Background: Bioaerosol pollution of workplace and home environments mainly affects airways and mucous membranes. The effect of environmental outdoor residential bioaerosol pollution, for example, ...livestock holdings, farming, and waste disposal plants, is unclear. Aims: To investigate the perceived health of residents living in areas with measurable outdoor bioaerosol pollution (for example, spores of Aspergillus fumigatus and actinomycetes), and effects of accompanying odours. Methods: In a cross sectional study, double blinded to ongoing microbial measurements, doctors collected 356 questionnaires from residents near a large scale composting site, and from unexposed controls in 1997. Self reported prevalence of health complaints during the past year, doctors’ diagnoses, as well as residential odour annoyance were assessed. Microbiological pollution was measured simultaneously in residential outdoor air. Results: Concentrations of >105 colony forming units of thermophilic actinomycetes, moulds, and total bacteria/m3 air were measured 200 m from the site, dropping to near background concentrations within 300 m. Positive adjusted associations were observed for residency within 150–200 m from the site versus unexposed controls for self reported health complaints: “waking up due to coughing”, odds ratio (OR) 6.59 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.57 to 17.73); “coughing on rising or during the day”, OR 3.18 (95% CI 1.24 to 8.36); “bronchitis”, OR 3.59 (95% CI 1.40 to 9.4); and “excessive tiredness”, OR 4.27 (95% CI 1.56 to 12.15). Reports of irritative airway complaints were associated with residency in the highest bioaerosol exposure, 150–200 m (versus residency >400–500 m) from the site, and period of residency more than five years, but not residential odour annoyance. Lifetime prevalence of self reported diseases did not differ with exposure. Conclusions: Bioaerosol pollution of residential outdoor air can occur in concentrations found in occupational environments. For the first time residents exposed to bioaerosol pollution were shown to report irritative respiratory complaints similar to mucous membrane irritation independently of perceived odours.
In 2001, the German Protection against Infection Act came into force, implementing a variety of new regulations. For the first time, obligatory infection control visits of the public health ...departments in surgical ambulatory practices were implemented, as well as optional infection control visits in all medical, dental and paramedical practices using invasive methods. Based on the data of the public health department of the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, an evaluation of this new regulation is given in this paper. First, prioritization of these new tasks was mandatory. First priority was given to the obligatory visits in surgical practices, second priority to the hygiene visits in practices performing endoscopy in gastroenterology as well as in urology and in practices of traditional healers, and third priority was given to all other doctors' practices. After receiving preliminary information and further training of the doctors etc., the control visits were performed by members of the public health department, using a checklist based on the guidelines of the German Commission on Hospital Infection Prevention ("Kommission für Krankenhaushygiene und Infektionsprävention"). Since 2001, more than 1100 infection control visits in medical practices in Frankfurt am Main were documented. Not only in surgical, but also in gastroenterological and urological practices great improvement could be achieved, regarding not only hand hygiene and reprocessing surface areas, but especially in reprocessing medical devices. In practices for internal medicine and those of general practitioners, errors in hand hygiene, skin antiseptic and surface disinfection also decreased. According to our results, especially regarding the improved quality of structure as well as quality of process and with regard to the public discussion on this hygiene topic, our evaluation is absolutely positive. The new regulation proved worthwhile.
Uncertainties regarding possible negative effects on the environment or on human health of authorizing tracing experiments in groundwater and surface waters led to the establishment of a Working ...Group at the German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) for conducting a toxicological and ecotoxicological assessment. A total of 17 water tracers was assessed by the Working Group on the basis of the results of toxicological tests, the available literature, and the group's expert knowledge. In the future, tracers that pose a risk to the environment or to human health should no longer be used. Nevertheless, there are a number of tracers that could be used in hydrogeological and hydrological investigations for water-pollution-control purposes with no adverse environmental impact.
Literature published between 2000 to 2004 concerning electromagnetic fields (EMF) of mobile communication and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) or unspecific symptoms of ill health, ...respectively, is reviewed. Basically, literature from established databases was systematically searched for. For each study, the design and quality were evaluated by means of a criteria list in order to judge evidence for causality of exposures on effects. Finally, 13 studies of sufficient quality were considered for this review.
In only one provocation study, individuals with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity were exposed to EMF. Their perception of field status was no better than would have been expected by chance. Results of five randomised cross-over studies on impaired well-being due to mobile phone exposure were contradictory. Even though these studies would allow more reliable exposure assessment, they are limited due to short exposure period and the small study size.
No firm conclusion could be drawn from a few observational epidemiological studies finding a positive association between exposure and unspecific symptoms of ill health due to methodological limitations. Causality of exposure and effect was not derivable from these cross-sectional studies as field status and health complaints were assessed at the same time. In addition, exposure assessment has not been validated.
In conclusion, based on the limited studies available, there is no valid evidence for an association between impaired well-being and exposure to mobile phone radiation presently. However, the limited quantity and quality of research in this area do not allow to exclude long-term health effects definitely.
The presented study reports the prevalence of somatic symptoms in three study samples living in the vicinity of composting plants. Microorganisms were measured in the air of the residential areas ...closest to the plants at the same time an epidemiological investigation was performed in the neighborhood near (150 to 1 500 m) to three plants and in corresponding control residential areas of the same district. Nine hundred and seventy-nine residents were questioned about the odor annoyance in their vicinity.
An instrument measuring somatic complaints (SOMS 2 acc. Rief et al., 2001) was used to determine the unexplained somatic symptoms of the past two years and a gender-independent Total Complaint Index (TCI) was calculated.
The percentages of study population reporting somatic symptoms were higher in all six samples in comparison with the German population (Rief et al., 2001) and in samples living near composting sites compared to the corresponding control samples. The study sample living close to site A (exposed to bioaerosols and odor annoyance) had the highest rates of complaints. A difference could be seen in comparison to the corresponding control sample (TCI: p Anear vs. Acontrol=0.001; Mann-Whitney). In this group breathlessness was reported more than twice as often as in the other three samples. Out of the five most frequently reported symptoms four corresponded to the five complaints the German population reports most frequently in all groups. Nausea was the fifth most reported symptom in both samples reporting annoying residential odors (Anear and Bnear).
The type of somatic symptoms reported most often was influenced little by environmental odors and medically relevant bioaerosol concentrations, except for nausea in context with annoying residential odors. As expected frequency of reporting general somatic symptoms was influenced by the perceived environment near the three composting sites. Concerning the sum of bodily complaints (TCI) though, this was only significant in the group exposed to medically relevant concentrations of residential outdoor bioaerosols, which was accompanied by high rates for breathlessness. The SOMS2 was able to mirror measurable, medically relevant environmental exposures in study groups and showed fewer changes concerning annoying or presumed environmental exposures.
Health effects of particles in ambient air Kappos, Andreas D.; Bruckmann, Peter; Eikmann, Thomas ...
International journal of hygiene and environmental health,
2004, Letnik:
207, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A summary of a critical review by a working group of the German commission on Air Pollution Prevention of VDI and DIN of the actual data on exposure and health effects (excluding cancer) of fine ...particulate air pollution is presented.
Exposure: Typical ambient particle concentrations for PM10 (PM2.5) in Germany are in the range of 10 – 45 (10 – 30) μg/m3 as annual mean and 50 – 200 (40 – 150) μg/m3 as maximum daily mean. The ratio of PM2.5/PM10 generally amounts between 0.7 and 0.9.
Health effects: During the past 10 years many new epidemiological and toxicological studies on health effects of particulate matter (PM) have been published. In summary, long-term exposure against PM for years or decades is associated with elevated total, cardiovascular, and infant mortality. With respect to morbidity, respiratory symptoms, lung growth, and function of the immune system are affected.
Short-term studies show consistant associations of exposure to daily concentrations of PM with mortality and morbidity on the same day or the subsequent days. Patients with asthma, COPD, pneumonia, and other respiratory diseases as well as patients with cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes are especially affected.
The strongest associations are found for PM2.5 followed by PM10, with no indication of a threshold value for the health effects. The data base for ultra fine particles is too small for final conclusions.
The available toxicological data support the epidemiological findings and give hints as to the mechanisms of the effects.
Conclusion: The working group concludes that a further reduction of the limit values proposed for 2005 will substantially reduce health risks due to particulate air pollution. Because of the strong correlation of PM10 with PM2.5 at most German sites there is no specific need for limit values of PM2.5 for Germany in addition to those of PM10.
The storing of organic waste indoors for several days can be considered a risk factor for microbial contamination of homes. This has become relevant in the scope of modern waste management ...programmes. This study specifically addresses possible health aspects in this context.
In a cross-sectional study, doctors collected 384 questionnaires in three neighbourhoods without industrial sources for microbial contamination in 1997 in Hesse, Germany. Self-reported prevalence of airway, skin and general health complaints during the past year, lifetime diagnoses by a doctor, and home hygiene (storage of garbage, private composting, pet contact, indoor mould growth), were assessed. With logistic regression analysis, odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age, gender, level of school education, and frequent contact with dog or cat were determined for indoor storage of waste for more than 2 days for the whole study group and also for a subgroup reporting atopic disposition.
Longer indoor storage of organic waste was associated with "skin rash" (OR=2.05 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 3.83), "itching skin rash (>2 months) in the past 12 months" (OR=3.58 95% CI 1.61, 7.96) and "itching skin rash (>2 months) ever" (OR=2.77 95% CI 1.33, 5.75), as well as lifetime diagnoses of skin disease by a doctor (OR=3.16 95% CI 1.40, 7.10) and allergy other than hay fever (OR=2.74 95% CI 1.28, 5.85). Associations remained when adjustment was made for atopic disposition. Atopic subjects were at higher risk for these skin-related complaints and diseases.
These results point to a possible health relevance of the storing of organic waste in the home for several days, especially as far as skin irritation is concerned. These associations possibly result from indoor microbial contamination, e.g., endotoxins due to waste. Atopic disposition is a possible risk factor for this health impairment. Personal waste management should also be considered in studies on health and indoor environments.
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