OBJECTIVES To investigate the validity of outdoor concentrations of particulate matter < 10 microns diameter (PM10) as a measure of exposure in time series studies, and to study the extent to which differences between personal and outdoor PM10 concentrations can be explained. METHODS Four to eight repeated measurements of personal and outdoor PM10 concentrations were conducted for 45 children...

BACKGROUND Environmental disparities may underlie the unequal distribution of health across socioeconomic groups. However, this assertion has not been tested across a range of countries: an important knowledge gap for a transboundary health issue such as air pollution. We consider whether populations of low-income European regions were a) exposed to disproportionately high levels of particulate...

Epidemiologic studies have reported associations between fine particulate air pollution, especially particles less than 10 mm in diameter (PM10), and the development of exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the mechanism is unknown. We tested our hypothesis that PM10 induces oxidant stress, causing inflammation and injury to airway epithelium. We assessed t...

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests that fine particulate air pollution, particularly particles less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) exposure adversely affects pregnancy outcomes and usually aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene bound to fine particles. We evaluated the impacts of PM10 and benzene on spontaneous abortion of first trimester of pregnancy in Tehran. Materials and Meth...

The purpose of this study is to clarify the chemical characterization of PM2.5 and PM10 in diesel exhaust particles (DEP). Sampling of PM2.5 and PM10 in DEP was carried out in November 1999 using an automobile exhaust testing system at the National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory, with a diesel truck (engine type: direct injection, displacement: 7,961 cc, carrying weight: 2,020 kg, eq...

BACKGROUND There is growing evidence suggesting an association between air pollution and suicide. However, previous findings varied depending on the type of air pollutant and study location. OBJECTIVES We examined the association between air pollutants and suicide in 10 large cities in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. METHODS We used a two-stage meta-analysis. First, we conducted a time-stra...

Particulate matter (PM) exposure is related to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, with increased inflammatory status. The release of the proinflammatory interleukin- (IL-) 1β, is controlled by a dual pathway, the formation of inactive pro-IL-1β, through Toll-like receptors (TLRs) activation, and its cleavage by NLRP3 inflammasome. THP-1-derived macrophages were exposed for 6 h to 2.5  μg/cm...

Daily average monitoring data for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 and meteorological parameters at Chengdu from 2009 to 2011 are analyzed using statistical methods to replicate the effect of urban air pollution in Chengdu metropolitan region of the Sichuan Basin. The temporal distribution of, and correlation between, PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 particles are analyzed. Additionally, the relationships between pa...