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Determining factors that impact indoor and outdoor air quality, including mould, radon, VOCs, and criteria air contaminants.
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Topics: Children's Environmental Health, Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
The period between conception and early childhood when vital organs are forming and rapidly developing is the most vulnerable of life stages to the effects of toxic environment exposures, including traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). Epidemiologic studies on preterm birth have consistently shown elevated risks with a number of measures of TRAP, including distance of residence from traffic...
View Full ArticleReducing cardiovascular health impacts from traffic-related noise and air pollution: intervention strategies
Topics: Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Recent studies suggest that exposure to both traffic-related air pollution (TrAP) and to road traffic noise (RTN) are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). While the exact pathophysiologic mechanisms are not known, plausible biological models exist for both associations. This paper describes interventions and mitigating measures aimed at reducing both air and noise pollution...
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Topics: Air, Contaminants and Hazards, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air, Physical Agents General, Canada
This report summarizes information on woodsmoke emissions and health effects associated with woodsmoke exposures from residential wood-burning (RWB) in Canada and provides a qualitative indication of the potential effectiveness of different intervention strategies based on a review of the available literature and interviews with Canadian health authorities. The purpose of this report is to...
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Topics: Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Air quality advisories are a mechanism by which provincial and regional governments actively provide the public with information on hourly or daily periods of poor outdoor air quality. Advisories are issued for specific geographical locations when one or more pollutants approach or exceed (or are forecasted to approach/exceed) a relevant air quality trigger. Advisories inform the public about...
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Topics: Air, Environmental Health Surveillance, Equity, Outdoor Air, Practices and Procedures, Risk Analysis General, Canada
This case study explores the issue of health impacts in the community from persistent landfill fires and covers a number of topics including: outdoor air pollution; waste management; health equity; health surveillance; environmental surveillance; and occupational health.
Although written from a broad public health and medical health officers’ point of view, this case study may be helpful to...
Persistent_Landfill_Fire_Health_Impacts_Case_March_2015.pdf, Persistent_Landfill_Fire_Health_Impacts_Solutions_March_2015.pdfCardiovascular Health, Traffic-related Air Pollution and Noise: Are associations mutually confounded? A systematic review
Topics: Air, Built Environment, Nuisance Control, Outdoor Air General, Canada
This review assessed the confounding effect of one traffic-related exposure (noise or air pollutants) on the association between the other exposure and cardiovascular outcomes. A systematic review was conducted with the databases Medline and Embase. The confounding effects in studies were assessed by using change in the estimate with a 10 % cutoff point. The influence on the change in the...
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Topics: Air, Contaminants and Hazards, Waste, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Forest residues are non-merchantable woody biomass found in forests and wood waste from logging practices and industrial operations, such as sawmills. Forest residues are a convenient fuel for open-burning and conventional biomass burning systems (e.g., fireplaces and wood stoves), but more recently have been considered as a fuel for advanced wood combustion (AWC) integrated energy systems, used...
View Full ArticleTopics: Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Several tools exist to assess local air quality, including the impact of specific sources, emissions, and meteorological conditions. Information generated from the use of air quality assessment tools can inform decisions on permitting of emissions, industrial siting, and land use; all can impact local air quality, which in turn can influence air pollution related health effects of a population....
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Topics: Air, Built Environment, Agriculture, Nuisance Control, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Nearly 200 million tonnes of livestock manure are generated in Canada each year.1 Manure storage and land application tends to produce odour, greenhouse gases, microbes, and particulate matter, which can negatively impact the environment and human health. Occupational exposures of manure management have been linked to psychological stress and adverse effects on the respiratory system and heart...
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Topics: Contaminants and Hazards, Water, Food, Air, Chemical Agents, Drinking Water, Outdoor Air
Nanotechnology is the creation of materials, devices, and systems by controlling matter at the nanometer scale (1-100 billionths of a meter). Potential exposures to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) through contact with consumer products or air, water, and food sources are an emerging potential threat to human health. ENPs have unique properties and characteristics in addition to size, such as a...
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Topics: Air, Children's Environmental Health, Outdoor Air General, Canada
A significant portion of children’s exposure to traffic-related pollution occurs in and around schools and daycares and in transit to these locations. New schools and daycare facilities should be located at least 150 m from major roads (15,000 or more vehicles/day) and should incorporate appropriate ventilation systems to reduce infiltration of outdoor pollutants. Interventions for existing...
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Topics: Air, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air
Air cleaners are designed to remove pollutants from indoor air, but their effectiveness depends on the air cleaner design and set-up, as well as on the presence of specific pollutants, their concentrations, and air exchange rates in the room/home. Ozone generators and some electrostatic precipitators produce ozone at levels that pose health concerns. Little evidence is available on removal of...
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Based on appraisals of recent systematic reviews and patient information, this report provides an overview of: 1) evidence available to generate health protection measures; 2) health protection advice currently recommended to persons with/at risk of cardio-vascular diseases through public health, medical, patient information, environmental, and meteorological websites; and 3) a general framework...
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Topics: Air, Built Environment, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Active transportation refers mainly to walking and cycling for transportation.
Health Benefits:
People who use active transportation are, on average, more physically fit, less obese, and have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease compared to people who use only motorized transportation.
A shift from motorized transportation to active transportation has the potential for societal benefits...
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Topics: Air, Outdoor Air
While the effects of daily fine particulate exposure (PM) have been well reviewed, the epidemiological and physiological evidence of cardiovascular effects associated to sub-daily exposures has not. We performed a theoretical model-driven systematic non-meta-analytical literature review to document the association between PM sub-daily exposures (≤6 hours) and arrhythmia, ischemia and myocardial...
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Workshops Presentations
Topics: Air, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
L'Institut national de santé publique (INSPQ) 8e Atelier de santé environnementale
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Topics: Air, Outdoor Air, Forest Fires General, Canada
Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (New Brunswick Branch) 2010 Annual Conference
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Topics: Air, Contaminants and Hazards, Chemical Agents, Outdoor Air, Risk Analysis, Waste, Water
The BCCDC/NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar Series provides an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange on a variety of environmental health topics. The seminars can be attended in-person or online.
Speaker: Anne-Marie Nicol, MES, PhD, Environmental Health Scientist, NCCEH
Abstract: This seminar describes the processes involved in shale gas production, including hydraulic fracturing, and...
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Topics: Air, Outdoor Air BC, Canada
In March 2011, the British Columbia Lung Association held its 8th Annual Air Quality & Health Workshop in Vancouver. As a pre-meeting event, the NCCEH, in combination with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the BC Lung Association, organized an air quality training workshop.
Workshop Objective
The objective of this training workshop was to increase the understanding and...
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Topics: Air, Children's Environmental Health, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air, Tobacco Reduction General, Canada
Dr. Amy Kalkbrenner uses epidemiologic methods to study how exposures to environmental pollutants during pregnancy cause poor birth outcomes (such as preterm birth) or neurodevelopmental disorders (like autism). She especially focuses on airborne exposures, such as traffic-related pollutants like fine particulate matter, the hundreds of airborne metals and volatile organic compounds known as air...
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BC Lung Association - Effect Modification of Prenatal Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma Incidence
Topics: Air, Children's Environmental Health, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air General, Canada
Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with development of childhood asthma, however, less is known regarding the potential modifying factors in this association. This presentation will go through the literature on this issue and will present findings from a retrospective cohort study conducted in Ontario, Canada. This study examined effect modification by maternal asthma...
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Public Health Ontario (PHO) Grand Rounds - Environmental pollution and chronic disease: it's up in the air
Topics: Air, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air ON, Canada
The recent Global Burden of Disease Study has highlighted the substantial impact of air pollution on premature mortality worldwide. Over the past decade, there is also an increasing body of evidence linking exposure to air pollution to the onset of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and more recently, dementia. These associations were observed even at the relatively...
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