Chronic exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with lung function impairment. To determine the molecular mechanism(s) of this phenomenon, we investigated, in an alveolar human epithelial cell line (A549), whether diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a main component of particulate air pollution, modulates the expression and activity of the matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-1, a collagenase ...

Historical records show that the A.D. 1783-1784 Laki eruption in Iceland caused severe environmental stress and posed a health hazard far beyond the borders of Iceland. Given the reasonable likelihood of such an event recurring, it is important to assess the scale on which a future eruption could impact society. We quantify the potential health effects caused by an increase in air pollution dur...

Several epidemiological studies have shown an association between particulate air pollution and health effects. Suspended particulates and more specifically the inhalable PM10 fraction appear to cause respiratory health effects and heart diseases. Furthermore, particulate pollution is of paramount importance in areas with open-pit mines and especially when it is combined with raw lignite transf...

One of the most readily apparent contemporary factors linking climate to human health is air pollution. Important progress has been made in reducing U.S. air pollution since the first Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, but summer haze and its constituent particulate matter and photochemical air pollutants remain substantial ongoing problems across the U.S. Short-term meteorological effects on ai...

Exposure to particulate air pollution and socioeconomic risk factors are shown to be independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, their confounding relationship is an epidemiological challenge that requires understanding of their shared etiologic pathways affecting fetal-placental development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the etiological mechanisms associated wi...

Particulate air pollution causes increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality, but the chemical determinants responsible for its biologic effects are not understood. We studied the effect of total suspended particulates collected in Provo, Utah, an area where an increase in respiratory symptoms in relation to levels of particulate pollution has been well documented. Provo particulates caus...

Particulate matter air pollution has considerably increased during the last decades; vanadium is a transition element adhered to this particulate matter, and the combustion of fossil fuels is the main source in the atmosphere. It has been reported that air pollution and specifically vanadium exposure increases the probability of suffering arrhythmias; however the biological mechanism of such a ...

BACKGROUND The association between ambient air pollution and heart rate variability (HRV) has been well-documented. Little is known about the association of HRV at night with indoor air pollution and coffee consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of HRV indices with indoor air pollution, working time and coffee consumption. METHODS We recruited 60 young healthy c...

This study aims to assess the effects air pollution on hospitalization due to hypertension. An ecological study was conducted using data regarding hospitalizations due to hypertension in São José dos Campos, State of São Paulo, Brazil between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2010. The pollutants analyzed by this study were particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and ozone. A significant association ...

Urban particulate air pollution is a serious health issue. Trees within cities can remove fine particles from the atmosphere and consequently improve air quality and human health. Tree effects on PM2.5 concentrations and human health are modeled for 10 U.S. cities. The total amount of PM2.5 removed annually by trees varied from 4.7 tonnes in Syracuse to 64.5 tonnes in Atlanta, with annual value...