The Science of the total environment
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Sci. Total Environ. · Oct 2013
Residential characteristics and household risk factors and respiratory diseases in Chinese women: the Seven Northeast Cities (SNEC) study.
Few studies have assessed the impact of residential home characteristics and home environmental risk factors on respiratory diseases in Chinese women. Therefore, this study sought to determine the association between residential home features, domestic pets, home renovation and other indoor environmental risk factors with respiratory health outcomes of Chinese women. ⋯ Home renovation and residential home environmental risk factors were associated with an increased likelihood of respiratory morbidity among Chinese women.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Oct 2013
Levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs in human milk among Hong Kong mothers.
Dioxins are a family of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) listed under the Stockholm Convention, and include PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs. These toxic chemicals are carcinogenic, widely dispersed, and have long half-lives. They have contaminated the food web and, being fat-soluble, accumulate in adipose tissues and milk in the human body. ⋯ However, our levels were still high when compared to those in some other Asian-Pacific countries. More stringent policies on reducing and eliminating POPs should help to lower these. Continued surveillance for POPs in human milk, as well as in common foodstuffs, will provide us with important information on human exposures that will be necessary for tracking our progress, and making future health risk assessments.