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Connection between Environmental Exposure and Health Effects
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Connection between Environmental Exposure and Health Effects

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2023) | Viewed by 4775

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kyoungho Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Population Health Research, Department of Precision Medicine, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 200 Osongsaengmyeong 2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si 28160, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: molecular and environmental epidemiology; air pollution; biologic markers as susceptibility biomarkers; internal dose and early biologic effect markers (e.g., oxidative stress and inflammation biomarkers)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution is a major public health concern worldwide, contributing to increased morbidity, mortality, and loss of disability-adjusted life years. Inhaled environmental and occupational exposures have detrimental effects on human health, resulting in multiple chronic diseases (i.e., cardiometabolic and respiratory dysfunctions). Among air pollutants, particulate matter consists of organic chemicals, metals, or soil dust particles of diverse aerodynamic diameters. The underlying mechanisms of inhaled air pollutants in adverse health outcomes have not been fully elucidated, but it is hypothesized that particulate matter may directly or indirectly cross the respiratory tract and reach circulation, leading to induced inflammatory responses. As the sources and the chemical components of particulate matter differ by emission sources (i.e., traffic, power stations, combustion, or soil dust), epidemiological studies on the health impact of pollutants are suggested to consider regional variations and sectors (i.e., industrial, agricultural, or commercial) in order to provide targeted risk reduction strategies.

This Special Issue invites original articles on epidemiological studies and literature reviews on all aspects of environmental/occupational health as well as molecular epidemiology. Manuscripts may include, but are not limited to, environmental and occupational exposures to air pollutants and their health effects; the use of early stage biomarkers (i.e., oxidative damage and inflammation) to assess the health effects of air pollution; the modulation effect of air pollution exposure on DNA methylation; and the identification of metabolites or metabolic pathways associated with environmental or occupational exposure. We also welcome submissions that identify susceptible communities or subpopulations that can further provide relevant interventions. Contributions from different disciplines that have not been stated above but are relevant to environmental and occupational health are also encouraged.

Dr. Kyoungho Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollutants
  • particulate matter
  • organic compounds
  • environmental and occupational health risks
  • molecular epidemiology
  • early biological effects
  • oxidative stress biomarkers
  • inflammation biomarkers
  • cardiometabolic and respiratory diseases

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1140 KiB  
Article
The Eyewitness Community Survey: An Engaging Citizen Science Tool to Capture Reliable Data while Improving Community Participants’ Environmental Health Knowledge and Attitudes
by Melinda Butsch Kovacic, Shereen Elshaer, Theresa A. Baker, Vincent Hill, Edith Morris, Keren Mabisi, Ian Snider, Susan Gertz, Susan Hershberger and Lisa J. Martin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(14), 6374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20146374 - 16 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1390
Abstract
Many youths and young adults have variable environmental health knowledge, limited understanding of their local environment’s impact on their health, and poor environmentally friendly behaviors. We sought to develop and test a tool to reliably capture data, increase environmental health knowledge, and engage [...] Read more.
Many youths and young adults have variable environmental health knowledge, limited understanding of their local environment’s impact on their health, and poor environmentally friendly behaviors. We sought to develop and test a tool to reliably capture data, increase environmental health knowledge, and engage youths as citizen scientists to examine and take action on their community’s challenges. The Eyewitness Community Survey (ECS) was developed through several iterations of co-design. Herein, we tested its performance. In Phase I, seven youths audited five 360° photographs. In Phase II, 27 participants works as pairs/trios and audited five locations, typically 7 days apart. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were determined. Changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy were surveyed. Feedback was obtained via focus groups. Intra-rater reliability was in the substantial/near-perfect range, with Phase II having greater consistency. Inter-rater reliability was high, with 42% and 63% of Phase I and II Kappa, respectively, in the substantial/near-perfect range. Knowledge scores improved after making observations (p ≤ 0.032). Participants (85%) reported the tool to be easy/very easy to use, with 70% willing to use it again. Thus, the ECS is a mutually beneficial citizen science tool that rigorously captures environmental data and provides engaging experiential learning opportunities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Connection between Environmental Exposure and Health Effects)
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17 pages, 2997 KiB  
Article
Mediating Effect of Heat Waves between Ecosystem Services and Heat-Related Mortality of Characteristic Populations: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China
by Lu Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2750; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032750 - 03 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1674
Abstract
In the context of climate change, heat waves are a serious hazard having significant impacts on human health, especially vulnerable populations. Many studies have researched the association between extreme heat and mortality. In the context of urban planning, many studies have explored the [...] Read more.
In the context of climate change, heat waves are a serious hazard having significant impacts on human health, especially vulnerable populations. Many studies have researched the association between extreme heat and mortality. In the context of urban planning, many studies have explored the cooling effect of green roofs, parks, urban forests and urban gardens. Nevertheless, few studies have analyzed the effect mechanism of specific ecosystem services (Ess) as mitigation measures to heat waves. This study aimed to determine the relationship among Ess, heat waves and the heat-related mortality risk of different groups by diseases, age and sex. The research was conducted in three cities in Jiangsu Province, including Nanjing, Suzhou and Yancheng. We quantified five ecosystem services, i.e., water supply service, carbon sequestration service, cooling service, biodiversity and cultural service. Based on the previous studies, we took the frequency of heat waves into account, extending the concept of the Heat Wave Magnitude Index (HWMI). A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was applied to estimate the effect of extreme heat on mortality. Then, the study used the process analysis method to explore the relationship among Ess, heat waves and heat-related mortality risks. The results indicated that (i) water supply service, carbon sequestration service, cooling service and biodiversity can reduce heat-related mortality while cultural service increases; (ii) the effects of carbon sequestration service and cultural service are stronger than other Ess; (iii) the effects of Ess on cardiorespiratory disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality risks are higher than others; and (iv) women and elderly heat-related mortality risks are more affected by the Ess. This study can provide a theoretical support for policy makers to mitigate heatwave events, thus limiting heat-related mortality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Connection between Environmental Exposure and Health Effects)
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16 pages, 1438 KiB  
Article
Associations between Frailty and Ambient Temperature in Winter: Findings from a Population-Based Study
by Fenfen Zhou, Wensu Zhou, Wenjuan Wang, Chaonan Fan, Wen Chen and Li Ling
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010513 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1364
Abstract
Frailty is an accumulation of deficits characterized by reduced resistance to stressors and increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes. However, there is little known about the effect of ambient temperature in winter on frailty among older adults, a population segment with the highest frailty [...] Read more.
Frailty is an accumulation of deficits characterized by reduced resistance to stressors and increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes. However, there is little known about the effect of ambient temperature in winter on frailty among older adults, a population segment with the highest frailty prevalence. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the associations between frailty and ambient temperature in winter among older adults. This study was based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) of older adults aged ≥65 years from the 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014 waves. The 39-item accumulation of frailty index (FI) was used to assess the frailty status of the participants. The FI was categorized into three groups as follows: robust (FI ≤ 0.10), prefrail (FI > 0.10 to <0.25), and frail (FI ≥ 0.25). Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were conducted to explore the associations between frailty and ambient temperature in winter. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) modification was applied in the sensitivity analysis. A total of 9421 participants were included with a mean age of 82.81 (SD: 11.32) years. Compared with respondents living in the highest quartile (≥7.5 °C) of average temperature in January, those in the lowest quartile (<−1.9 °C) had higher odds of prefrailty (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.17–1.57) and frailty (OR = 1.61, 95%CI 1.32–1.95). The associations were stronger among the low-education groups, agricultural workers before retirement, and non-current exercisers. Additionally, results from the GEE model reported consistent findings. Lower levels of ambient temperature in winter were associated with higher likelihoods of prefrailty and frailty. The findings on vulnerability characteristics could help improve public health practices to tailor cold temperature health education and warning information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Connection between Environmental Exposure and Health Effects)
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