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Selected Papers from the 1st International Electronic Conference on Environmental Health Sciences

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 49259

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Department of Public Health and Nursing, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromso, Norway
Interests: public health; epidemiology; environmental health; reproductive health; pregnancy care; climate change
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today, longitudinal studies are extensively performed, especially in arctic countries. A considerable number of reports and articles related to epidemiological studies conducted in the arctic regions appeared in last year’s Special Issues of IJERPH. For both ethical and scientific reasons, many longitudinal studies have a cohort design, with a long-term follow up of the individuals concerned that, often, are mothers and their children, since the most vulnerable period in human life is before birth and in early childhood. Various epidemiological studies in the circumpolar area have shown associations between contaminants and different health outcomes. The risk assessment of the effects of environmental pollutants is essential for the overall protection of health of the current and next generations. Different methods of risk assessment are available, however it is not clearly established how to translate the contaminant concentrations measured in the blood of the monitored individuals to information useful for risk characterization, thus linking the likelihood that specific adverse health effects will occur in defined concentration ranges of contaminants. In addition, risk assessments are complicated by several factors, such as climate change and the fluctuations of contaminant exposure levels over long periods. This makes it necessary to continuously monitor environmental pollution and the related potential health effects. The information gathered from risk assessment studies is also important for policy makers to identify preventive measures to be integrated at the population level and the individual level. The precautionary principle should be the basis of all environmental health science approaches based on newly acquired knowledge, including risk assessments and the definition of strategies to reduce human exposure to contaminants. This conference created a unique opportunity to discuss any subject related to environmental and health issues. The Chair and the scientific committee have tried to create an interesting and innovative program.

Submission is open for full manuscripts. Your manuscripts will be offered a full review process and will be published as regular scientific papers. We hope that many good papers will stem from this event. We have opened the submission window, and we are very eager to get the very best papers from the very best authors. Good luck!

This Special Issue will be open for submission from 8 Decemeber 2018 to 30 April 2019.

Prof. Dr. Jon Øyvind Odland
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2551 KiB  
Article
Public Health Messages Associated with Low UV Index Values Need Reconsideration
by Maria Lehmann, Annette B. Pfahlberg, Henner Sandmann, Wolfgang Uter and Olaf Gefeller
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(12), 2067; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122067 - 12 Jun 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 35183
Abstract
Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main modifiable risk factor for skin cancer. The Global Solar Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was introduced as a tool to visualize the intensity of UV radiation on a certain day, which should enable and encourage people to [...] Read more.
Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main modifiable risk factor for skin cancer. The Global Solar Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was introduced as a tool to visualize the intensity of UV radiation on a certain day, which should enable and encourage people to take appropriate protective measures. The ‘low’ exposure category of the UVI, defined by a rounded UVI value of 0, 1 or 2, was linked to the health message ‘No protection required’ by the World Health Organization and partner organizations. However, published evidence corroborating this advice is not available. To evaluate the erythemal risk of low UVI days, we analyzed 14,431 daily time series of ambient erythemal irradiance data measured at nine stations of the German solar UV monitoring network during the years 2007–2016. We analyzed the proportion of days in the sample for which ambient erythemal doses calculated for various time intervals exceed average minimal erythemal doses (MEDs) of the Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I–VI to assess the potential for erythema arising from sun exposure on days with low UVI values. Additionally, we calculated for each day the minimum exposure duration needed to receive one MED. Our results indicate that on days with a UVI value of 0, risk of erythema is indeed negligible. Conversely, the abovementioned health message appears misleading when melano-compromised individuals (skin type I and II) spend more than 1.5 hours outdoors on days with a UVI value of 2. Under rare circumstances of prolonged exposure, MEDs of the two most sensitive skin types can also be exceeded even on days with a UVI value of 1. Hence, current WHO guidance for sun protection on days with low UVI values needs reconsideration. Full article
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17 pages, 2529 KiB  
Article
Mediterranean Built Environment and Precipitation as Modulator Factors on Physical Activity in Obese Mid-Age and Old-Age Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: Cross-Sectional Study
by Antoni Colom, Maurici Ruiz, Julia Wärnberg, Montserrat Compa, Josep Muncunill, Francisco Javier Barón-López, Juan Carlos Benavente-Marín, Elena Cabeza, Marga Morey, Montserrat Fitó, Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Dora Romaguera
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050854 - 8 Mar 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4620
Abstract
When promoting physical activity (PA) participation, it is important to consider the plausible environmental determinants that may affect this practice. The impact of objectively-measured public open spaces (POS) and walk-friendly routes on objectively-measured and self-reported PA was explored alongside the influence of rainy [...] Read more.
When promoting physical activity (PA) participation, it is important to consider the plausible environmental determinants that may affect this practice. The impact of objectively-measured public open spaces (POS) and walk-friendly routes on objectively-measured and self-reported PA was explored alongside the influence of rainy conditions on this association, in a Mediterranean sample of overweight or obese senior adults with metabolic syndrome. Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken on 218 PREDIMED-Plus trial participants aged 55–75 years, from the city of Palma, in Mallorca (Spain). Indicators of access to POS and walk-friendly routes were assessed in a 1.0 and 0.5 km sausage network walkable buffers around each participant’s residence using geographic information systems. Mean daily minutes of self-reported leisure-time brisk walking, and accelerometer objectively-measured moderate-to-vigorous PA in bouts of at least 10 min (OM-MVPA) were measured. To investigate the association between access to POS and walk-friendly routes with PA, generalized additive models with a Gaussian link function were used. Interaction of rainy conditions with the association between access to POS and walk-friendly routes with OM-MVPA was also examined. Better access to POS was not statistically significantly associated with self-reported leisure-time brisk walking or OM-MVPA. A positive significant association was observed only between distance of walk-friendly routes contained or intersected by buffer and OM-MVPA, and was solely evident on non-rainy days. In this elderly Mediterranean population, only access to walk-friendly routes had an influence on accelerometer-measured PA. Rainy conditions during the accelerometer wear period did appear to modify this association. Full article
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16 pages, 945 KiB  
Article
Acute Effects of Air Pollution and Noise from Road Traffic in a Panel of Young Healthy Adults
by Hanns Moshammer, Julian Panholzer, Lisa Ulbing, Emanuel Udvarhelyi, Barbara Ebenbauer and Stefanie Peter
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050788 - 4 Mar 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4417
Abstract
Panel studies are an efficient means to assess short-term effects of air pollution and other time-varying environmental exposures. Repeated examinations of volunteers allow for an in-depth analysis of physiological responses supporting the biological interpretation of environmental impacts. Twenty-four healthy students walked for 1 [...] Read more.
Panel studies are an efficient means to assess short-term effects of air pollution and other time-varying environmental exposures. Repeated examinations of volunteers allow for an in-depth analysis of physiological responses supporting the biological interpretation of environmental impacts. Twenty-four healthy students walked for 1 h at a minimum of four separate occasions under each of the following four settings: along a busy road, along a busy road wearing ear plugs, in a park, and in a park but exposed to traffic noise (65 dB) through headphones. Particle mass (PM2.5, PM1), particle number, and noise levels were measured throughout each walk. Lung function and exhaled nitrogen oxide (NO) were measured before, immediately after, 1 h after, and approximately 24 h after each walk. Blood pressure and heart rate variability were measured every 15 min during each walk. Recorded air pollution levels were found to correlate with reduced lung function. The effects were clearly significant for end-expiratory flows and remained visible up to 24 h after exposure. While immediate increases in airway resistance could be interpreted as protective (muscular) responses to particulate air pollution, the persisting effects indicate an induced inflammatory reaction. Noise levels reduced systolic blood pressure and heart rate variability. Maybe due to the small sample size, no effects were visible per specific setting (road vs. park). Full article
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6 pages, 860 KiB  
Article
Breast-Feeding Protects Children from Adverse Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke
by Hanns Moshammer and Hans-Peter Hutter
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(3), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030304 - 23 Jan 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4083
Abstract
In a cross-sectional study on 433 schoolchildren (aged 6–9 years) from 9 schools in Austria, we observed associations between housing factors like passive smoking and lung function as well as improved lung function in children who had been breast-fed. The latter findings urged [...] Read more.
In a cross-sectional study on 433 schoolchildren (aged 6–9 years) from 9 schools in Austria, we observed associations between housing factors like passive smoking and lung function as well as improved lung function in children who had been breast-fed. The latter findings urged the question of whether the protective effects of breast-feeding act on environmental stressors or if they act independently. Therefore, the effect of passive smoking on lung function was stratified by breast-feeding. The detrimental effects of passive smoking were significant but restricted to the group of 53 children without breast-feeding. Breast-feeding counteracts the effect of environmental stressors on the growing respiratory organs. Full article
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