Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 453 in total

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  1. Vilcins D, Christofferson RC, Yoon JH, Nazli SN, Sly PD, Cormier SA, et al.
    Ann Glob Health, 2024;90(1):9.
    PMID: 38312715 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4363
    BACKGROUND: The United Nations has declared that humans have a right to clean air. Despite this, many deaths and disability-adjusted life years are attributed to air pollution exposure each year. We face both challenges to air quality and opportunities to improve, but several areas need to be addressed with urgency.

    OBJECTIVE: This paper summarises the recent research presented at the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Symposium and focuses on three key areas of air pollution that are important to human health and require more research.

    FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: Indoor spaces are commonly places of exposure to poor air quality and are difficult to monitor and regulate. Global climate change risks worsening air quality in a bi-directional fashion. The rising use of electric vehicles may offer opportunities to improve air quality, but it also presents new challenges. Government policies and initiatives could lead to improved air and environmental justice. Several populations, such as older people and children, face increased harm from air pollution and should become priority groups for action.

    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollution, Indoor*
  2. Abdullah F, Jaafar MH, Ahmad MI, Ismail ZS
    Int J Environ Health Res, 2024 May;34(5):2280-2298.
    PMID: 37552824 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2243843
    In Malaysia, chemical management in workplaces is managed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. Hence, the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000 has strengthened the chemical management level in workplaces, including higher academic institutions. The introduction of chemical health risk assessment through the regulation required management to conduct the assessment at workplaces. Poor levels of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in chemical laboratories may also cause discomfort among workers when there is sick building syndrome in laboratories. IAQ is managed through the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010. Although both are different in method and approach, both are meant to ensure the workers' safety and comfort. This study is aimed to investigate the need to integrate both chemical health risk assessment and IAQ assessment in laboratories to ensure optimum safety levels among workers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollution, Indoor*
  3. Nor Mohd Razif Noraini, Leman, A.M., Ahmad Sayuti Zainal Abidin
    MyJurnal
    A preliminary study has been conducted in a new constructed 8 stories building (2 level of Hostels facility, 3 level of Training Room, 2 Level of Offices and 1 level of Exhibition Halls and Rooms) in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The Hostels facility is a floor tile and furnished with build in locker and use split air conditioning system while the Training Room and Exhibition Rooms used floor tile. The Offices and Exhibition Hall are carpeted furnished. All these spaces were using centralized air conditioning systems. A pre-commissioning assessment on 5 chemical parameters of indoor air pollutants such Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), Formaldehyde, Respirable Particulates (PM!
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Conditioning; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution, Indoor
  4. Nadzir MSM, Lin CY, Khan MF, Latif MT, Dominick D, Hamid HHA, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jun;24(18):15278-15290.
    PMID: 28500553 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9131-1
    Open biomass burning in Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, and parts of the Indochinese region is a major source of transboundary haze pollution in the Southeast Asia. To study the influence of haze on rainwater chemistry, a short-term investigation was carried out during the occurrence of a severe haze episode from March to April 2014. Rainwater samples were collected after a prolonged drought and analyzed for heavy metals and major ion concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC), respectively. The chemical composition and morphology of the solid particulates suspended in rainwater were examined using a scanning electron microscope coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The dataset was further interpreted using enrichment factors (EF), statistical analysis, and a back trajectory (BT) model to find the possible sources of the particulates and pollutants. The results show a drop in rainwater pH from near neutral (pH 6.54) to acidic (
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Movements; Air Pollutants*
  5. Peng Y, Zhou F, Cui J, Du K, Leng Q, Yang F, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jul;24(19):16206-16219.
    PMID: 28540543 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9221-0
    The Three Gorges Dam's construction and industrial transfer have resulted in a new air pollution pattern with the potential to threaten the reservoir eco-environment. To assess the impact of socioeconomic factors on the pattern of air quality vairation and economical risks, concentrations of SO2, NO2, and PM10, industry genres, and meteorological conditions were selected in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing (TGRC) during 2006-2015. Results showed that air quality had improved to some extent, but atmospheric NO2 showed an increased trend during 2011-2015. Spatially, higher atmospheric NO2 extended to the surrounding area. The primary industry, especially for agriculture, had shown to be responsible for the remarkable increase of atmospheric NO2 (p air pollutant reductions, but construction industries had inhibited the improvement of regional air quality. In the tertiary industry, the cargo industry at ports had significantly decreased atmospheric NO2 as a result of eliminating the obsoleted small ships. Contrarily, the highway transportation had brought more air pollutants. The relative humidity was shown to be the main meteorological factor, which had an extremely remarkable relation with atmospheric SO2 (p air quality improvement difficult, and atmospheric SO2, NO2, and PM10 deposition would aggravate regional soil and water acidification and reactivate heavy metal in soil and sediment, further to pose a high level of ecological risk in the TGRC and other countries with reservoirs in the world.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution*
  6. Ramakreshnan L, Aghamohammadi N, Fong CS, Bulgiba A, Zaki RA, Wong LP, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jan;25(3):2096-2111.
    PMID: 29209970 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0860-y
    Seasonal haze episodes and the associated inimical health impacts have become a regular crisis among the ASEAN countries. Even though many emerging experimental and epidemiological studies have documented the plausible health effects of the predominating toxic pollutants of haze, the consistency among the reported findings by these studies is poorly understood. By addressing such gap, this review aimed to critically highlight the evidence of physical and psychological health impacts of haze from the available literature in ASEAN countries. Systematic literature survey from six electronic databases across the environmental and medical disciplines was performed, and 20 peer-reviewed studies out of 384 retrieved articles were selected. The evidence pertaining to the health impacts of haze based on field survey, laboratory tests, modelling and time-series analysis were extracted for expert judgement. In specific, no generalization can be made on the reported physical symptoms as no specific symptoms recorded in all the reviewed studies except for throat discomfort. Consistent evidence was found for the increase in respiratory morbidity, especially for asthma, whilst the children and the elderly are deemed to be the vulnerable groups of the haze-induced respiratory ailments. A consensual conclusion on the association between the cardiovascular morbidity and haze is unfeasible as the available studies are scanty and geographically limited albeit of some reported increased cases. A number of modelling and simulation studies demonstrated elevating respiratory mortality rates due to seasonal haze exposures over the years. Besides, evidence on cancer risk is inconsistent where industrial and vehicular emissions are also expected to play more notable roles than mere haze exposure. There are insufficient regional studies to examine the association between the mental health and haze. Limited toxicological studies in ASEAN countries often impede a comprehensive understanding of the biological mechanism of haze-induced toxic pollutants on human physiology. Therefore, the lack of consistent evidence among the reported haze-induced health effects as highlighted in this review calls for more intensive longitudinal and toxicological studies with greater statistical power to disseminate more reliable and congruent findings to empower the institutional health planning among the ASEAN countries.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*; Air Pollutants/toxicity
  7. Tan H, Wong KY, Nyakuma BB, Kamar HM, Chong WT, Wong SL, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022 Jan;29(5):6710-6721.
    PMID: 34458973 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16171-9
    In this study, a systematic procedure for establishing the relationship between particulate matter (PM) and microbial counts in four operating rooms (ORs) was developed. The ORs are located in a private hospital on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The objective of developing the systematic procedure is to ensure that the correlation between the PMs and microbial counts are valid. Each of the procedures is conducted based on the ISO, IEST, and NEBB standards. The procedures involved verifying the operating parameters are air change rate, room differential pressure, relative humidity, and air temperature. Upon verifying that the OR parameters are in the recommended operating range, the measurements of the PMs and sampling of the microbes were conducted. The TSI 9510-02 particle counter was used to measure three different sizes of PMs: PM 0.5, PM 5, and PM 10. The MAS-100ECO air sampler was used to quantify the microbial counts. The present study confirms that PM 0.5 does not have an apparent positive correlation with the microbial count. However, the evident correlation of 7% and 15% were identified for both PM 5 and PM 10, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested that frequent monitoring of both PM 5 and PM 10 should be practised in an OR before each surgical procedure. This correlation approach could provide an instantaneous estimation of the microbial counts present in the OR.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Microbiology; Air Pollutants*
  8. Latif MT, Dominick D, Ahamad F, Khan MF, Juneng L, Hamzah FM, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2014 Jun 1;482-483:336-48.
    PMID: 24662202 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.132
    Rural background stations provide insight into seasonal variations in pollutant concentrations and allow for comparisons to be made with stations closer to anthropogenic emissions. In Malaysia, the designated background station is located in Jerantut, Pahang. A fifteen-year data set focusing on ten major air pollutants and four meteorological variables from this station were analysed. Diurnal, monthly and yearly pollutant concentrations were derived from hourly continuous monitoring data. Statistical methods employed included principal component regression (PCR) and sensitivity analysis. Although only one of the yearly concentrations of the pollutants studied exceeded national and World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline standards, namely PM10, seven of the pollutants (NO, NO2, NOx, O3, PM10, THC and CH4) showed a positive upward trend over the 15-year period. High concentrations of PM10 were recorded during severe haze episodes in this region. Whilst, monthly concentrations of most air pollutants, such as: PM10, O3, NOx, NO2, CO and NmHC were recorded at higher concentrations between June and September, during the southwest monsoon. Such results correspond with the mid-range transport of pollutants from more urbanised and industrial areas. Diurnal patterns, rationed between major air pollutants and sensitivity analysis, indicate the influence of local traffic emissions on air quality at the Jerantut background station. Although the pollutant concentrations have not shown a rapid increase, an alternative background station will need to be assigned within the next decade if development projects in the surrounding area are not halted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*; Air Pollution/statistics & numerical data*
  9. Li TC, Ambu S, Mohandas K, Wah MJ, Sulaiman LH, Murgaiyah M
    Trop Biomed, 2014 Sep;31(3):540-56.
    PMID: 25382482 MyJurnal
    Airborne bacteria are significant biotic constituents of bioaerosol. Bacteria at high concentrations in the air can compromise indoor air quality (IAQ) and result in many diseases. In tropical environments like Malaysia that extensively utilize air-conditioning systems, this is particularly significant due to continuous recirculation of indoor air and the potential implications for human health. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of airborne bacteria on IAQ in Malaysia. This study was prompted by a need for reliable baseline data on airborne bacteria in the indoor environment of tropical equatorial Malaysia, that may be used as a reference for further investigations on the potential role played by airborne bacteria as an agent of disease in this region. It was further necessitated due to the threat of bioterrorism with the potentiality of release of exotic pathogenic microorganisms into indoor or outdoor air. Before scientists can detect the latter, a gauge of the common microorganisms in indoor (as well as outdoor) air needs to be ascertained, hence the expediency of this study. Bacterial counts from the broad-based and targeted study were generally in the order of 10(2) colony-forming units (CFU) per m(3) of air. The most prevalent airborne bacteria found in the broad-based study that encompassed all five levels of the building were Gram-positive cocci (67.73%), followed by Gram-positive rods (24.26%) and Gram-negative rods (7.10%). Gram-negative cocci were rarely detected (0.71%). Amongst the genera identified, Kytococcus sp., Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Leifsonia sp., Bacillus sp. and Corynebacterium sp. predominated in indoor air. The most dominant bacterial species were Kytococcus sedentarius, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus. The opportunistic and nosocomial pathogen, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was also discovered at a high percentage in the cafeteria. The bacteria isolated in this study have been increasingly documented to cause opportunistic infections in immuno-compromised patients, sometimes with fatal outcomes. Furthermore, some of them are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. Hence, we propose that indoor reservoirs of these bacteria and their associated clinical and more subtle health effects, if any, be investigated further.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Microbiology*; Air Pollution, Indoor*
  10. Mohd Suhaimi Hamzah, Shamsiah Abdul Rahman, Abdul Khalik Wood
    MyJurnal
    Atmospheric Pollution due to airborne particle is a major concern to many cities in the Southeast Asian region, including Kuala Lumpur. Within the last six years air particulate samples have been collected from a site in Kuala Lumpur and measured for their PM10, PM2.5 and elemental concentrations. The results showed that the daily PM10 (
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants
  11. Ismail Sulaiman, Khairuddin Mohamad Kontol, Faizal Azrin Abdul Razalim, Azman Jaafar
    MyJurnal
    The objective of this study was to measure indoor radon concentrations in the expected high risk area around Ipoh in Kinta Valley, Perak. The area was chosen based on its own special characteristics. The measurements were carried out by means of long term exposure (3 months) using CR-39 solid state nuclear track detector. The mean indoor radon concentration in Ipoh was 45 Bq/m3 which is equivalent to effective dose of 1.1 mSv/y. This value was higher compared to low or normal area in Bangi, Selangor but comparable to the world average value reported by UNSCEAR. The maximum value of indoor radon concentration measured was 87 Bq/m3.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants, Radioactive
  12. Li L, An J, Zhou M, Qiao L, Zhu S, Yan R, et al.
    Environ Sci Technol, 2018 Dec 18;52(24):14216-14227.
    PMID: 30288976 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01211
    An integrated source apportionment methodology is developed by amalgamating the receptor-oriented model (ROM) and source-oriented numerical simulations (SOM) together to eliminate the weaknesses of individual SA methods. This approach attempts to apportion and dissect the PM2.5 sources in the Yangtze River Delta region during winter. First, three ROM models (CMB, PMF, ME2) are applied and compared for the preliminary SA results, with information from PM2.5 sampling and lab analysis during the winter seasons. The detailed source category contribution of SOM to PM2.5 is further simulated using the WRF-CAMx model. The two pieces of information from both ROM and SOM are then stitched together to give a comprehensive information on the PM2.5 sources over the region. With the integrated approach, the detailed contributing sources of the ambient PM2.5 at different receptors including rural and urban, coastal and in-land, northern and southern receptors are analyzed. The results are compared with previous data and shows good agreement. This integrative approach is more comprehensive and is able to produce a more profound and detailed understanding between the sources and receptors, compared with single models.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants
  13. Tan F, Lim HS, Abdullah K, Holben B
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2016 Feb;23(3):2735-48.
    PMID: 26438373 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5506-3
    This study aims to investigate and establish a suitable model that can help to estimate aerosol optical depth (AOD) in order to monitor aerosol variations especially during non-retrieval time. The relationship between actual ground measurements (such as air pollution index, visibility, relative humidity, temperature, and pressure) and AOD obtained with a CIMEL sun photometer was determined through a series of statistical procedures to produce an AOD prediction model with reasonable accuracy. The AOD prediction model calibrated for each wavelength has a set of coefficients. The model was validated using a set of statistical tests. The validated model was then employed to calculate AOD at different wavelengths. The results show that the proposed model successfully predicted AOD at each studied wavelength ranging from 340 nm to 1020 nm. To illustrate the application of the model, the aerosol size determined using measure AOD data for Penang was compared with that determined using the model. This was done by examining the curvature in the ln [AOD]-ln [wavelength] plot. Consistency was obtained when it was concluded that Penang was dominated by fine mode aerosol in 2012 and 2013 using both measured and predicted AOD data. These results indicate that the proposed AOD prediction model using routine measurements as input is a promising tool for the regular monitoring of aerosol variation during non-retrieval time.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/chemistry*; Air Pollution/analysis
  14. Aliero MS, Pasha MF, Toosi AN, Ghani I
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022 Dec;29(57):85727-85741.
    PMID: 35001275 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17862-z
    The enforcement of the Movement Control Order to curtail the spread of COVID-19 has affected home energy consumption, especially HVAC systems. Occupancy detection and estimation have been recognized as key contributors to improving building energy efficiency. Several solutions have been proposed for the past decade to improve the precision performance of occupancy detection and estimation in the building. Environmental sensing is one of the practical solutions to detect and estimate occupants in the building during uncertain behavior. However, the literature reveals that the performance of environmental sensing is relatively poor due to the poor quality of the training dataset used in the model. This study proposed a smart sensing framework that combined camera-based and environmental sensing approaches using supervised learning to gather standard and robust datasets related to indoor occupancy that can be used for cross-validation of different machine learning algorithms in formal research. The proposed solution is tested in the living room with a prototype system integrated with various sensors using a random forest regressor, although other techniques could be easily integrated within the proposed framework. The primary implication of this study is to predict the room occupation through the use of sensors providing inputs into a model to lower energy consumption. The results indicate that the proposed solution can obtain data, process, and predict occupant presence and number with 99.3% accuracy. Additionally, to demonstrate the impact of occupant number in energy saving, one room with two zones is modeled each zone with air condition with different thermostat controller. The first zone uses IoFClime and the second zone uses modified IoFClime using a design-builder. The simulation is conducted using EnergyPlus software with the random simulation of 10 occupants and local climate data under three scenarios. The Fanger model's thermal comfort analysis shows that up to 50% and 25% energy can be saved under the first and third scenarios.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Conditioning
  15. Hassan WMNW, Asmah Z, Saedah A
    Med J Malaysia, 2013;68(1):69-70.
    PMID: 23466772 MyJurnal
    We report a case of a 59 year old man who developed venous air embolism (VAE) during an elective craniotomy for parasagittal meningioma resection. The surgery was done in the supine position with slightly elevated head position. VAE was provisionally diagnosed by sudden decreased in the end tidal carbon dioxide pressure from 34 to 18 mmHg, followed by marked hypotension and atrial fibrillation. Prompt central venous blood aspiration, aggressive resuscitation and inotropic support managed to stabilize the patient. Post operatively, he was admitted in neuro intensive care unit and made a good recovery without serious complications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Embolism, Air*
  16. Muhammad S, Long X
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2020 Sep;158:111422.
    PMID: 32753206 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111422
    China's seaborne foreign oil supply through the Malacca Strait is facing security challenges due to territorial disputes, pirate attacks, and geopolitics. To overcome these challenges, China plans to import oil through one of the corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This study estimated and compared ship emissions and their externalities associated with seaborne oil supply from the top five oil suppliers to China through the existing shipping route via the Malacca Strait and proposed route via CEPC. Ship activity-based methodology is applied to estimate the emissions of air pollutants (CO2, NOx, SO2, PM10, and CO) during cruising, maneuvering, and hoteling periods. The results show that the total ship emissions of China's seaborne oil supply can be significantly reduced from 6.2 million tons to 2.1 million tons via the CPEC route. While external cost can be reduced up to 65.9% via the CPEC route.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  17. Foo, Ming Hui
    MyJurnal
    In this era, most of us are suffering some level of respiratory problem. Respiratory system of our children is even more sensitive compare to adults. As our children spending an average of 8 hours in school, indoor air quality of the classroom become an important element. Many studies have shown that indoor air quality not only affecting the respiratory system of schoolchildren but their performance in academy as well.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution, Indoor
  18. Goh CC, Kamarudin LM, Zakaria A, Nishizaki H, Ramli N, Mao X, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2021 Jul 21;21(15).
    PMID: 34372192 DOI: 10.3390/s21154956
    This paper presents the development of a real-time cloud-based in-vehicle air quality monitoring system that enables the prediction of the current and future cabin air quality. The designed system provides predictive analytics using machine learning algorithms that can measure the drivers' drowsiness and fatigue based on the air quality presented in the cabin car. It consists of five sensors that measure the level of CO2, particulate matter, vehicle speed, temperature, and humidity. Data from these sensors were collected in real-time from the vehicle cabin and stored in the cloud database. A predictive model using multilayer perceptron, support vector regression, and linear regression was developed to analyze the data and predict the future condition of in-vehicle air quality. The performance of these models was evaluated using the Root Mean Square Error, Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, and coefficient of determination (R2). The results showed that the support vector regression achieved excellent performance with the highest linearity between the predicted and actual data with an R2 of 0.9981.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollution*
  19. Siti A'iasah Hashim, Khairul Zaman Mohd Dahlan, Khomsaton Abu Bakar, Ayub Muhamad
    MyJurnal
    A laboratory scale test rig to treat simulated flue gas using electron beam technology was installed at the Alurtron EB-Irradiation Center, MINT. The experiment test rig was proposed as a result of feasibility studies conducted jointly by IAEA, MINT and TNB Research in 1997. The test rig system consists of several components, among others, diesel generator sets, pipe ducts, spray cooler, ammonia dosage system, irradiation vessel, bag filter and gas analyzers. The installation was completed and commissioned in October 2001. Results from the commissioning test runs and subsequent experimental work showed that the efficiency of flue gas treatment is high. It was proven that electron beam technology might be applied in the treatment of air pollutants. This paper describes the design and work function of the individual major components as well as the full system function. Results from the initial experimental works are also presented.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution
  20. Guindi MN, Flaherty GT, Byrne M
    J Travel Med, 2018 01 01;25(1).
    PMID: 29718402 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay021
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollution*
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