IHD). In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from IHD that are attributable to exposure to long working hours, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates. ⋯ We judged the existing bodies of evidence for human evidence as "inadequate evidence for harmfulness" for the exposure categories 41-48 and 49-54 h/week for IHD prevalence, incidence and mortality, and for the exposure category ≥55 h/week for IHD prevalence. Evidence on exposure to working ≥55 h/week was judged as "sufficient evidence of harmfulness" for IHD incidence and mortality. Producing estimates for the burden of IHD attributable to exposure to working ≥55 h/week appears evidence-based, and the pooled effect estimates presented in this systematic review could be used as input data for the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.
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Environment international · Sep 2020
Meta AnalysisThe effect of exposure to long working hours on stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large network of individual experts. Evidence from mechanistic data and prior studies suggests that exposure to long working hours may cause stroke. In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from stroke that are attributable to exposure to long working hours, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates. ⋯ CRD42017060124.
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Environment international · Sep 2020
Similar names, different results: Consistency of the associations between prenatal exposure to phthalates and parent-ratings of behavior problems in preschool children.
Environmental health research has reported mixed findings on the associations between prenatal exposure to phthalates and parent-ratings of child behavioral problems. ⋯ Prenatal phthalate exposure was associated with preschool behavioral development; however, findings were not consistent for the BASC-2 and CBCL, especially related to the clinical/syndrome scales and Internalizing Problems scale. Further, many findings differed based on the analytical approach used to correct for urine dilution. Future work is needed to delineate the similarities and differences between similarly named child behavior constructs assessed by different neurodevelopmental assessments. Also, research is needed to better understand why and how different analytical approaches influence the reported associations between maternal prenatal phthalate concentrations and children's behavior problems.