WHO considers the effects of air pollution one of the most pressing global health priorities. Several years ago, scientists began noting a link between Saharan dust (a meteorological phenomenon that diminishes air quality as it spreads over the globe) and some diseases, but the few studies to date have been inconsistent. Cuba has the human and material resources to study the association between...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Epidemiological studies suggest an association between stroke incidence and stroke mortality and long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution. However, the magnitude of the association is still unclear. METHODS We searched the Pubmed citation database for epidemiological studies and reviews on stroke and PM exposure. Then, we carried out a meta-analysis t...

Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are two active ingredients widely used in many home and personal care products. Multimedia fate of TCS and TCC in the Dongjiang River basin, South China were addressed by the developed level III fugacity model based on their usage. Under the assumption of steady state, the concentrations in air, water, soil, sediment, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the validity of outdoor concentrations of particulate matter < 10 microns diameter (PM10) as a measure of exposure in time series studies, and to study the extent to which differences between personal and outdoor PM10 concentrations can be explained. METHODS Four to eight repeated measurements of personal and outdoor PM10 concentrations were conducted for 45 children...

INTRODUCTION On January 2, 2011, the Spanish government passed a new smoking law that banned smoking in hospital campuses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of smoke-free campuses in the hospitals of Catalonia based on both airborne particulate matter and observational data. METHODS This cross-sectional study included the hospitals registered in the Catalan Networ...

The respirable particulate matter (RPM; PM(10)) and total suspended particulate matter (TSP) concentrations in ambient air in Tuticorin, India, were preliminarily estimated. Statistical analyses on so-generated database were performed to infer frequency distributions and to identify dominant meteorological factor affecting the pollution levels. Both the RPM and TSP levels were well below the pe...

Measurements of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have been made in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a view to establishing the concentrations in this major city, and quantifying the contributions of major sources. Particulate and vapour forms have been sampled and analysed separately. The concentrations are compared to measurements from other sites in the Middle Eastern region and are toward...

Particulate matter is defined as a mixture of airborne solid particles and liquid droplets that can be inhaled and may cause serious health problems. Such elements are currently measured utilizing air quality monitoring devices that provide information on PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels giving information on pollution levels. However, many difficulties are encountered in the determination of nanosized ...

Background: Air in broiler houses is contaminated with considerable amounts of microbial aerosols, which affects the health of humans and birds. Thorough cleaning and disinfecting should be carried out to reduce particulate concentrations and minimize airborne microorganisms. Aims: To evaluate the effects of cleaning and disinfecting measures on bacterial commu...

The unique Ethiopian cultural tradition of the coffee ceremony increases inhalation exposures to combustion byproducts. This pilot study evaluated exposures to particulate matter and carbon monoxide in ten Addis Ababa homes during coffee ceremonies. For coffee preparers the geometric mean (57 μg/m³) and median (72 μg/m³) contributions to an increase in a 24-hour time-weighted average exposure w...