Type II diabetes is an established cause of vascular impairment. Particulate air pollution is known to exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, particularly in susceptible populations. This study set out to determine the impact of exposure to traffic pollution, with and without particle filtration, on vascular endothelial function in Type II diabetes. Endothelial production of nitr...

BACKGROUND Fine particulate matter exposure from both ambient air pollution and secondhand cigarette smoke has been associated with larger risks of cardiovascular mortality than would be expected on the basis of linear extrapolations of the relative risks from active smoking. This study directly assessed the shape of the exposure-response relationship between cardiovascular mortality and fine p...

pollution control is based on correctly measuring pollutant concentrations but, at the moment,the principal european cities only monitor pollution levels by means of a few fixed stations co-located inselected points of the urban layout far from hotspots and/or by means of meteorological prediction models offuture pollution. few cities integrate the information from both sources. the implementat...

Ambient air pollution has been linked with a number of adverse respiratory health outcomes. Earlier studies have shown that population exposure to ambient air pollution increases visits to emergency rooms and hospital admissions due to respiratory complaints. Exposure in vulnerable populations has also been shown to increase mortality risks. However, there is a need to better evaluate exposure-...

We used physical and pharmacokinetic modeling to estimate personal exposures to respirable particle (RSP) and carcinogenic particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PPAH) air pollution from second-hand smoke (SHS) from the increase in urinary cotinine of eight patrons of three bars in Bismarck, North Dakota. We compared SHS-RSP levels to the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), used to forecast out...

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between air pollution levels and respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) living in Christchurch, New Zealand. METHODS Forty subjects aged over 55 years with COPD completed twice daily diaries for three months during the winter of 1994. Subjects reco...

PURPOSE We measured offspring sex ratios in a resident insectivorous passerine bird, the Great tit Parus major, to find out whether metal pollution around a Finnish copper smelter would bias sex ratios in this territorial forest bird species. Besides a direct effect of pollutants, we were interested in possible indirect effects of pollution-related resource limitation, i.e., changes in food qua...

OBJECTIVE To review the effects of air pollution on health, with special reference to data obtained locally in Hong Kong. DATA SOURCES Medline literature search (1960-1999), websites of the World Health Organization and Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong, and a report from the Sub-Working Group on the Review of Hong Kong's Air Quality Objectives, 1999. STUDY SELECTION Key words ...