Search

Air pollution is a significant risk factor contributing to the burden of disease in China. Health risk assessment and management are important to reduce the impact of air pollution on public health. To help formulate standardized health risk assessment techniques, a series of studies were conducted from 2006 to 2019. Through systematic review, study of molecular mechanisms, epidemiological investigation, and health effect monitoring, the overall project established a monitoring and evaluation indicator system, a comprehensive information platform, software for automatic data cleaning, and standardized health risk assessment techniques. Technical specifications have been issued by the National Health Commission for promoting health risk assessments across China. This paper introduces the project, the research approach, its main research accomplishments, innovations, and public health significance, and describes directions for further research.

Microenvironmental concentrations and time-activity patterns influence personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM

The purpose of this study was to reveal the pollution characteristics of ambient PM2.5–bound benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in Beijing and to assess the lifetime cancer risk from respiratory pathway exposure. The average daily dose was evaluated by the annual concentrations of ambient PM2.5–bound B[a]P, combined with Chinese human exposure factors and the age sensitivity factors. The 70-year lifetime cancer risks of different groups were assessed by the exposure assessment and stochastic analysis method recommended by California Environmental Protection Agency. The groups were divided by age and gender. The results showed that the ambient PM2.5–bound B[a]P concentration during the cold season was 15.7 times greater than that during the warm season in Beijing. The annual average concentrations of PM2.5–bound B[a]P in outdoors and indoors were 1.67 ng/m3 and 1.04 ng/m3, respectively, which exceeded the limit of Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard. The cancer risks of PM2.5–bound B[a]P in males, females, and the general population were 9.085 × 10−6, 8.050 × 10−6, and 8.740 × 10−6, respectively. The cancer risk constituent ratios of ambient PM2.5–bound B[a]P in early life (≤16 years of age) for males, females, and the general population were 70.9%, 71.4%, and 71.3%, respectively. The males' cancer risk of PM2.5–bound B[a]P in Beijing was higher than that of the females. The early life cancer risk exposure to PM2.5–bound B[a]P should be paid more attention.

There is increasingly concern that PM

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between outdoor, indoor, and personal PM2.5 exposure in the retired adults and explore the effects of potential determinants in two Chinese megacities. A longitudinal panel study was conducted in Nanjing (NJ) and Beijing (BJ), China, and thirty-three retired non-smoking adults aged 43–86 years were recruited in each city. Repeated measurements of outdoor-indoor-personal PM2.5 concentrations were measured for five consecutive 24-h periods during both heating and non-heating seasons using real-time and gravimetric methods. Time-activity and household characteristics were recorded. Mixed-effects models were applied to analyze the determinants of personal PM2.5 exposure. In total, 558 complete sets of collocated 24-h outdoor-indoor-personal PM2.5 concentrations were collected. The median 24-h personal PM2.5 exposure concentrations ranged from 43 to 79 μg/m3 across cities and seasons, which were significantly greater than their corresponding indoor levels (ranging from 36 to 68 μg/m3, p

In 2015, 443 atmospheric PM

There is increasingly concern that PM2.5 constituents play a significant role in PM2.5-related cardiovascular outcomes. However, little is known about the associations between specific constituents of PM2.5 and risk for cardiovascular health. To evaluate the exposure to specific chemicals of PM2.5 from various sources and their cardiac effects, a longitudinal investigation was conducted with four repeated measurements of elderly participants’ HRV and PM2.5 species in urban Beijing. Multiple chemicals in PM2.5 (metals, ions and PAHs) were characterized for PM2.5 source apportionment and personalized exposure assessment. Five sources were finally identified with specific chemicals as the indicators: oil combustion (1.1%, V & PAHs), secondary particle (11.3%, SO42− & NO3−), vehicle emission (1.2%, Pd), construction dust (28.7%, Mg & Ca), and coal combustion (57.7%, Se & As). As observed, each IQR increase in exposure to oil combustion (V), vehicle emission (Pd), and coal combustion (Se) significantly decreased rMSSD by 13.1% (95% CI: −25.3%, −1.0%), 27.4% (95% CI: −42.9%, −7.6%) and 24.7% (95% CI: −39.2%, −6.9%), respectively, while those of PM2.5 mass with decreases of rMSSD by 11.1% (95% CI: −19.6%, −1.9%) at lag 0. Elevated exposures to specific sources/constituents of PM2.5 disrupt cardiac autonomic function in elderly and have more adverse effects than PM2.5 mass. In the stratified analysis, medication and gender modify the associations of specific chemicals from variable sources with HRV. The findings of this study provide evidence on the roles of influential constituents of ambient air PM2.5 and their sources in terms of their adverse cardiovascular health effects.

The purpose of this study was to reveal the pollution characteristics of ambient PM

Globalization in the past decades, as an unavoidable historical phenomenon, has increased the interdependence and communication in the world, while causing serious conflicts between and in different countries, areas and races at the same time. Peter McLaren and Ramin Farahmandpur made significant contributions in their book not only to Critical Pedagogy that intends to raise learners’ critical consciousness for the struggle to challenge and transform oppressive social conditions in order to create a more egalitarian society, but also to a new globalization theory that intends to help the conscious people who strive for the struggle to gain global justice and world peace.

To establish the determination of gaseous nicotine in ambient air using high performance liquid chromatography.The nicotine samples of ambient air were collected by passive air samples. The Sample film was sonicated, extracted, evaporated with nitrogen sweeping, and dissolved with the mobile phase. Nicotine was separated by C18 reversed-phase column, examined by ultraviolet detector, quantified by peak area and qualitatively measured by its retentive time.The limit of detection and the limit of quantification is 30 ng/mL, 101 ng/mL, respectively. The precision is characterized by RSD in the rage 0.24% -2.62%. The average recovery of sample is in the rage of 82.0% -107.2%. The samples can be kept more than 11 days in the dry state of room temperature after sealing.The method is suitable for the determination of nicotine concentration in public places air.

To establish the monitoring method to simultaneously measure 31 volatile organic compounds in decorated rooms using two-stage thermal desorption-capillary gas chromatography.Using the Tenax TA absorption tube to sample, and subsequently desorbed and analyzed by two-stage thermal desorption capillary gas chromatography column, and measured by FID detector.31 volatile organic compounds can be well separated in the chromatography column. In the experiment, the relative standard deviations of the reoccuring of each compound were within 10%. All the correlation coefficients of linear regression equation were greater than 0.99. The lowest detection limit can reach the concentration level of 1 ng/microl, and the recoveries were 83.2% - 106%.The method is applicable to determination of 31 volatile organic compounds in the decorated rooms simultaneously.

To study the influence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure (ambient concentration and smoking) and GSTT1, GSTM1, genotypes on urinary 1-OHP as exposure biomarker.51 Cops who working outside were selected as study group, 48 Cops who working in office were selected as control Group. The ambient concentrations of PAHs both of two circumstances and the urinary 1-OHP of subjects were measured. The ambient concentrations of PAHs and the urinary 1-OHP were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The GSTT1, GSTM1 genotypes were determined by PCR.The ambient concentrations of PAHs in the study group and the control group were 20.85 ng/m3 and 12.79 ng/m3 respectively. There were not significant difference in urinary 1-OHP among the persons who had the deference GSTT1, GSTM1, genotypes and the same smoking habits in the study group and the control group. The urinary 1-OHP concentrations of the study group were higher than those of the control group when they had the same genotypes for non-smokers. Smoking stratified analysis showed that urinary 1-OHP concentrations of smokers were higher than those of non-smokers, the urinary 1-OHP concentrations of smokers in control group were higher than those of the non-smokers in study group.The ambient PAHs concentration and smoking could be the important factors generated the urinary 1-OHP concentration. While the levels of ambient PAHs were low, the smoking could change more prominent. The GSTT1, GSTM1 genotypes could not be the major influential factors.

To study whether the urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) could be the biomarker of atmospheric PAHs, a small-scale pilot study was carried out on the relation of 1-OHP vs PAHs with the traffic policemen in Beijing of smokers and nonsmokers to be subgroups in both the exposure and control groups. Both the PAHs and 1-OHP were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ambient concentrations of PAHs were different at the different sites (the average sum of PAHs (TPAH) were 12.36, 16.27, 18.37 ng/m(3) at the suburban residential, police station and high traffic area, respectively.), but considerably lower than the personal-exposure concentrations (the average TPAH were 65.84 and 47.28 ng/m(3) for patrol cars and inspection station, respectively). Pyrene was correlated well with BaP and the summed PAHs (TPAH), with the correlation coefficients (R) of 0.79, 0.87 for ambient level and 0.92, 0.96 for personal exposure, respectively. The average of 1-hydroxypyrene of smokers and nonsmokers were 0.39, 0.15 mumol/mol creatinine in control group and 0.57, 0.33 mumol/mol creatinine in exposure group, respectively. The better correlation of pyrene to BaP and TPAH especially for personal exposure samples indicated that the probability of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, the metabolite of pyrene, to be the biomarker of total PAH. Nonsmokers in the exposure and control groups had indistinguishable levels of 1-OHP, presumably because the ambient levels of pyrene were so similar (the average were 3.25, 3.20 ng/m(3) at the police station and high traffic area, respectively.). Smokers in the control group had significantly higher 1-OHP than that of the nonsmokers, but showed indistinguishable differences in the exposure group. These results suggested that urinary 1-OHP could be a biomarker of PAHs only when the level of PAHs was at a relatively higher level. Smoking as an important influencing factor need to be controlled carefully.