Air Pollution

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have found evidence suggesting that long-term exposure to air pollution could increase the risk of several cancers in older adults, even at relatively low pollution levels that are below current US and international safety standards.

Epigenome-wide association studies of ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) have been reported. However, few have examined PM_2.5 components (PMCs) and sources or included repeated measures. The lack of high-resolution exposure measurements is the key limitation. We hypothesized that significant changes in DNA methylation might vary by PMCs and the sources.

Middle Eastern desert countries like Kuwait are known for intense dust storms and enormous petrochemical industries affecting ambient air pollution. However, local health authorities have not been able to assess the health impacts of air pollution due to limited monitoring networks and a lack of historical exposure data.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of the EPA’s Mobile Source Air Toxics rules (MSAT), which targeted benzene emissions, on childhood and young adult leukemia and lymphoma incidence in Alaska.

Previous studies have examined the association between prenatal nitrogen dioxide (NO2)-a traffic emissions tracer-and fetal growth based on ultrasound measures. Yet, most have used exposure assessment methods with low temporal resolution, which limits the identification of critical exposure windows given that pregnancy is relatively short.