Air Pollution

Recent Publications and News

Air pollution can increase risk of several cancers for older adults, even at low exposures

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.
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Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate components and leukocyte epigenome-wide DNA Methylation in older men: the Normative Aging Study

Epigenome-wide association studies of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been reported. However, few have examined PM2.5 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.
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Burden of fine air pollution on mortality in the desert climate of Kuwait

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.
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Mobile Source Benzene Regulations and Risk of Childhood and Young Adult Hematologic Cancers in Alaska: A Quasi-experimental Study

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.
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Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Ultrasound Parameters of Fetal Growth in Eastern Massachusetts

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.
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