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Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with tobacco smoking and biomass-burning smoke exposure. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may contribute to its pathogenesis. The study aimed to assess the association of rs4986790 and rs4986791 in the TLR4 gene in a Mexican mestizo population with COPD secondary to tobacco smoking (COPD-TS) and biomass-burning smoke (COPD-BBS) and to evaluate whether the genotypes of risk affect cytokine serum levels. Materials and methods: We enrolled 2,092 participants and divided them into two comparisons according to their environmental exposure. SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan probes. Serum cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and INF-γ) were quantified by ELISA. Results: The rs4986790 AA genotype in COPD-TS was associated with a higher COPD risk (OR = 3.53). Haplotype analysis confirmed this association, identifying a block containing the rs4986790 allele (A-C, OR = 3.11). COPD-TS exhibited elevated IL-6, IL-4, and IL-5 levels compared with smokers without COPD (SWOC), whereas COPD-BBS displayed higher IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10 levels. The AA carriers in the COPD-TS group had elevated IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ compared with carriers of AG or GG. Conclusion: The rs4986790 common allele and the A-C haplotype (rs4986790-rs4986791) were associated with a higher COPD risk in smokers; COPD patients carrying the AA genotype showed increased pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Asunto(s)

Genotipo , Interferón gamma , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica , Receptor Toll-Like 4 , Humanos , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/genética , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/etiología , Masculino , Femenino , Receptor Toll-Like 4/genética , Persona de Mediana Edad , Interferón gamma/genética , Interferón gamma/sangre , Anciano , Interleucina-4/genética , Interleucina-4/sangre , Biomasa , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Interleucina-5/genética , Interleucina-5/sangre , Humo/efectos adversos , México , Adulto , Fumadores , Fumar/efectos adversos

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ABSTRACT Fires are one of the most aggressive and sudden disturbances that can affect ecosystems. During the first months of the year 2022, a series of fires of great magnitude spread in the Iberá streams, which is the largest wetland in Argentina and the second largest in South America after the Pantanal in Brazil, with devastating environmental and social consequences. The aim of this study is to analyze the fires that occurred in the Iberá Reserve and National Park located in the province of Corrientes at the beginning of the year 2022 using remote sensing techniques through the Google Earth Engine processing platform. In this study, the total affected areas were calculated and their severity was analyzed. The results indicate that approximately 20 % of the reserve and close to 50 % of the Iberá National Park have been burned, with a predominance of severity levels ranging from moderate high to high. Remote sensing techniques are a significant resource in fire monitoring, making it a powerful tool in planning regulations or measures aimed at contributing to the mitigation, management, and early warning of fires.

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RESUMEN Los incendios son una de las perturbaciones o disturbios más agresivos y repentinos que pueden afectar a los ecosistemas. Durante los primeros meses del año 2022 se propagaron una serie de incendios de gran magnitud en los esteros del Iberá, el cual es el mayor humedal de Argentina y el segundo de Sudamérica luego del Pantanal en Brasil, con consecuencias ambientales y sociales devastadoras. El objetivo del trabajo consiste en analizar los incendios ocurridos en la reserva y el Parque Nacional Iberá ubicada en la provincia de Corrientes a principios del año 2022 aplicando técnicas de teledetección a través de la plataforma de procesamientos de Google Earth Engine. En este trabajo se calculó las áreas totales afectadas analizándose la severidad de estas. Los resultados muestran que se ha quemado alrededor del 20 % de la reserva y cerca del 50 % del Parque Nacional Iberá con predominio de niveles de severidad entre moderada alta y alta. Las técnicas de teledetección son un insumo significativo en el monitoreo de incendios, lo que la vuelve una herramienta potente en la planificación de normativas o medidas que contribuyan con la mitigación, gestión y alerta temprana de incendios.

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Glacial bodies in the Peruvian Andes Mountains store and supply freshwater to hundreds of thousands of people in central Peru. Atmospheric black carbon (BC) is known to accelerate melting of snow and ice, in addition to contributing to air pollution and the health of people. Currently there is limited understanding on the sources and temporal variability of BC in valley and mountain environments in Peru. To address this problem, this study combined surface observations of BC collected during 2022-2023 with WRF model simulations and HYSPLIT trajectories to analyze the dispersion and sources of BC in valley and high elevation environments and the associated local atmospheric circulations. Results show high BC concentrations are associated with the valley-mountain wind system that occurs on both sides of the Huaytapallana mountain range. A pronounced circulation occurs on the western slopes of Huaytapallana when concentrations of BC increase during daylight hours, which transports atmospheric pollutants from cities in the Mantaro River Valley to the Huaytapallana mountain range. Low concentrations of BC are associated with circulations from the east that are channeled by the pronounced ravines of the Andes-Amazon transition. On average, during the season of highest BC concentrations (July-November), the relative contributions of fossil fuels are dominant to biomass burning at the valley observatory and are slightly lower at the Huaytapallana observatory. These results demonstrate the need to promote mitigation actions to reduce emissions of BC and air pollution associated with forest fires and local anthropogenic activity.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Contaminación del Aire , Atmósfera , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Hollín , Perú , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Hollín/análisis , Atmósfera/química , Contaminación del Aire/estadística & datos numéricos

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The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its gene (AGER) have been related to lung injury and inflammatory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to evaluate the association of rs2071288, rs3134940, rs184003, and rs2070600 AGER single-nucleotide variants and the soluble-RAGE plasma and sputum levels with COPD secondary to biomass-burning smoke (BBS) and tobacco smoking. Four groups, including 2189 subjects, were analyzed: COPD secondary to BBS exposure (COPD-BBS, n = 342), BBS-exposed subjects without COPD (BBES, n = 774), tobacco smoking-induced COPD (COPD-TS, n = 434), and smokers without COPD (SWOC, n = 639). Allelic discrimination assays determined the AGER variants. The sRAGE was quantified in plasma (n = 240) and induced-sputum (n = 72) samples from a subgroup of patients using the ELISA technique. In addition, a meta-analysis was performed for the association of rs2070600 with COPD susceptibility. None of the studied genetic variants were found to be associated with COPD-BBS or COPD-TS. A marginal association was observed for the rs3134940 with COPD-BBS (p = 0.066). The results from the meta-analysis, including six case-control studies (n = 4149 subjects), showed a lack of association of rs2070600 with COPD susceptibility (p = 0.681), probably due to interethnic differences. The sRAGE plasma levels were lower in COPD-BBS compared to BBS and in COPD-TS compared to SWOC. The sRAGE levels were also lower in sputum samples from COPD-BBS than BBES. Subjects with rs3134940-TC genotypes exhibit lower sRAGE plasma levels than TT subjects, mainly from the COPD-BBS and SWOC groups. The AGER variants were not associated with COPD-BBS nor COPD-TS, but the sRAGE plasma and sputum levels are related to both COPD-BBS and COPD-TS and are influenced by the rs3134940 variant.

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In the context of the increasing global use of ethanol biofuel, this work investigates the concentrations of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde, in both the gaseous phase and rainwater, across six diverse urban regions and biomes in Brazil, a country where ethanol accounts for nearly half the light-duty vehicular fuel consumption. Atmospheric ethanol median concentrations in São Paulo (SP) (12.3 ± 12.1 ppbv) and Ribeirão Preto (RP) (12.1 ± 10.9 ppbv) were remarkably close, despite the SP vehicular fleet being ∼13 times larger. Likewise, the rainwater VWM ethanol concentration in SP (4.64 ± 0.38 µmol L-1) was only 26 % higher than in RP (3.42 ± 0.13 µmol L-1). This work demonstrated the importance of evaporative emissions, together with biomass burning, as sources of the compounds studied. The importance of biogenic emissions of methanol during forest flooding was identified in campaigns in the Amazon and Atlantic forests. Marine air masses arriving at a coastal site led to the lowest concentrations of ethanol measured in this work. Besides vehicular and biomass burning emissions, secondary formation of acetaldehyde by photochemical reactions may be relevant in urban and non-urban regions. The combined deposition flux of ethanol and methanol was 6.2 kg ha-1 year-1, avoiding oxidation to the corresponding and more toxic aldehydes. Considering the species determined here, the ozone formation potential (OFP) in RP was around two-fold higher than in SP, further evidencing the importance of emissions from regional distilleries and biomass burning, in addition to vehicles. At the forest and coastal sites, the OFP was approximately 5 times lower than at the urban sites. Our work evidenced that transition from gasoline to ethanol or ethanol blends brings the associated risk of increasing the concentrations of highly toxic aldehydes and ozone, potentially impacting the atmosphere and threatening air quality and human health in urban areas.

Asunto(s)

Acetaldehído , Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Etanol , Metanol , Lluvia , Brasil , Acetaldehído/análisis , Etanol/análisis , Metanol/análisis , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Ciudades

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Smoke emissions from biomass burning considerably influence regional and local air quality. Many natural wildfires and agricultural burns occur annually in Central Mexico during the hot, dry season (March to May), potentially leading to air quality problems. Nevertheless, the impact of these biomass burning emissions on Mexico City's air quality has not been investigated in depth. This study examines a severely deteriorated air quality case from 11 to 16 May 2019, during which fine particle concentrations (PM2.5) exceeded the 99th percentile of the available official dataset (2005-2019). Specifically, this work aims to highlight the role of fires and regional pollution in the severe episode observed in Mexico City, identifying the fires that were the sources of regional pollution, the type of fuel burned in those fires, and the dominant atmospheric transport pattern. Biomass burning emissions were calculated for different land cover types using satellite data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). PM2.5 increased by a factor of 2 at some monitoring sites, and ozone concentration increased to 40 % in Mexico City during the poor air quality episode. Our results indicate that over 50 % of the fire activity observed during the 2019 fire season was concentrated in May in Central Mexico. The burning activity was mainly seen over shrubland and forest between 10 and 15 May. Moreover, the fire radiative power analysis indicates that most energy was associated with burning shrubland and forests. Organic carbon emissions were estimated highest on 14 and 15 May, coinciding with the largest number of fires. Back trajectory analysis indicates that enhanced concentration of air pollutants in Mexico City originated from biomass burning detected in neighboring states: Guerrero, Michoacán, and the State of Mexico. Smoke from fires on the specific vegetation cover was advected into Mexico City and contributed to the bad air quality episode. Further meteorological analysis evidenced that the fire intensity and emissions were worsened by low humidity and the late onset of the rainy season in Central Mexico.

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Traditional cooking with solid fuels (biomass, animal dung, charcoals, coal) creates household air pollution that leads to millions of premature deaths and disability worldwide each year. Exposure to household air pollution is highest in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from a stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial of a cookstove intervention among 230 households in Honduras, we analyzed the impact of household and personal variables on repeated 24-h measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) exposure. Six measurements were collected approximately six-months apart over the course of the three-year study. Multivariable mixed models explained 37% of variation in personal PM2.5 exposure and 49% of variation in kitchen PM2.5 concentrations. Additionally, multivariable models explained 37% and 47% of variation in personal and kitchen BC concentrations, respectively. Stove type, season, presence of electricity, primary stove location, kitchen enclosure type, stove use time, and presence of kerosene for lighting were all associated with differences in geometric mean exposures. Stove type explained the most variability of the included variables. In future studies of household air pollution, tracking the cooking behaviors and daily activities of participants, including outdoor exposures, may explain exposure variation beyond the household and personal variables considered here.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Contaminación del Aire Interior , Contaminación del Aire , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Contaminación del Aire/análisis , Contaminación del Aire Interior/análisis , Animales , Carbono , Culinaria , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Honduras , Humanos , Material Particulado/análisis , Población Rural , Hollín

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Variations in the carbonaceous aerosol contents, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), in particulate matter less than 10 µm in size (PM10), were analyzed at sites influenced by coal mining in an open-pit mine located in northern Colombia. Samples were collected during different seasonal periods throughout 2015. Meteorological variables for each site were examined during the different seasons. Aerosols were detected using a thermal-optical reflectance protocol method. The highest PM10 concentrations, between the ranges of 28.2 ± 8.2 µg m-3 and 75.0 ± 36.5 µg m-3, were recorded during the dry season. However, the highest concentrations of OC (4.8-14.2 µg m-3) and EC (2.9-13.9 µg m-3) in PM10 were observed during the transition period between the dry and wet seasons. The strong correlation between OC and EC in PM10 (r = 0.6-1.0) during the transition season indicates a common primary combustion source. High OC (> 8.3 µg m-3) and EC (> 6.9 µg m-3) concentrations were associated with low wind speeds (< 2.1 m s-1) moving in different directions. Analyses of the sources of atmospheric aerosol pollutants in the mining area in northern Colombia showed that the daily maximum total carbon concentrations were mainly associated with regional atmospheric transport of particulate matter from industrial areas and biomass burning sites located in the territory of Venezuela.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Aerosoles/análisis , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Carbono/análisis , China , Carbón Mineral/análisis , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Tamaño de la Partícula , Material Particulado/análisis , Estaciones del Año , Viento

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The restriction of mobility due to preventive social isolation has improved air quality in many regions of the world. At the same time, global and regional atmospheric phenomena such as biomass burning or dust transport from Sahara can exacerbate particulate matter (PM) mass. In this study, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were evaluated in industrial and urban areas during the lockdown period due to COVID-19 in northern Colombia. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) observations obtained from the spaceborne MODIS (MOD04-3k) and the active fire data was obtained from VIIRS Active Fire. We measured surface contamination at several stations to quantify the PM10 and PM2.5 changes associated with the general closure of anthropogenic and industrial activities driven by COVID-19 and by the macroscale and/or mesoscale contributions. In the industrial zone, a slight decrease in daily concentrations was detected at the stations located near the mining operations. In the urban area, the decrease is more salient in COVID-19 lockdown. A reduction rate in the daily averages of PM10 of 23.3%, 6.0%, and 19.0% was observed in the SCa, SBi, and SUn stations, respectively. The biomass burning episode has contributed 52% to the daily average of PM10 and 45% to the daily average of PM2.5. The episode due to the passage of Saharan dust through the Caribbean Sea has contributed 79% to the daily average of PM10 (150.75 µg/m3) and on 57% to the daily average of PM2.5.

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BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease characterized by airflow obstruction, commonly present in smokers and subjects exposed to noxious particles product of biomass-burning smoke (BBS). Several association studies have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in coding genes related to the heat shock proteins family-genes that codify the heat shock proteins (Hsp). Hsp accomplishes critical roles in regulating immune response, antigen-processing, eliminating protein aggregates and co-activating receptors. The presence of SNPs in these genes can lead to alterations in immune responses. We aimed to evaluate the association of SNPs in the HSP90 gene complex and COPD. METHODS: We enrolled 1549 participants, divided into two comparison groups; 919 tobacco-smoking subjects (cases COPD-TS n = 294 and, controls SWOC n = 625) and 630 chronic exposed to BBS (cases COPD-BBS n = 186 and controls BBES n = 444). We genotyped 2 SNPs: the rs13296 in HSP90AB1 and rs2070908 in HSP90B1. RESULTS: Through the dominant model (GC + CC), the rs2070908 is associated with decreased risk (p < 0.01, OR = 0.6) to suffer COPD among chronic exposed BBS subjects. We found an association between rs13296 GG genotype and lower risk (p = 0.01, OR = 0.22) to suffer severe COPD-TS forms in the severity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: single-nucleotide variants in the HSP90AB1 and HSP90B1 genes are associated with decreased COPD risk in subjects exposed to BBS and the most severe forms of COPD in tobacco-smoking subjects.

Asunto(s)

Biomasa , Proteínas HSP90 de Choque Térmico/genética , Pulmón/metabolismo , Glicoproteínas de Membrana/genética , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/genética , Humo/efectos adversos , Fumar Tabaco/efectos adversos , Anciano , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Humanos , Pulmón/patología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/metabolismo , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/patología

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Biomass burning is one of the most critical factors impacting vegetation and atmospheric trends, with important societal implications, particularly when extreme weather conditions occur. Trends and factors of burned area (BA) have been analysed at regional and global scales, but little effort has been dedicated to study the interannual variability. This paper aimed to better understand factors explaining this variation, under the assumption that the more human control of fires the more frequently they occur, as burnings will be less dependent of weather cycles. Interannual variability of BA was estimated from the coefficient of variation of the annual BA (BA_CV) estimated from satellite data at 250 m, covering the period from 2001 to 2018. These data and the explanatory variables were resampled at 0.25-degree resolution for global analysis. Relations between this variable and explanatory factors, including human and climate drivers, were estimated using Random Forest (RF) and generalized additive models (GAM). BA_CV was negatively related to BA_Mean, implying that areas with higher average BA have lower variability as well. Interannual BA variability decreased when maximum temperature (TMAX) and actual and potential evapotranspiration (AET, PET) increased, cropland and livestock density increased and the human development index (HDI) values decreased. GAM models indicated interesting links with AET, PET and precipitation, with negative relation with BA_CV for the lower ranges and positive for the higher ones, the former indicating fuel limitations of fire activity, and the latter climate constrains. For the global RF model, TMAX, AET and HDI were the main drivers of interannual variability. As originally hypothesised, BA_CV was more dependent on human factors (HDI) in those areas with medium to large BA occurrence, particularly in tropical Africa and Central Asia, while climatic factors were more important in boreal regions, but also in the tropical regions of Australia and South America.

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Clima , Incendios , África , Australia , Biomasa , Humanos , América del Sur

RESUMEN

Biomass burning from grassland, forests, and agricultural waste results in large amounts of gases and particles emitted to the atmosphere, which affect air quality, population health, crop development, and natural vegetation. Regional atmospheric circulations can transport those plumes of pollutants over hundreds of kilometers, affecting vulnerable environments such as those considered protected natural areas (PNAs). This study evaluates the spatiotemporal distribution of active fires detected, and associated emissions, in central and southern Mexico from satellite data between March and June 2017, to assess the impact of the smoke plumes on protected ecosystems. The arrival of smoke plumes to selected PNAs (both near large urban centers and in remote areas) is assessed using airmass forward trajectories from selected emission sources. The spatial distribution of the remotely derived aerosol optical depth confirms the regional impact of particle emissions from the observed fires on PNAs, particularly in central Mexico. The identified areas of high fire density are also associated with large coarse particle concentrations at the surface. Moreover, there is a significant contribution of organic carbon to the total coarse particle mass, 60% on average. Finally, while most of the impact in ambient pollution is observed in PNAs located close to the regions with active fires in southern Mexico and Central America, the long-range transport of smoke plumes reaching the USA was also confirmed.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Incendios , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Biomasa , Ecosistema , Monitoreo del Ambiente , México

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BACKGROUND: A variety of organic materials (biomass) are burned for cooking and heating purposes in poorly ventilated houses; smoke from biomass combustion is considered an environmental risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. In this study, we attempted to determine the participation of single-nucleotide variants in the HHIP (hedgehog-interacting protein) gene in lung function, HHIP serum levels, and HHIP sputum supernatant levels in Mexican women with and without COPD who were exposed to biomass-burning smoke. METHODS: In a case-control study (COPD-BS, n = 186, BBES, n = 557) in Mexican women, three SNPs (rs13147758, rs1828591, and rs13118928) in the HHIP gene were analyzed by qPCR; serum and supernatant sputum protein levels were determined through ELISA. RESULTS: The rs13118928 GG genotype is associated with decreased risk (p = 0.021, OR = 0.51, CI95% = 0.27-0.97) and the recessive genetic model (p = 0.0023); the rs1828591-rs13118928 GG haplotype is also associated with decreased risk (p = 0.04, OR = 0.65, CI95% 0.43-0.98). By the dominant model (rs13118928), the subjects with one or two copies of the minor allele (G) exhibited higher protein levels. Additionally, two correlations with the AG genotype were identified: BBES with FEV1 (p = 0.03, r2 = 0.53) and COPD-BS with FEV1/FVC (p = 0.012, r2 = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: Single-nucleotide variants in the HHIP gene are associated with decreased COPD risk, higher HHIP serum levels, and better lung function in Mexican women exposed to biomass burning.

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Lockdown measures led to air pollution decrease in several countries around the world such as China and India, whereas other regions experimented an increase in pollutant concentrations. Northern South America (NSA) was one of those areas where pollution changed during lockdown due to high fire activity. This study aims to analyze, for the first time in NSA, the behavior of selected criteria air pollutants during the implementation of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in two high populated cities of the region: Bogotá and Medellín in Colombia. A set of tools including surface measurements, as well as satellite and modeled data were used. 24-hour average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 were collected from air quality stations for the lockdown period ranging from February 21 to June 30, 2020. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) was used to analyze the fire flux OC as a biomass burning (BB) indicator, and tropospheric NO2 concentrations were retrieved from TROPOMI. The HYSPLIT model was used to analyze back trajectories and fire data were obtained from MODIS sensor measurements. Our analysis shows short-term background NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 concentration reductions of 60%, 44%, and 40%, respectively, for the strict lockdown; and 62%, 58%, and 69% for the relaxed lockdown. Corresponding long-term reductions were of 50%, 32%, and 9% for the strict lockdown; and 37%, 29%, and 19% for the relaxed lockdown. Regional BB increased PM2.5 concentrations by 20 µg/m3 during the strict lockdown, and the Saharan dust event increased PM10 concentrations up to 168 µg/m3 in Bogotá, and 104 µg/m3 in Medellín, bringing an additional risk of morbidity and mortality for population. Regional BB has several causes that need to be properly managed to benefit local air quality improvement plans. Future cleaner transport policies equivalent to reduced lockdown mobility could bring pollution close to WHO guidelines.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Contaminación del Aire , COVID-19 , África del Norte , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Contaminación del Aire/análisis , China , Ciudades , Colombia , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Humanos , India , América del Norte , Material Particulado/análisis , SARS-CoV-2 , América del Sur

RESUMEN

Biomass burning (BB) emissions significantly deteriorate air quality in many regions worldwide, impact human health and perturbing Earth's radiation budget and climate. South America is one of largest contributors to BB emissions globally. After Amazonia, BB emissions from open and agricultural fires of Northern South America (NSA) are the most significant. Recent evidence shows a strong correlation between fire counts in NSA and Brown Carbon in some Colombian cities, suggesting a substantial seasonal contribution of regional BB sources to air pollution levels in the densely populated areas of NSA. In this work we use the atmospheric regional chemical transport model WRF-Chem to assess the contribution of open BB events to pollutant concentration and to estimate potential health impacts associated with wildfire events in NSA. Three nested domains are used to simulate atmospheric composition in the Northern part of South America and the Caribbean. Simulations included biogenic and anthropogenic emissions from a global emission inventory merged with local emissions for the city of Bogotá. Two modelling scenarios were considered, a base case without BB emissions (NO_FIRE) and a sensitivity scenario with BB emissions. Simulations were carried out for periods of strong BB activity in NSA. In the NO_FIRE scenario, aerosol concentrations are unrealistically low. When BB emissions are is included background PM2.5 concentrations increase 80%. The increment in aerosol concentrations is mainly driven by Secondary Organic Aerosols. In the case of Bogotá, the most densely populated city in the domain, monthly mean increase in PM2.5 is 3.3 µg m-3 and 4.3 ppb for O3. Modeled meteorological and air pollution fields are in better agreement with observations when high spatial resolution (3 × 3 km) is used in the simulations. The total estimated short-term all-cause mortality associated to BB during February in the region is 171 cases, 88 PM2.5-related and 83 O3-related mortality.

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Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Contaminación del Aire/análisis , Aerosoles/análisis , Biomasa , Brasil , Región del Caribe , Ciudades , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Humanos , América del Norte , Material Particulado/análisis

RESUMEN

Purpose: The protease inhibitor S (PiS) and Z (PiZ) variants have been stated as the only genetic cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Caucasians. However, its frequency in admixed populations is low. We aimed to identify genetic susceptibility between PiS (rs17580) and PiZ (rs28929474) polymorphisms with COPD related to tobacco smoking and biomass-burning smoke as well as to determine its frequencies in Mestizo and Amerindian populations from Mexico. Patients and Methods: One thousand and eight hundred seventy-eight subjects were included in two comparisons of cases and controls, (1) smokers with and without COPD (COPD-S, n=399; SWOC, n=1106); (2) Biomass-burning smoke-exposed subjects with and without COPD (COPD-BS, n=98; BBES, n=275). In addition, 2354 Mexican subjects identified as Mestizos (n=1952) and Amerindian (n=402) were included. The population structure was evaluated using 59 informative ancestry markers. Results: The AT genotype of rs17580 is associated with COPD in both comparisons (COPD-S vs SWOC p<0.001, OR=2.16; COPD-BS vs BBES p<0.0001, OR=11.50). The population of the Mexico-North has a greater Caucasian contribution (54.7%) compared to the center (46.9%) and southeast (42.7%). Conclusion: The rs17580, AT genotype, is associated with COPD in Mexican-Mestizo smokers and exposed to biomass-burning smoke. The rs17580 AT is more frequent in the Mexican-Mestizo population of the North of the country, which has a high Caucasian component.

Asunto(s)

Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica , alfa 1-Antitripsina , Biomasa , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Genotipo , Humanos , México/epidemiología , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/diagnóstico , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/epidemiología , Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica/genética , Fumar Tabaco , alfa 1-Antitripsina/genética

RESUMEN

Long-term exposure to biomass-burning smoke (BS) is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and other chronic inflammatory lung diseases. BS results from such processes as the burning of wood for indoor cooking and heating, with women and children having the highest exposure rate. This study aimed to analyze the accumulative alterations in cytokine levels associated with BS (from wood) compared to tobacco smoke (TS) in healthy adult women. The levels of 27 cytokines were analyzed in the serum of 100 women, including 40 tobacco smokers/non-exposed to BS (TS+/BS-), 30 never-smokers/exposed to BS (TS-/BS+) and 30 never-smokers/non-exposed to BS (TS-/BS-) as controls, using 27-Plex immunoassay. The chronic BS exposure index was rated at ≥100 h-years, and the tobacco-smoking index was ≥10 pack-years. Compared to TS-/BS-, TS+/BS- had higher levels of IL-2, IL-9, MCP-1, MIP-1ß, and VEGF, while TS-/BS+ showed higher levels of IL-1ra, IL-6, IL-8, Eotaxin, IP-10, RANTES, and VEGF, presenting a distinct inflammatory profile that may favor an eosinophil-derived inflammatory response to BS exposure. Compared to TS+/BS-, TS-/BS+ expressed higher levels of IP-10 and IL-8, but lower levels of IL-2 and MIP-1ß. Gene-disease database analysis showed that altered cytokines in both TS+/BS- and TS-/BS+ are associated with asthma, COPD, lung fibrosis, and lung cancer. In conclusion, chronic BS exposure induces distinct systemic inflammatory cytokine alterations compared to tobacco smokers in healthy women. These findings provide new insights into how long-term exposure to BS affects the inflammatory response-and potentially the health-of adult women.

Asunto(s)

Citocinas/sangre , Humo , Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales , Femenino , Humanos , Mediadores de Inflamación/sangre , Persona de Mediana Edad , Enfermedades Respiratorias/sangre , Fumar Tabaco/sangre , Madera

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This data article provides an extensive and complete description of the high spatial resolution inventory (HSRI) estimation shown in the article "High resolution inventory of atmospheric emissions from livestock production, agriculture, and biomass burning sectors of Argentina" Puliafito et al. [1], and its comparison with several sectors in Argentina. The dataset provided are high-resolution inventories (0.025° × 0.025° lat/long) for CO2, CH4, N2O and another 8 species from livestock, biomass burning, agriculture and another 12 sectors (based on 2016 year). In addition, we also provide the database for 2014 using the same methodology. The dataset presented are necessary to improve input inventories for air quality models. Also, they are better to inform and guide the stakeholders, in making decisions related to environmental protection and health promotion, as well as assessing the environmental performance in terms of atmospheric emissions of an activity, sector or region in Argentina.

RESUMEN

The burning of biomass in pizza ovens can be an important source of air pollution. Fine particulate matter represents one of the most aggressive pollutants to human health, besides the potential to interfere with global radiative balance. A study in real-world condition was performed in three pizzerias in São Paulo city. Two of the pizzerias used eucalyptus timber logs and one used wooden briquettes. The results from the three pizzerias revealed high average concentrations of PM2.5: 6171.2 µg/m3 at the exit of the chimney and 68.2 µg/m3 in indoor areas. The burning of briquette revealed lower concentrations of PM2.5. BC represented approximately 20% and 30% of the PM2.5 mass concentration in indoor and at chimney exhaust, respectively. Among the trace elements, potassium, chlorine and sulphur were the most prevalent in terms of concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed particles with an individual and spherical morphology, i.e. the conglomeration of spherical particles, flattened particles in the formation of fibres, the overlapping of layers and the clustering of particles with sponge-like qualities. The average emission factors for PM2.5 and BC due to the burning of logs were 0.38 g/kg and 0.23 g/kg, respectively. The total emissions of PM2.5 and BC were 116.73 t/year and 70.65 t/year, respectively, in the burning of timber logs.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Madera/química , Brasil , Ciudades , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Humanos , Material Particulado/análisis

RESUMEN

The deposition of phosphorus (P) from African dust is believed to play an important role in bolstering primary productivity in the Amazon Basin and Tropical Atlantic Ocean (TAO), leading to sequestration of carbon dioxide. However, there are few measurements of African dust in South America that can robustly test this hypothesis and even fewer measurements of soluble P, which is readily available for stimulating primary production in the ocean. To test this hypothesis, we measured total and soluble P in long-range transported aerosols collected in Cayenne, French Guiana, a TAO coastal site located at the northeastern edge of the Amazon. Our measurements confirm that in boreal spring when African dust transport is greatest, dust supplies the majority of P, of which 5% is soluble. In boreal fall, when dust transport is at an annual minimum, we measured unexpectedly high concentrations of soluble P, which we show is associated with the transport of biomass burning (BB) from southern Africa. Integrating our results into a chemical transport model, we show that African BB supplies up to half of the P deposited annually to the Amazon from transported African aerosol. This observational study links P-rich BB aerosols from Africa to enhanced P deposition in the Amazon. Contrary to current thought, we also show that African BB is a more important source of soluble P than dust to the TAO and oceans in the Southern Hemisphere and may be more important for marine productivity, particularly in boreal summer and fall.

Asunto(s)

Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Polvo/análisis , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Fósforo/metabolismo , Aerosoles/química , África Austral , Océano Atlántico , Atmósfera , Biomasa , Dióxido de Carbono/efectos adversos , Dióxido de Carbono/metabolismo , Guyana Francesa , Océanos y Mares , Estaciones del Año , América del Sur