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Objective. To estimate the point prevalence and likely ranges of pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight and preterm delivery in Latin America and the Caribbean, and evaluate the heterogeneity of the estimates. Methods. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies reporting the prevalence of maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes in populations in Latin American and the Caribbean published between 2000 and 2019 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. We searched PubMed, Embase, and LILACS. We estimated the point prevalence and evaluated overall heterogeneity and, in sub-group analyses, heterogeneity by study design and level of bias. Results. Of 1087 records retrieved, 50 articles were included in the review: two on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, 14 on pre-eclampsia, six on gestational diabetes, nine on low birth weight and 19 on preterm birth. No meta-analysis for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy could be done because of the small number of studies. Point prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, and preterm birth were: 6.6% (95% CI: 4.9%, 8.6%), 8.5% (95% CI: 3.9%, 14.7%), 8.5% (95% CI: 7.2%, 9.8%), and 10.0% (95% CI: 8.0%, 12.0%), respectively. We observed substantial heterogeneity overall and by study design. No major differences in estimates were observed by level of bias. Conclusions. The results of this study provide updated estimates of some of the most prevalent adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean. They highlight that important heterogeneity exists in prevalence estimates, which may reflect the diversity of populations in the region. Objetivo. Estimar la prevalencia puntual y los rangos probables de hipertensión provocada por embarazo, preeclampsia, diabetes gestacional, peso bajo al nacer y parto prematuro en América Latina y el Caribe, y evaluar la heterogeneidad de las estimaciones. Métodos. Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática y metanálisis de los estudios de observación que notificaron la prevalencia de resultados adversos perinatales y maternos en poblaciones de América Latina y el Caribe, publicados entre los años 2000 y 2019 en inglés, español o portugués. Se realizaron búsquedas en PubMed, Embase y LILACS. Se estimó la prevalencia puntual y se evaluó la heterogeneidad general y, en los análisis de subgrupos, la heterogeneidad según el diseño del estudio y nivel de sesgo. Resultados. De 1 087 registros recuperados, se incluyeron 50 artículos en la revisión: 2 sobre los trastornos hipertensivos en el embarazo, 14 sobre preeclampsia, 6 sobre la diabetes gestacional, 9 sobre peso bajo al nacer y 19 sobre parto prematuro. No se pudo realizar ningún metanálisis de los trastornos hipertensivos del embarazo debido al número reducido de estudios. Las estimaciones de prevalencia puntual y los intervalos de confianza (IC) del 95% para la preeclampsia, la diabetes gestacional, el peso bajo al nacer y el parto prematuro fueron: 6,6% (IC de 95%: 4,9%, 8,6%), 8,5% (IC de 95%: 3,9%, 14,7%), 8,5% (IC de 95%: 7,2%, 9,8%) y 10,0% (IC de 95%: 8,0%, 12,0%), respectivamente. Se observó una heterogeneidad significativa en general, así como según el diseño del estudio. No se advirtieron grandes diferencias en las estimaciones según el nivel del sesgo. Conclusiones. Los resultados de este estudio ofrecen cálculos actualizados de algunos de los resultados adversos perinatales y del embarazo con mayor prevalencia en América Latina y el Caribe. Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto que existe una gran heterogeneidad en las estimaciones de prevalencia, que podría reflejar la diversidad de la población de la región. Objetivo. Estimar a prevalência pontual e os intervalos prováveis de hipertensão induzida pela gravidez, pré-eclâmpsia, diabetes gestacional, baixo peso ao nascer e parto prematuro na América Latina e no Caribe e avaliar a heterogeneidade das estimativas. Métodos. Realizou-se uma revisão sistemática com metanálise de estudos observacionais que relatam a prevalência de desfechos maternos e perinatais adversos em populações da América Latina e do Caribe, publicados entre 2000 e 2019 em inglês, espanhol ou português. Os bancos de dados PubMed, Embase e LILACS foram pesquisados. Estimou-se a prevalência pontual e avaliou-se a heterogeneidade geral, bem como, em análises de subgrupo, a heterogeneidade por delineamento do estudo e o nível de viés. Resultados. De 1 087 registros encontrados, 50 artigos foram incluídos na revisão: dois sobre distúrbios hipertensivos da gravidez, 14 sobre pré-eclâmpsia, seis sobre diabetes gestacional, nove sobre baixo peso ao nascer e 19 sobre parto prematuro. Não foi possível realizar metanálise para distúrbios hipertensivos da gravidez devido ao pequeno número de estudos. As estimativas de prevalência pontual e intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC) para pré-eclâmpsia, diabetes gestacional, baixo peso ao nascer e parto prematuro foram: 6,6%; (IC 95%: 4,9–8,6%), 8,5% (IC 95%: 3,9–14,7%), 8,5% (IC 95%: 7,2–9,8%) e 10,0% (IC 95%: 8,0– 12,0%), respectivamente. Observou-se heterogeneidade considerável, tanto em geral como por delineamento de estudo. Não foram observadas diferenças importantes nas estimativas por nível de viés. Conclusões. Os resultados deste estudo fornecem estimativas atualizadas de alguns dos desfechos gestacionais e perinatais adversos mais prevalentes na América Latina e no Caribe. Destacam a existência de uma importante heterogeneidade nas estimativas de prevalência, o que pode refletir a diversidade das populações da região.

Automatic geocoding methods have become popular in recent years, facilitating the study of the association between health outcomes and the place of living. However, rather few studies have evaluated geocoding quality, with most of them being performed in the US and Europe. This article aims to compare the quality of three automatic online geocoding tools against a reference method. A subsample of 300 handwritten addresses from hospital records was geocoded using Bing, Google Earth, and Google Maps. Match rates were higher (> 80%) for Google Maps and Google Earth compared with Bing. However, the accuracy of the addresses was better for Bing with a larger proportion (> 70%) of addresses with positional errors below 20m. Generally, performance did not vary for each method for different socioeconomic status. Overall, the methods showed an acceptable, but heterogeneous performance, which may be a warning against the use of automatic methods without assessing quality in other municipalities, particularly in Chile and Latin America. Resumen: Los métodos automáticos de geocodificación se han convertido en algo popular durante los últimos años para facilitar el estudio de la asociación entre resultados de salud y lugar para vivir. No obstante, más bien pocos estudios han evaluado la calidad de la geocodificación, siendo realizados la mayoría de ellos en EE.UU. y Europa. El objetivo de este artículo es comparar la calidad de tres herramientas automáticas de geocodificación en línea frente a un método de referencia. La submuestra de 300 direcciones escritas a mano, procedentes del registro hospitalario, se geocodificaron usando Bing, Google Earth y Google Maps. Los porcentajes de coincidencia fueron mayores (> 80%) en el caso de Google Maps y Google Earth comparados con Bing. Sin embargo, la precisión de las direcciones fue mejor con Bing, en una proporción más grande (> 70%) de direcciones que tenían errores de posición por debajo de 20m. En general, el rendimiento no varió en cada método para diferentes niveles estatus socioeconómico. En general, los métodos mostraron un rendimiento aceptable, pero heterogéneo. Esto previene contra el uso de métodos automáticos sin evaluar la calidad en otras ciudades, particularmente en Chile y Latinoamérica. Resumo: Os métodos de geocodificação automática se tornaram populares nos últimos anos para facilitar o estudo da associação entre desfechos de saúde e lugar de residência. Entretanto, poucos estudos avaliaram a qualidade da geocodificação, e a maioria dos estudos existentes foi realizada nos Estados Unidos e Europa. O estudo teve como objetivo comparar a qualidade de três ferramentas de geocodificação eletrônica automática em relação a um método de referência. Foi geocodificada uma subamostra de 300 endereços anotados à mão em prontuários hospitalares, usando Bing, Google Earth e Google Maps. As taxas de correspondência dos registros foram mais altas (> 80%) com Google Maps e Google Earth, comparado com Bing. Entretanto, a acurácia dos endereços foi melhor com Bing, com uma proporção maior (> 70%) de endereços com erros de localização menores que 20 metros. Em geral, o desempeno não variou para cada método de acordo com condição socioeconômica. Os métodos apresentaram desempenho geral aceitável, porém heterogêneo. Os resultados servem de alerta contra o uso de métodos automáticos sem avaliar a qualidade em outras cidades, particularmente no Chile e no resto da América Latina.

The informal recycling of electronic waste (“e-waste”) is a lucrative business for workers in low- and middle-income countries across the globe. Workers dismantle e-waste to recover valuable materials that can be sold for income. However, workers expose themselves and the surrounding environment to hazardous agents during the process, including toxic metals like lead (Pb). To assess which tools, tasks, and job characteristics result in higher concentrations of urine and blood lead levels among workers, ten random samples of 2 min video clips were analyzed per participant from video recordings of workers at e-waste recycling sites in Thailand and Chile to enumerate potential predictors of lead burden. Blood and urine samples were collected from participants to measure lead concentration. Boosted regression trees (BRTs) were run to determine the relative importance of video-derived work variables and demographics, and their relationship with the urine and blood concentrations. Of 45 variables considered, five job characteristics consisting of close-toed shoes (relative importance of 43.9%), the use of blunt striking instruments (14%), bending the back (5.7%), dismantling random parts (4.4%), and bending the neck (3.5%) were observed to be the most important predictors of urinary Pb levels. A further five job characteristics, including lifting objects &lt, 20 lbs. (6.2%), the use of screwdrivers (4.2%), the use of pliers/scissors (4.2%), repetitive arm motion (3.3%), and lifting objects &gt, 20 pounds (3.2%) were observed to be among the most important factors of blood Pb levels. Overall, our findings indicate ten job characteristics that may strongly influence Pb levels in e-waste recycling workers’ urine and blood.

Missing data from air quality datasets is a common problem, but is much more severe in small cities or localities. This poses a great challenge for environmental epidemiology as high exposures to pollutants worldwide occur in these settings and gaps in datasets hinder health studies that could later inform local and international policies. Here, we propose the use of imputation methods as a tool to reconstruct air quality datasets and have applied this approach to an air quality dataset in Temuco, a mid-size city in Chile as a case-study. We attempted to reconstruct the database comparing five approaches: mean imputation, conditional mean imputation, K-Nearest Neighbor imputation, multiple imputation and Bayesian Principal Component Analysis imputation. As a base for the imputation methods, linear regression models were fitted for PM2.5 against other air quality and meteorological variables. Methods were challenged against validation sets where data was removed artificially. Imputation methods were able to reconstruct the dataset with good performance in terms of completeness, errors, and bias, even when challenged against the validations sets. The performance improved when including covariates from a second monitoring station in Temuco. K-Nearest Neighbor imputation showed slightly better performance than multiple imputation for error (25% vs. 27%) and bias (2.1% vs. 3.9%), but presented lower completeness (70% vs. 100%). In summary, our results show that the imputation methods can be a useful tool in reconstructing air quality datasets in a real-life situation.

Manizales, a mid-size city in Colombia, hosts industries like metallurgy, electrical, chemical, and rubber and plastic industrial facilities that have released into atmosphere some pollutants postulated as thyroid cancer (TC) promoters, such as dioxins and furans, dichloromethane, lead and copper. In this article we aim to detect clusters of TC and analyze their spatial association with industrial pollution. TC cases (2003–2010) were obtained from Manizales' Population-based Cancer Registry (PCR-Mz). Atmospheric emissions from industries were obtained from official reports of environmental authority. Data was spatially aggregated into census tracts and analyzed with Bayesian Besag-York and Mollie (BYM) models. Three exposure approaches were used: i) presence or absence of industries into census tracts, ii) sum of air discharges, and iii) an exposure index (EI) that considered the distance and orientation of the census tract regard to industries, average wind direction and speed, and population mobility. Models were fitted by exposure definition and sex, and included traffic and socioeconomic variables for adjustment. Using the Kulldorff's spatial exploration statistic we also performed point-data analyses in order to detect and localize clusters with individual data. Ecological regression models showed that, for women, smoothed standardized incidence ratio (sSIR) increase in 15% [95% credibility interval: 3–27%] and 63% [95%CI: 18–125%] per one standard deviation increase in EI for dichloromethane and PCDDs/Fs, respectively. Point-data analysis confirmed a cluster of female cases close to an industry emitting chlorinated solvents. These results suggest that dichloromethane and PCDDs/Fs emitted from industrial sources might be suspected as thyroid cancer risk factors.

Background Manizales is a city in Colombia that presents high rates of thyroid cancer. It has a medium industrial development and there are concerns of the impact of their emissions on health, particularly on thyroid cancer. In this paper we characterize the geographical pattern of industrial atmospheric emissions of suspected thyroid carcinogens. Methods We systematized data of industries in two groups. First, those with reports of atmospheric emissions of suspected thyroid carcinogens (reporting facilities – RFs), and then, industries not required to report or facilities with no-available emissions data but belonging to the same SIC-codes than RFs (nonreporting facilities – non-RFs). For non-RFs, annual average atmospheric emissions were estimated using a per-employee algorithm. The spatial pattern of sources emitting carcinogens was represented by plotting facilities by size and amounts of specific pollutants released. Results We found 11 RFs and 25 non-RFs in urban Manizales. RFs belong to the metalworking industries, plastics & rubber, manufacture of electrical and electronic devices, waste incineration, cremation, and meat production. Most of them were concentrated in the southeast of the city. Several RFs reported atmospheric emissions of carcinogens exceeding maximum permitted emission limits set in Colombian law. Most of non-RFs were micro and small industries, and were clustered in the southeast of the city and along the main road axis. Conclusions We found clusters of pollution sources near densely populated areas. Thyroid cancer incidence might be greater in areas closer to industries than in furthest areas. We will submit a paper that studies this hypothesis soon.

The objective of this study was to determine the association of respiratory symptoms and medication use and exposure to various air pollutants, PM2.5 components, and source factors in a panel of asthmatic and nonasthmatic children in Santiago, Chile. To this end, 174 children (90 asthmatics and 84 nonasthmatics) were followed throughout the winter months of 2010 and 2011. During the study period, children filled out daily diaries to record respiratory symptoms and medication use. Air pollution data were obtained from government central site measurements and a PM2.5 characterization campaign. PM2.5 source factors were obtained using positive matrix factorization (PMF). Associations of symptoms and exposure to pollutants and source-factor daily scores were modeled separately for asthmatic and nonasthmatic children using mixed logistic regression models with random intercepts, controlling for weather, day of the week, year, and viral outbreaks.Overall, high concentrations of air pollutants and PM2.5 components were observed. Six source factors were identified by PMF (motor vehicles, marine aerosol, copper smelter, secondary sulfates, wood burning, and soil dust). Overall, single pollutant models showed significant and strong associations between 7-day exposures for several criteria pollutants (PM2.5, NO2, O3), PM2.5 components (OC, K, S, Se, V), and source factors (secondary sulfate) and coughing, wheezing and three other respiratory symptoms in both in asthmatic and nonasthmatic children. No associations were found for use of rescue inhalers in asthmatics. Two-pollutant models showed that several associations remained significant after including PM2.5, and other criteria pollutants, in the models, particularly components and source factors associated with industrial sources.In conclusion, exposure to air pollutants, especially PM2.5, NO2, and O3, were found to exacerbate respiratory symptoms in both asthmatic and nonasthmatic children. Some of the results suggest that PM2.5 components associated with a secondary sulfate source may have a greater impact on some symptoms than PM2.5. In general, the results of this study show important associations at concentrations close or below current air quality standards. Keywords: Wheezing, Coughing, Panel study, PMF, Industrial, Secondary sulfate

Exposure to air pollutants is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD pathological hallmarks and cognitive deficits are documented in children and young adults in polluted cities (e.g. Metropolitan Mexico City, MMC). Iron-rich combustion- and friction-derived nanoparticles (CFDNPs) that are abundantly present in airborne particulate matter pollution have been detected in abundance in the brains of young urbanites. Epigenetic gene regulation has emerged as a candidate mechanism linking exposure to air pollution and brain diseases. A global decrease of the repressive histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 (H3K9me2/me3) has been described both in AD patients and animal models. Here, we evaluated nuclear levels of H3K9me2/me3 and the DNA double-strand-break marker γ-H2AX by immunostaining in post-mortem prefrontal white matter samples from 23 young adults (age 29 ± 6 years) who resided in MMC (n = 13) versus low-pollution areas (n = 10). Lower H3K9me2/me3 and higher γ-H2A.X staining were present in MMC urbanites, who also displayed the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques. Transmission electron microscopy revealed abundant CFDNPs in neuronal, glial and endothelial nuclei in MMC residents' frontal samples. In addition, mice exposed to particulate air pollution (for 7 months) in urban Santiago (Chile) displayed similar brain impacts; reduced H3K9me2/me3 and increased γ-H2A.X staining, together with increased levels of AD-related tau phosphorylation. Together, these findings suggest that particulate air pollution, including metal-rich CFDNPs, impairs brain chromatin silencing and reduces DNA integrity, increasing the risk of developing AD in young individuals exposed to high levels of particulate air pollution.

Ultrafine particle pollution is a health concern in indoor and outdoor settings. Reducing ultrafine particle exposure and concentrations in populated areas is therefore an important research topic. Our study assesses the effectiveness of plants to decrease ultrafine particle concentrations in indoor environments. Ambient ultrafine particle concentrations were measured for three hours in and outside a polycarbonate chamber with and without plants using a condensation particle counter. Reduction in ambient ultrafine particle levels between blanks and treatments of 11 plant species were compared using infiltration factors ( Finfs). All but one species, Dracaena deremensis compacta, resulted in in-chamber ultrafine particle reductions, with typically small but statistically significant results. Juniperus chinensis ‘ San Jose' showed the highest per-plant ultrafine particle reduction (5.5%). A linear relationship between number of within-chamber plants and percent ultrafine particle reduction was proven (r2 = 0.95) for juniper plants, four plants achieved the maximum Finfp reduction (19.9%). Plant surface area was associated with ultrafine particle reduction (r2 = 0.85) when comparing statistically significant results. Humidity and temperature were irrelevant to reduction. Household ultrafine particle reduction was estimated using juniper plants (11%). Results indicate that plants may provide a small, yet statistically significant ultrafine particle reduction in homes with the co-benefit of greening the indoor environment.

Chile suffers significant pollution from large industrial emitters associated with the mining, metal processing, paper production, and energy industries. The aim of this research was to determine whether the presence of large industrial facilities (i.e. coal- and oil-fired power plants, pulp and paper mills, mining facilities, and smelters) affects mortality and morbidity rates in Chile. For this, we conducted an ecological study that used Chilean communes as small-area observation units to assess mortality and morbidity. Public databases provided information on large pollution sources relevant to Chile. The large sources studied were oil- and coal-fired power plants, copper smelters, pulp and paper mills, and large mining facilities. Large sources were filtered by first year of production, type of process, and size. Mortality and morbidity data were acquired from public national databases, with morbidity being estimated from hospitalization records. Cause-specific rates were calculated for the main outcomes: cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer; and other more specific health outcomes. The impact of the large pollution sources was estimated using Bayesian models that included spatial correlation, overdispersion, and other covariates. Large and significant increases in health risks (around 20%–100%) were found for communes with power plants and smelters for total, cardiovascular, respiratory, all-cancer, and lung cancer mortality. Higher hospitalization rates for cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, and pneumonia (20–100%) were also found for communes with power plants and smelters. The impacts were larger for men than women in terms of both mortality and hospitalizations. The impacts were also larger when the sources were analyzed as continuous (production volume) rather than dichotomous (presence/absence) variables. In conclusion, significantly higher rates of total cardiovascular, respiratory, all-cancer and lung cancer mortality and cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer and pneumonia hospitalizations were observed in communes with power plants and smelters. Keywords: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Cancer, Power plants, Copper smelter, Mining facilities

Little research has been done to evaluate the occupational health of electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workers in Latin America. The objective of this study was to complete comprehensive health evaluations on e-waste recycling workers in Chile and to compare those that work in informal (i.e., independent) to those that work in formal (i.e., established company) settings. A cross-sectional study in the summer of 2017 recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from a single recycling facility to assess exposures and health outcomes. Participants completed a health questionnaire and underwent a full health assessment. Herein, only health questionnaire data are reported. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and their prevalence of chronic diseases was comparable to national rates. Workers frequently reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including noise and insufficient income, as well as other mental health stressors. Occupational injuries were commonly reported and use of safety equipment was low. Only a few significant differences, generally of a rather small magnitude, were found between informal and formal workers. In conclusion, from survey data, we did not identify major risks to health among e-waste workers, and only minor differences between workers in informal and formal settings.

Little research has been done on occupational health ramifications of informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling work, which is increasingly common in low- and middle-income countries, and very little is known about this in high-income countries. Our study evaluated informal and formal e-waste recycling workers in Chile, which was recently recognized as a high-income country. In 2017 we recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities, and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from one recycling facility. Participants completed a questionnaire and health assessment regarding their involvement in, and potential impacts of, e-waste recycling, among other measures. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and chronic disease prevalence was similar to the national prevalence. Workers commonly reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including mental health stressors and noise, as well as insufficient income. Occupational injuries were common and use of safety equipment was low. No significant differences were found between informal and formal workers. Informal e-waste workers in Chile face occupational health challenges. The extent to which these issues impact the health of informal Chilean e-waste workers is unclear and warrants further research.

Temuco is a city heavily impacted by residential wood-burning, which causes strong episodes of air pollution, particularly in winter. Little is known about the spatial distribution of wood-burning ...

A rapidly growing body of research has recently shown beneficial health effect of urban green environment and natural spaces. Latin America is the world’s most urbanized region, with largest ...

The spatial model development of particle distribution are necessary for studying the chronic health impacts of particulate air pollution due to residential wood- burning. The spatial variability o...

The objective of this study was to determine the association of respiratory symptoms and medication use and exposure to various air pollutants, PM

Background: The association between PM2.5 and airway inflammation and lung function has been extensively-studied. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of PM2.5 components. Objective: To ...

The objective of this study was to compare personal exposure to particulate matter (fine and ultrafine particles) in commuters using different transport modes (bicycle, bus, car and subway) in a busy, assigned route in downtown Santiago, Chile. Volunteers carrying personal samplers completed scheduled commutes during the morning rush hours, while central site measurements were conducted in parallel. A total of 137 valid commutes were assessed. The impact of central site, traffic and other variables was explored with regression models. PM2.5 personal concentrations were equal to or slightly above central site measurements, while UFP personal concentrations were above them. Regression models showed impacts of both background levels and traffic emissions on personal PM2.5 and UFP exposure. Traffic impacts varied with transport modes. Estimates of traffic impacts on personal PM2.5 exposure were 2.0, 13.0, 16.9 and 17.5 μg m(-3), for car, bicycle, subway and bus, respectively; while for UFP exposure were 8400, 16 200, 25 600 and 30 100 counts per cm(3), for subway, car, bicycle and bus, respectively. After controlling the central site and transport mode, higher temperatures increased PM2.5 exposure and decreased UFP ones, while the wind direction affected UFP personal exposure. In conclusion, we found significant impacts of both central site background measurements and traffic emissions on personal exposure of volunteer commuters in an assigned route in Santiago, with impacts varying with transport modes.