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Dec 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-20-3662
Marks RayCorresponding author
Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY 10027, United States
Background Most current Corona virus or COVID-19 pandemic deaths have been found to occur among populations older than 65 years of age, who often suffer from the presence of an array of chronic diseases that may be related to a co-occurring vitamin D deficiency. Another factor affecting older adults’ immune response mechanisms is air quality. In turn, air quality can impact the absorption of vitamin D from sunlight sources, a factor which could explain why older people, who are often vitamin D deficient, may be more likely than younger adults or healthy adults to be at risk for COVID-19 and poor outcomes. Aim This work was designed to examine the recent literature on COVID-19, vitamin D and air pollution and what it might imply for public health workers, policy makers, and others. Methods Available data accessed largely from the PUBMED data base for the year 2020 using the key words COVID-19, air pollution, and vitamin D deficiency were sought and selected items were carefully examined and documented in narrative and tabular formats. Results Many publications on COVID-19 prevail, but far fewer focus specifically on vitamin D deficiency and its possible role in explaining COVID-19 global health risk among older adults. A similar, albeit small number of publications, discuss the global pandemics of air pollution and its possible COVID-19 association, as well as its impact on vitamin D production. However, while most related articles support a possible independent as well as a dual role for both factors in COVID-19 the realm of this highly infectious widespread disease, very few actual studies have been conducted to date on any of these topical issues Conclusion More research to examine if vitamin D-based nutrients or supplements may provide some degree of community wide protection against COVID-19 in the older vitamin D populations, especially among those living in highly polluted areas may prove highly valuable. Controlling air pollution emissions globally and locally may also prove to be a highly impactful public health approach to reducing overall COVID-19 risk, and extent, and warrants study.
Apr 2023 DOI 10.14302/issn.2576-9383.jhhr-22-4259
Bekele DamtewCorresponding author
Asthma is a chronic disease of airways; that is widely characterized by an increased responsiveness to a large variety of stimuli, airway inflammation and obstruction. It is the most common respiratory disorder disease in developed and developing countries. The study was aimed to assess the factors that contribute for the cause of asthma disease in Ambo town and cross-sectional survey was conducted to gather information from March to April 2022. 30 respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique for interview and data collections. According to the study the more affected age group were 22-32(53%) and the major risk factor for the disease was air pollution (53%). The pollution is due to domestic wastes that are discharged to the environment. Therefore, the government and extension health workers should aware the community about the risk factors of asthma and proper waste disposal mechanisms.
Mar 2023 DOI 10.14302/issn.2690-0904.ijoe-21-3884
Keshaverz VajiheCorresponding author
Background and Purpose Public health problems are caused by the emergence of environmental pollution and infectious diseases, which have caused concern around the world. The public health threat affects the relationship between people. Population growth and associated pressures increase difficulties associated with effective means of maintaining public health. The diseases transmitted from human and livestock communication, water pollution, air pollution, and environmental pollutants urge us to find new solutions to address these problems. Understanding the environmental and environmental health is a prerequisite for protecting public health. In Iran, like other countries in the world, the issue of environmental protection and its compliance with the first program of economic, social and cultural development of the Islamic Republic has begun and expanded in the future. In this regard, new perspectives are being introduced that will bring about dramatic changes at various levels of planning, processes and specialized sectors such as civil, industrial and educational sectors. The training of engineers in this regard can play a very important role in refining the attitudes of young engineers and using these bases in their specialized activities. One of the important tasks of universities is to provide a suitable platform for such training. In this regard, it is essential that the major industrial universities of the country develop various programs in this field. Materials and Methods The present study is a review of the type of validity that is performed through search of authoritative scientific databases such as PubMed and Scopus, Google scholar, PubMed using the key words of building safety and health, HSE, and prevention methods are the latest information. Results Implementing the principles of HSE in various construction, industrial and other projects requires time, because any change that is considered in the system requires a change of attitude, which in turn requires time to adapt and adapt to the new conditions. The conditions for the projects in this research are their current conditions, and the next research, after a while, can determine the percentage of project progress in terms of HSE. Conclusion In order to comply with the principle of HSE cases, there is a need for training. These trainings should be executed at different levels and levels of contracting and monitoring so that the level of awareness of the risks involved in the development of civil operations between the personnel reaches a common frontier.
Dec 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-20-3624
Rutayisire ErigeneCorresponding author
Department of public Health, Mount Kenya University Rwanda Kigali Rwanda
Report has shown that there is an increase of respiratory disease among bars attendants over time whereby in 2011, 32% of bars attendants reported respiratory diseases. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of bar attendants towards second-hand smoke (SHS) at work place in Nyarugenge District, Rwanda. This was a cross-sectional study using mixed methods of both qualitative and quantitative. A total of 384 bar attendants participated in the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Descriptive analysis using frequency and percentages was computed. he qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The majority of respondents (66.4%) were within the age group of 28-37 years, 60.2% of respondents were males, 60.9% of respondents were illiterate, and 57.3% of respondents were single at the time of data collection.The majority (78.6%) of the study respondents knew that Smoking is dangerous to human health. The cited consequences of SHS include air pollution that enter the respiratory system and damage the lungs, dizziness and others. All respondents agreed that people who smoke should not be allowed to smoke in public places. Improving bar attendants’ access to health education on SHS and encouraging continuous and constant exposure would significantly increase the knowledge and attitude levels of bar attendants towards SHS.
Sep 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2377-2549.jndc-20-3516
Bhargava AksheyCorresponding author
Ex. Rajasthan Pollution Control Board, CEPT University, India
Municipal solid waste generation and disposal is a problem not only in India but all over the world. Presently majority of such waste is being dumped indiscriminately over vacant lands causing problems of odor, methane generation leading to air pollution, leaching effect polluting ground water and runoff polluting water bodies. Technological options are available to treat this solid waste and convert it into usable products but the biggest problem is its segregation preferably at the source of generation or even at the disposal area. Municipal solid waste generated in India consists of 15 percent non biodegradable which has high calorific contents and can be converted into power generation. Remaining 85 percent is degradable which can either be converted into compost or bio fuels. Under the present context, sustainable municipal waste management strategy needs to be evolved and put in place with effective implementation to address the issue of environmental pollution. An attempt has therefore been made by the authors of the present paper to take up a case study of Kanpur, India for managing such wastes having sustainable approach. The authors have worked out trends of population starting from the year 1951 and projected to 2051. Similarly waste generation trends established on the lines of population. An effort has also been made as to how much compost, bio fuel and power can be generated along with economic value to make it sustainable on a time scale.
Jun 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2641-4538.jphi-20-3426
Cheng KangCorresponding author
Basic Medicine, Medical School, Qingdao Binhai University, Qingdao, P.R. China
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 400 thousand and infected more than 7 million people in the whole world as of 06/10/2020. Many open systems, such as educations, transportations, entertainments, sports or foods, have been completely or partially locked down in many regions of the world to prevent COVID-19 spreading. Therefore, how to reopen all of the open systems after the shutdown has become a world urgent issue. Evidences of COIVD-19 have showed: person-to-person transmission occurs among close contacts; virus droplets (or aerosols) play an important role in the transmission; people can prevent COVID-19 by measures of mask-wearing or maintaining social distancing. However, how these measures work to prevent COVID-19 is still not clear in a perspective of biomedical Infophysics. In this study, (1) we think the transmission of infection can be accomplished by real or virtual person; (2) we define a virtual person as ghost airflow, a term we coin to describe virus droplets (or aerosols) that are initially generated by human carriers and remain in the air to be transmitted. These ghost airflows are as dangerous as the real virus carriers particularly in enclosed (confined) environments; (3) we propose biomedical infophysical models (BMIPM) of filtering the ghost airflows by mask-wearing and maintaining social distancing, to help people to understand the filtering mechanisms and willingly follow the guidelines of preventing covid-19, and therefore to successfully reopen all of the open systems after the shutdowns (lockdowns) and (or) to avoid the shutdowns (lockdowns) in future epidemics or pandemics. Significantly, we compare the prevention efficiencies of COVID-19 between people who are accustomed and not accustomed to masks based on the published WHO, CDC or NHC pandemic data. The compared results support our models in this investigation. Coronaviruses easily survive and have high toxicity, in dirty, wet and cold environments, and the air pollution is linked with higher COVID-19 death rates. The dingy environments and air-conditioning, freezing systems sufficiently provide such necessary dirty, wet and cold conditions and polluted airflows to exacerbate the mortality rate of COVID-19. Therefore, we strongly suggest: to use air conditioners as less as possible, to turn the wind levels as low as possible and to clean (disinfecting) the air-conditioning systems (filters and channels) and environments as frequent as possible.
Jun 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2690-0904.ijoe-19-2792
Neuberger ManfredCorresponding author
Center of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Felbigergasse 3/2/18, Austria
In deaths and diseases attributed to tobacco smoke cardiovascular events exceed cancer and respiratory diseases. Second hand smoke promotes the development of arteriosclerosis and can trigger acute changes of endothelial function and blood coagulability. Indoor smoking bans reduced coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction 10-20% within one year and were followed by sustainable decreases of stroke and diabetes. With a smoke-free hospitality industry people recognized tobacco smoke as an air pollutant, smoking in public was denormalized and social acceptance of smoking in front of children and pregnant women decreased also in homes and cars. Combined effects with ambient air pollution are proven for active smoking and suspected for SHS. Contamination with third hand smoke (THS) persists for months in homes and cars, creating secondary pollutants that in some cases are more toxic (e.g. nitrosamines). Remnants found in air, dust, and on surfaces (carpets, wallpapers, upholstery, soft toys) were associated with their metabolites in saliva of children and in urine of nonsmokers residing in homes previously occupied by smokers. In animal experiments effects of THS were found on thrombogenesis, insulin resistance through oxidative stress, on the developing immune system, lipid metabolism and alterations in liver, lung, skin and behavior. Much less is known about health effects for bystanders from the aerosols exhaled during “vaping” of e-cigarettes, but nicotine and other toxins from e-cigarettes are certainly a hazard, which should be prevented by the use of dermal and oral nicotine products, which are safer for nicotine replacement and without risk for bystanders.
Jun 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2642-3146.jec-18-2135
Wang QianCorresponding author
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Rd., 212013 Jiangsu, China.
Combustion of fossil fuels provides around 88% of total energy supply for modern society, and meanwhile causes many environ mental problems and social problems such as air pollution and energy crisis. Therefore，both at home and abroad are focusing on the research and development of natural gas engine recently. However, the mass production and application of this kind of engine are restricted by some unsolved technical difficulties. This paper explored the injection, combustion and emission processes of diesel/ natural gas and dual fuel engine based on Chemkin II, Fire software and Schlieren method. The experimental study on the mixing process of dual fuel jet was carried out by using high-speed Schlieren method in a constant volume bomb. Based on the Fire software, and then applied to Chemkin II software to analyze the effect of the initial temperature and pressure on the net heat production and combustion emissions. The results show that Dual fuel mechanism is capable of producing different heat production behaviors when varying the initial pressure and temperature CO2 emissions are minimized by changing the initial pressure above or below the atmospheric value. However, CO emissions are peaked when diesel fuel is used. The dual fuel engine minimizes the CO emissions amount caused by diesel fuel. Increasing the initial pressure eliminates dual fuel CO2 combustion emissions. The research of this paper is important to optimize the in cylinder combustion processes of natural gas engine, and have a certain important meaning to guide the development of diesel ignition dual fuel engine.