BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that the occurrence and severity of respiratory diseases in children are related to the concentration of air pollutants. Nonetheless, evidence regarding the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in children remains limited. Outpatients cover a wide range of disease severity, including both severe and mild cases, some of which may need to be transferred to inpatient treatment. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the impact of short-term ambient air pollution exposure on outpatient visits for respiratory conditions in children. METHODS: This study employed data of the Second People's Hospital of Yichang from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2023, to conduct a time series analysis. The DLNM approach was integrated with a generalized additive model to examine the daily outpatient visits of pediatric patients with respiratory illnesses in hospital, alongside air pollution data obtained from monitoring stations. Adjustments were made for long-term trends, meteorological variables, and other influencing factors. RESULTS: A nonlinear association was identified between PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, SO₂, CO levels and the daily outpatient visits for respiratory diseases among children. All six pollutants exhibit a hysteresis impact, with varying durations ranging from 4 to 6 days. The risks associated with air pollutants differ across various categories of children's respiratory diseases; notably, O₃ and CO do not show statistical significance concerning the risk of chronic respiratory conditions. Furthermore, the results of infectious respiratory diseases were similar with those of respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that short-term exposure to air pollutants may contribute to an increased incidence of outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses among children, and controlling air pollution is important to protect children's health.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/chemically induced* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Air Pollution/analysis* ; Infant ; Male ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Female ; Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data* ; Outpatients/statistics & numerical data* ; Adolescent ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between household chemical use and respiratory disease (RD) in older Chinese adults. METHODS: The data were from the 2018 China Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database, which included 12,866 participants aged ≥ 65 years. The prevalence of RD was based on self-reported medical history, and patients were divided into diseased and non-diseased groups. The frequency of household chemical usage was divided into four categories, and a total score for eight household chemical usage categories was constructed. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the frequency of household chemical use and RD, and a restricted cubic spline was used to determine the dose-response association. RESULT: After adjusting for all covariates, regular use of repellents [odds ratios ( OR) = 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.55] and oil removers ( OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.03-1.58) were associated with RD. There was a dose-response association between the total score of household chemicals usage and RD risk ( P non-linearity > 0.05, P for trend < 0.01). Using patients with the total score below 9 as a reference, the OR for patients with the total score ranging from 25 to 32 is 2.33 (95% CI 1.25-4.09). CONCLUSION Regular use of repellents and oil removers increased the risk of RD, and the dose-dependent relationship was also observed.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Aged ; Male ; Female ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/chemically induced* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Household Products/adverse effects* ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: Particulate matter (PM), a major component of ambient air pollution, accounts for a substantial burden of diseases and fatality worldwide. Maternal exposure to PM during pregnancy is particularly harmful to children's health since this is a phase of rapid human growth and development. METHOD: In this review, we synthesize the scientific evidence on adverse health outcomes in children following prenatal exposure to the smallest toxic components, fine (PM RESULTS: Maternal exposure to fine and ultrafine PM directly and indirectly yields numerous adverse birth outcomes and impacts on children's respiratory systems, immune status, brain development, and cardiometabolic health. The biological mechanisms underlying adverse effects include direct placental translocation of ultrafine particles, placental and systemic maternal oxidative stress and inflammation elicited by both fine and ultrafine PM, epigenetic changes, and potential endocrine effects that influence long-term health. CONCLUSION Policies to reduce maternal exposure and health consequences in children should be a high priority. PM
Adult ; Air Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Air Pollution/prevention & control* ; Animals ; Cardiovascular Diseases/chemically induced* ; Child Health ; Child, Preschool ; Disease Models, Animal ; Endocrine System Diseases/chemically induced* ; Epigenomics ; Female ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases/chemically induced* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects* ; Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced* ; Oxidative Stress ; Particle Size ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome/epidemiology* ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology* ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/chemically induced* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the health effects of exposure to BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene, o-Xylene) in the Taean area after the Hebei Spirit oil spill. METHODS: We used a questionnaire survey to look for health effects among 80 pregnant women 2 to 3 months following the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Their BTEX exposures were estimated using the CALPUFF method. We then used a multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate the effects of BTEX exposure on the women's health effets. RESULTS: Pregnant women who lived near the accident site reported more symptoms of eye irritation and headache than those who lived farther from the site. There was a trend of decreasing symptoms with an increase in distance from the spill site. Pregnant women exposed to higher ambient cumulative levels of Xylene were significantly more likely to report symptoms of the skin (OR 8.01 95% CI=1.74-36.76) in the first day after the accident and significantly more likely to report abdominal pain (OR 3.86 95% CI=1.02-14.59 for Ethylbenzene, OR 6.70 95% CI=1.82-24.62 for Xylene) during the 1st through 4th days following the accident. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that exposure to BTEX from an oil spill is correlated with an increased risk of health effects among pregnant women. This implies the need to take proper measures, including the development of a national policy for environmental health emergencies and a plan for studying the short- and long-term chronic health effects associated with such spills.
Adult ; Benzene/*adverse effects/analysis ; Benzene Derivatives/*adverse effects/analysis ; *Disasters ; *Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Pollutants/*adverse effects/analysis ; Eye Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; *Petroleum ; Pregnancy ; Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Skin Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Time Factors ; Toluene/analysis ; *Women's Health ; Xylenes/analysis

The effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) trace elements on health are widely concerned nowadays. Many achievements have been made while many unknowns exist. This article reports the recent research progresses, describes the effects of exposure to PM trace elements on health epidemiological evidence, toxicology findings, and raises some questions for future studies.
Air Pollutants ; standards ; toxicity ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; chemically induced ; epidemiology ; Environmental Exposure ; Environmental Health ; standards ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; chemically induced ; epidemiology ; Trace Elements ; standards ; toxicity