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Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks
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Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 7732

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bin Luo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: climate change and health; air pollution and health; extreme weather and health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

So far, numerous studies focusing on environmental health have been carried out worldwide, and the disparities on environmental epidemiology and risks are still a hot topic of discussion. Disadvantaged communities may face a greater likelihood of exposure to ambient hazards and higher health risk. The exposure–disease paradigm has long suggested that differential “vulnerability” or “adaptation” may modify the effects of toxicants on biological systems. For example, the 2019 GBD estimation reported greater disease burden of PM2.5 in countries with lower social development. Further, similar exposure levels of air pollution may lead to quite different health outcomes in different countries with a different population, air pollution controlling measures, etc. Additionally, there may even be a great difference in constituents due to different air pollution sources and emission standards. Against the backdrop of climate change, developed countries have found better, more mature ways of adaptation to climate change, making them less vulnerable to extreme weather. Disparities can arise from multiple social, behavioral, and environmental exposures, and pathophysiologic states in different bodies are incompletely understood. Thus, the absence of knowledge concerning these disparities may lead to underestimating or overvaluing the risk of environmental hazards. 

This Special Issue focuses on exploring the factors affecting disparities on environmental epidemiology and risk. Papers addressing the following topics are solicited:

  • Assessment of the effect of environmental hazards on health;
  • Analysis of factors mediating the effect of environmental hazards on health;
  • Comparison of research models in evaluating the risk of environmental hazards.

Prof. Dr. Bin Luo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental health
  • vulnerability
  • disparity
  • risk evaluation
  • environmental epidemiology
  • environmental pollution
  • climate change
  • extreme weather

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 935 KiB  
Article
Associations of COVID-19 Hospitalizations, ICU Admissions, and Mortality with Black and White Race and Their Mediation by Air Pollution and Other Risk Factors in the Louisiana Industrial Corridor, March 2020–August 2021
by Qingzhao Yu, Wentao Cao, Diana Hamer, Norman Urbanek, Susanne Straif-Bourgeois, Stephania A. Cormier, Tekeda Ferguson and Jennifer Richmond-Bryant
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054611 - 5 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1766
Abstract
Louisiana ranks among the bottom five states for air pollution and mortality. Our objective was to investigate associations between race and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mortality over time and determine which air pollutants and other characteristics [...] Read more.
Louisiana ranks among the bottom five states for air pollution and mortality. Our objective was to investigate associations between race and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mortality over time and determine which air pollutants and other characteristics may mediate COVID-19-associated outcomes. In our cross-sectional study, we analyzed hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and mortality among positive SARS-CoV-2 cases within a healthcare system around the Louisiana Industrial Corridor over four waves of the pandemic from 1 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Associations between race and each outcome were tested, and multiple mediation analysis was performed to test if other demographic, socioeconomic, or air pollution variables mediate the race–outcome relationships after adjusting for all available confounders. Race was associated with each outcome over the study duration and during most waves. Early in the pandemic, hospitalization, ICU admission, and mortality rates were greater among Black patients, but as the pandemic progressed, these rates became greater in White patients. However, Black patients were disproportionately represented in these measures. Our findings imply that air pollution might contribute to the disproportionate share of COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality among Black residents in Louisiana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks)
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14 pages, 3682 KiB  
Article
The Interactive Effects between Drought and Air Pollutants on Children’s Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Time-Series Analysis in Gansu, China
by Yanlin Li, Jianyun Sun, Ruoyi Lei, Jie Zheng, Xiaoyu Tian, Baode Xue and Bin Luo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1959; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031959 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1730
Abstract
As a destructive and economic disaster in the world, drought shows an increasing trend under the continuous global climate change and adverse health effects have been reported. The interactive effects between drought and air pollutants, which may also be harmful to respiratory systems, [...] Read more.
As a destructive and economic disaster in the world, drought shows an increasing trend under the continuous global climate change and adverse health effects have been reported. The interactive effects between drought and air pollutants, which may also be harmful to respiratory systems, remain to be discussed. We built the generalized additive model (GAM) and distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to estimate the effects of drought and air pollutants on daily upper respiratory infections (URTI) outpatient visits among children under 6 in three cities of Gansu province. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) based on monthly precipitation (SPI-1) was used as an indicator of drought. A non-stratified model was established to explore the interaction effect of SPI-1 and air pollutants. We illustrated the number of daily pediatric URTI outpatient visits increased with the decrease in SPI-1. The interactive effects between air pollutants and the number of daily pediatric URTIs were significant. According to the non-stratified model, we revealed highly polluted and drought environments had the most significant impact on URTI in children. The occurrence of drought and air pollutants increased URTI in children and exhibited a significant interactive effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks)
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14 pages, 2976 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Short-Term PM2.5 Exposure on Pulmonary Function among Children with Asthma—A Panel Study in Shanghai, China
by Ji Zhou, Ruoyi Lei, Jianming Xu, Li Peng, Xiaofang Ye, Dandan Yang, Sixu Yang, Yong Yin and Renhe Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811385 - 9 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2101
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been reported to be an important risk factor for asthma. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between PM2.5 and lung function among children with asthma in Shanghai, China. From 2016 to 2019, a [...] Read more.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been reported to be an important risk factor for asthma. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between PM2.5 and lung function among children with asthma in Shanghai, China. From 2016 to 2019, a total of 70 Chinese children aged 4 to 14 in Shanghai were recruited for this panel study. The questionnaire was used to collect baseline information, and the lung function covering forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were carried out for each child more than twice during follow-up. Meanwhile, the simultaneous daily air atmospheric pollutants and meteorological data were collected. The linear mixed effect (LME) model was used to assess the relationship between air pollutants and lung function. A significantly negative association was found between PM2.5 and lung function in children with asthma. In the single-pollutant model, the largest effects of PM2.5 on lung function were found for lag 0–2, with FVC and FEV1 decreasing by 0.91% [95% confidence interval (CI): −1.75, −0.07] and 1.05% (95% CI: −2.09, 0.00), respectively, for each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. In the multi-pollution model (adjusted PM2.5 + SO2 + O3), the maximum effects of PM2.5 on FVC and FEV1 also appeared for lag 0–2, with FVC and FEV1 decreasing by 1.57% (95% CI: −2.69, −0.44) and 1.67% (95% CI: −3.05, −0.26), respectively, for each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. In the subgroup analysis, boys, preschoolers (<6 years old) and hot seasons (May to September) were more sensitive to changes. Our findings may contribute to a better understanding of the short-term exposure effects of PM2.5 on lung function in children with asthma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks)
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13 pages, 1852 KiB  
Article
Association among Helicobacter pylori Infection, Tooth Loss, and Heavy Medal Exposure in a Chinese Rural Population
by Jun Yan, Honglong Zhang, Zenan Hu, Xuan Zhang, Jingping Niu, Bin Luo, Haiping Wang and Xun Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4569; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084569 - 11 Apr 2022
Viewed by 1620
Abstract
Previous research suggests that heavy metals may be associated with increased susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection. This study investigated the effect of heavy metal exposure (Pb and Cd) on tooth loss and H. pylori infection in a Chinese rural population, who live near [...] Read more.
Previous research suggests that heavy metals may be associated with increased susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection. This study investigated the effect of heavy metal exposure (Pb and Cd) on tooth loss and H. pylori infection in a Chinese rural population, who live near a mining and smelting area. Blood samples were collected from the study participants to estimate the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure levels. H. pylori infection was analyzed using the 14C-urea breath test, and the number of missing teeth (MT), filled teeth (FT), and missing or filled teeth (MFT) were counted by conducting a physical examination. Regression analysis was used to assess the difference between H. pylori-positive and -negative individuals in the MT, FT, and MFT groups, adjusting for confounders. The H. pylori infection prevalence was higher in individuals in the high Cd or high Pb groups than that in the low Cd or low Pb groups (p < 0.05). In addition, greater numbers of FT and MFT were observed in individuals in the high Pb group than those in the low Pb group (p < 0.05). We further found 8.7% (95% CI, 2.8–23.8%, p = 0.017) of the effect of the high BPb level on H. pylori infection risk could be statistically explained by FT using amediation analyses in adjusted models, and 6.8% (95% CI, 1.6–24.8%, p = 0.066) by MFT. Furthermore, FT and MFT were significantly associated with increased risk for H. pylori infection (odds ratio (OR) = 4.938, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.125–21.671; OR = 3.602, 95% CI: 1.218–10.648, respectively). Pb and Cd exposure may be associated with tooth loss and increased susceptibility to H. pylori infection, and tooth loss may be an independent risk factor for H. pylori infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disparities on Environmental Epidemiology and Risks)
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