Dataset Information

Modeling Desert Dust Exposures in Epidemiologic Short-term Health Effects Studies.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Desert dust is assumed to have substantial adverse effects on human health. However, the epidemiologic evidence is still inconsistent, mainly because previous studies used different metrics for dust exposure and its corresponding epidemiologic analysis. We aim to provide a standardized approach to the methodology for evaluating the short-term health effects of desert dust. METHODS:We reviewed the methods commonly used for dust exposure assessment, from use of a binary metric for the occurrence of desert dust advections to a continuous one for quantifying particulate matter attributable to desert dust. We presented alternative time-series Poisson regression models to evaluate the dust exposure-mortality association, from the underlying epidemiological and policy-relevant questions. A set of practical examples, using a real dataset from Rome, Italy, illustrate the different modeling approaches. RESULTS:We estimate substantial effects of desert dust episodes and particulate matter with diameter <10 ?m (PM10) on daily mortality. The estimated effect of non-desert PM10 was 1.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.4, 3.2) for a 10 ?g/m rise of PM10 at lag 0 for dust days, 0.4% (95% CI = -0.1, 0.8) for non-dust days, and 0.6% (95% CI = -0.5, 2.1) for desert PM10. CONCLUSION:The standardized modeling approach we propose could be applicable elsewhere, in and near hot spots, which could lead to more consistent evidence on the health effects of desert dust from future studies.

SUBMITTER: Tobias A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7523576 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Modeling Desert Dust Exposures in Epidemiologic Short-term Health Effects Studies.

Tobías Aurelio A Stafoggia Massimo M

Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) 20201101 6

<h4>Background</h4>Desert dust is assumed to have substantial adverse effects on human health. However, the epidemiologic evidence is still inconsistent, mainly because previous studies used different metrics for dust exposure and its corresponding epidemiologic analysis. We aim to provide a standardized approach to the methodology for evaluating the short-term health effects of desert dust.<h4>Methods</h4>We reviewed the methods commonly used for dust exposure assessment, from use of a binary m ...[more]

PMID: 33003150

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Project description:Desertification and climate change indicate a future expansion of the global area of dry land and an increase in the risk of drought. Humans may therefore be at an ever-increasing risk of frequent exposure to, and resultant adverse health effects of desert sand dust. This review appraises a total of 52 experimental studies that have sought to identify mechanisms and intermediate endpoints underlying epidemiological evidence of an impact of desert dust on cardiovascular and respiratory health. Toxicological studies, in main using doses that reflect or at least approach real world exposures during a dust event, have demonstrated that virgin sand dust particles and dust storm particles sampled at remote locations away from the source induce inflammatory lung injury and aggravate allergen-induced nasal and pulmonary eosinophilia. Effects are orchestrated by cytokines, chemokines and antigen-specific immunoglobulin potentially via toll-like receptor/myeloid differentiation factor signaling pathways. Findings suggest that in addition to involvement of adhered chemical and biological pollutants, mineralogical components may also be implicated in the pathogenesis of human respiratory disorders during a dust event. Whilst comparisons with urban particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) suggest that allergic inflammatory responses are greater for microbial element-rich dust- PM2.5, aerosols generated during dust events appear to have a lower oxidative potential compared to combustion-generated PM2.5 sampled during non-dust periods. In vitro findings suggest that the significant amounts of suspended desert dust during storm periods may provide a platform to intermix with chemicals on its surfaces, thereby increasing the bioreactivity of PM2.5 during dust storm episodes, and that mineral dust surface reactions are an unrecognized source of toxic organic chemicals in the atmosphere, enhancing toxicity of aerosols in urban environments. In summary, the experimental research on desert dust on respiratory endpoints go some way in clarifying the mechanistic effects of atmospheric desert dust on the upper and lower human respiratory system. In doing so, they provide support for biological plausibility of epidemiological associations between this particulate air pollutant and events including exacerbation of asthma, hospitalization for respiratory infections and seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Project description:BackgroundThe impact of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.5. microns (PM2.5) exposures on lung function has been investigated mainly in children and less in adults. Furthermore, it is unclear whether short-term deviations of air pollutant concentration need to be considered in long-term exposure models.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to investigate the association between short-term air pollution exposure and lung function and to assess whether short-term deviations of air pollutant concentration should be integrated into long-term exposure models.MethodsShort-term (daily averages 0-7 d prior) and long-term (1- and 4-y means) NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations were modeled using satellite, land use, and meteorological data calibrated on ground measurements. Forced expiratory volume within the first second (FEV1) of forced exhalation and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured during a LuftiBus assessment (2003-2012) and linked to exposure information from the Swiss National Cohort for 36,085 adults (ages 18-95 y). We used multiple linear regression to estimate adjusted associations, and additionally adjusted models of long-term exposures for short-term deviations in air pollutant concentrations.ResultsA 10μg/m3 increase in NO2 and PM2.5 on the day of the pulmonary function test was associated with lower FEV1 and FVC (NO2: FEV1 -8.0 ml [95% confidence interval: -13.4, -2.7], FVC -16.7 ml [-23.4, -10.0]; PM2.5: FEV1 -15.3 ml [-21.9, -8.7], FVC -18.5 ml [-26.5, -10.5]). A 10μg/m3 increase in 1-y mean NO2 was also associated with lower FEV1 (-7.7 ml; -15.9, 0.5) and FVC (-21.6 ml; -31.9, -11.4), as was a 10μg/m3 increase in 1-y mean PM2.5 (FEV1: -42.2 ml; -56.9, -27.5; FVC: -82.0 ml; -100.1, -63.9). These associations were robust to adjustment for short-term deviations in the concentration of each air pollutant.ConclusionsShort- and long-term air pollution exposures were negatively associated with lung function, in particular long-term PM2.5 exposure with FVC. Our findings contribute substantially to the evidence of adverse associations between air pollution and lung function in adults. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7529.

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Dataset Information

Modeling Desert Dust Exposures in Epidemiologic Short-term Health Effects Studies.

Publications

Modeling Desert Dust Exposures in Epidemiologic Short-term Health Effects Studies.

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