There have been few large multicity studies to evaluate the acute health effects of ambient air pollution on morbidity risk in developing counties. In this study, we examined the short-term associations of air pollution with daily hospital admissions in China. We conducted a nationwide time-series study in 218 Chinese cities between 2014 and 2016. Data on daily hospital admissions counts were obtained from the National Health Insurance Database for Urban Employees covering 0.28 billion enrollees. We used generalized additive model with Poisson regression to estimate the associations in each city, and we performed random-effects meta-analysis to pool the city-specific estimates. More than 60 million hospital admissions were analyzed in this study. At the national-average level, each 10 μg/m³ increase in PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂, and 1 mg/m³ increase in CO at lag 0 day was associated with a 0.29% (95% CI, 0.23%–0.36%), 1.16% (95% CI, 0.92%–1.40%), 1.68% (95% CI, 1.40%–1.95%), and 2.59% (95% CI, 1.69%–3.50%) higher daily hospital admissions, respectively. The associations of air pollution with hospital admissions remained statistically significant at levels below the current Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standards. The effect estimates were larger in cities with lower air pollutants levels or higher air temperatures and relative humidity, as well as in the elderly. In conclusion, our findings provide robust evidence of increased hospital admissions in association with short-term exposure to ambient air pollution in China.

Data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in China were first announced in 2013. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of PM2.5 on asthma morbidity in Beijing, China. A total of 978,658 asthma hospital visits consisting of 928,607 outpatient visits, 40,063 emergency room visits and 9988 hospital admissions from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012, were identified from the Beijing Medical Claim Data for Employees. A generalized additive Poisson model was applied to explore the association between PM2.5 and health service use. The mean daily PM2.5 concentration was 99.5 μg/m3 with a range from 7.2 μg/m3 to 492.8 μg/m3. Ambient PM2.5 concentration was significantly associated with increased use of asthma-related health services. Every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration on the same day was significantly associated with a 0.67% (95% CI, 0.53%–0.81%), 0.65% (95% CI, 0.51%–0.80%), and 0.49% (95% CI, 0.35%–0.64%) increase in total hospital visits, outpatient visits and emergency room visits, respectively. The exposure–response association between PM2.5 concentration and hospital visits for asthma exacerbations was approximately linear. In conclusion, this study found that short-term elevations in PM2.5 concentration may increase the risk of asthma exacerbations. Our findings contribute to the limited scientific literature concerning the acute effects of PM2.5 on asthma morbidity outcomes in developing countries.

The process of anaerobic digestion in food waste treatment plants generates a large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Long-term exposure to this exhaust gas can pose a threat to the health of workers and people living nearby. In this study, VOCs emitted from different working units in a food waste anaerobic digestion plant were monitored for a year. Variations in VOCs emitted from each unit were analyzed and a health risk assessment was conducted for each working unit. The results show that the concentration of VOCs in different units varied greatly. The highest cumulative concentration of VOCs appeared in the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit (3.49 × 10⁴ μg/m³), followed by the sorting/crushing room (8.97 × 10³ μg/m³), anaerobic digestion unit (6.21 × 10² μg/m³), and biogas production unit (2.01 × 10² μg/m³). Oxygenated compounds and terpenes were the major components of the emitted VOCs, accounting for more than 98% of total VOC emissions. The carcinogenic risk in the plant exceeded the safety threshold (ILCR<1 × 10⁻⁶), while the non-carcinogenic risk was within the acceptable range (HI < 1). The carcinogenic risk from the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit was the highest, reaching 4.4 × 10⁻⁵, and was labeled as “probable risk.” The carcinogenic risk at the plant boundary was 1.2 × 10⁻⁵, indicating exhaust gases can cause a health threat to neighbors. Therefore, management VOCs in anaerobic digestion plants should receive more attention, and employees should minimize the time they spend in the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous in the indoor environment owing to their use in consumer products and various studies around the world have found higher concentrations indoors than outdoors. Central air conditioner (A/C) systems have been widely used in many workplaces, therefore, studying of PBDEs in central A/C filter dust is useful to better understand the occurrences and health implications of PBDEs in indoor environments. The present study examined the occurrence of PBDEs in central A/C filter dust collected from various workplaces (n = 20) in Thessaloniki, Greece. The sum concentrations of 21 target congeners (∑21PBDE) in A/C dust ranged between 84 and 4062 ng g−1 with a median value of 1092 ng g−1, while BDE-209 was found to be the most abundant BDE congener. The daily intake via dust ingestion of PBDEs estimated for the employees of the occupational settings ranged from 3 to 45 ng day−1 (median 12 ng day−1).

Personal exposure to benzene of selected population groups, and impacts of traffic on commuters in Ho Chi Minh City were investigated. The study was carried out in June, July and November 2010. The preliminary data showed that on average, personal exposure to benzene for non-occupational people in Ho Chi Minh is ∼18 μg/m3 and most of the exposure is due to commuting. Benzene exposure during travelling by bus, taxi and motorcycle is, respectively, 22–30, 22–39 and 185–240 μg/m3. Motorcycle–taxi drivers, petrol filling employees and street vendors suffer high daily exposures at 116, 52, 32 μg/m3, respectively. Further measurements are needed for a better risk assessment and finding effective measures to reduce exposure.

Several recent studies have looked into the differences in air qualities inside popular commute modes. The impact of daily commuting patterns and work-related trips on inhalation doses, however, are not investigated. The purpose of this study is to quantify the variation in air pollutants within popular commute modes in Mumbai, India, and to estimate the variation in exposure as a result of occupational or work-related trips across different sub-groups. Real-time pollutants, both gaseous and particulate matters (PM), were measured on a pre-defined route during rush and non-rush hours on buses, cars, auto-rickshaws, sub-urban trains, and motorbikes through several trips (N = 98). Household surveys were conducted to estimate the exposures of different occupational subgroups (cab-driver, auto-rickshaw drivers, delivery persons) and people commuting to their offices daily. Participants (N = 800) from various socioeconomic backgrounds in the city were asked about their job categories, work-activity patterns, and work-related commute trips. Mass concentrations of particles in different size ranges (PM₁, PM₂.₅, and PM₁₀) were substantially higher (p < 0.05) inside auto-rickshaws (44.6 μg/m³, 84.7 μg/m³, and 138.3 μg/m³) compared to other modes. Inside cars, gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were significantly higher (p < 0.05). Although both gaseous and particulate concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) inside buses, bus-commuters were found to be highly exposed to the pollutants due to the extended trip time (∼1.2 times longer than other modes) and driving conditions. Office commuters inhale a large fraction of their daily doses (25–30%) during their work-related travel. Occupational sub-groups, on the other hand, inhale ∼90% of the pollutants during their work. In a day, an auto-rickshaw driver inhales 10–15% more (p < 0.05) pollutants than cab driver or delivery personnel. Therefore, this study highlights the inequalities in occupational exposure as a combined effect of in-cabin air qualities and commute patterns due to occupational obligations.

The use of dispersants can be an effective response tool for large offshore spills by applying dispersants on unemulsified slicks and treating as much oil as possible before it becomes too viscous. Assessing the dispersibility of an oil slick under actual environmental conditions is an important step in spill response decision-making. This research seeks to develop a new field kit that is quick and reliable and could be used by spill response personnel without scientific training. The resulting Dispersibility Assessment Kit (DAK) incorporates an automated mixing unit to standardize the applied energy, thereby eliminating the variability in “hand mixing” that is used in other dispersant field kits. The automated mixing energy was studied to determine the optimal mixing regime that correlates with ocean conditions and was incorporated in the DAK protocol. The DAK was validated against 14 oils and emulsions and was successfully tested by response personnel during at-sea demonstration.

The visual survey is the most common method to quantify and characterize beach litter. However, it is very labor intensive and difficult to carry out on beaches which are remote or difficult to access. We suggest an alternative approach for assessing beach litter using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or aerial drone, with automated image requisition and processing. Litter of different sizes, colours, and materials were placed randomly on two beaches. Images of beaches with different substrates were obtained by the drone at different operating heights and light conditions and litter on the beaches was identified from the photos by untrained personnel. The quantification of beach litter using the drone was three times faster than that by visual census. This study has demonstrated the potential of using the drone as a cost-effective and an efficient sampling method in routine beach litter monitoring programs.

Environmental studies that use small Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) can survey wider and deeper areas, compared to traditional methods, at a reasonable cost. Thanks to the precise vehicle navigation systems, the data collected can be accurately geolocalized. Besides, lightweight vehicles can be deployed from the shore or from small boats and programmed by means of user-friendly graphical interfaces, thus reducing and simplifying the need of human resources and infrastructures. Based on such a technology, this paper presents a framework to assess the environmental impact of a marine sewage outfall set in the Bay of Palma (Mallorca, Spain). We report the results of the analysis of the images recorded in the course of six missions conducted with an AUV. The plan was designed after a microbiological analysis detected the presence of cyanobacteria in a sample of sand and water collected by scuba divers close to the sewer pipe mouth.

The monitoring of beached litter along the coast is an onerous obligation enshrined within a number of legislative frameworks (e.g. the MSFD) and which requires substantial human resources in the field. Through this study, we have optimised the protocol for the monitoring of the same litter along coastal stretches within an MPA in the Maltese Islands through aerial drones, with the aim of generating density maps for the beached litter, of assisting in the identification of the same litter and of mainstreaming this type of methodology within national and regional monitoring programmes for marine litter. Concurrent and concomitant in situ monitoring of beached litter enabled us to ground truth the aerial imagery results. Results were finally discussed within the context of current and future MSFD monitoring obligations, with considerations made on possible future policy implications.