Air Quality in Africa: Public Health Implications

Abera, Asmamaw; Friberg, Johan; Isaxon, Christina; Jerrett, Michael; Malmqvist, Ebba; Sjöström, Cheryl; Taj, Tahir; Vargas, Ana Maria

doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-100119-113802

Cited by 68 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 117 publications

(136 reference statements)

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“…These pollutants are generated from natural events, such as fires, storms, volcanic eruptions, and the release of pollen. Furthermore, a major source of air pollutants is human activity, such as fossil fuel combustion, agricultural activity, manufacturing (particularly in the form of factory exhausts), and mining [1][2][3]. Exposure to air pollutants is associated with many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and glaucoma [1,2,4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proinflammatory Responses of 1-Nitropyrene against RAW264.7 Macrophages through Akt Phosphorylation and NF-κB Pathways

Tsai

Chen

Liu

et al. 2021

Toxics

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Air pollution is a major environmental and public health problem worldwide. A nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and the most abundant air pollutant in diesel engine exhaust, 1-nitropyrene (1-NP), is caused by the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous organic substances. Macrophages are effector cells of the innate immune cells that provide resistance in the peripheral tissue. The overactivation of macrophages results in inflammation. The generation of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor alpha, is induced by 1-NP in a concentration-dependent manner in macrophages. In this study, the production of proinflammatory mediators, such as nitrogen oxide and prostaglandin E2, was induced by 1-NP in a concentration-dependent manner through the expression of iNOS and COX2. The generation of proinflammatory cytokines, iNOS, and COX2 was induced by 1-NP through nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 phosphorylation and the degradation of its upstream factor, IκB. Finally, Akt phosphorylation was induced by 1-NP in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that 1-NP exhibits a proinflammatory response through the NF-κB pathway activation due to Akt phosphorylation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proinflammatory Responses of 1-Nitropyrene against RAW264.7 Macrophages through Akt Phosphorylation and NF-κB Pathways

Tsai

Chen

Liu

et al. 2021

Toxics

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“…Alternatively, greater availability of air pollution statistics can contribute to enhancing public concern, which would in turn lead to primary demand for and the development of clean air strategies [ 19 ]. Other benefits of managing air pollution also include the drive for other positive changes, such as in health, well-being, and climate [ 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Burden of disease (BoD) estimations by AirQ+ as total mortality number of attributable cases and mortality number of attributable cases per 100,000 population at risk, using age-standardized and crude mortality rates per 100,000 women in Ethiopia, Africa.Disease burden DALYs estimations of attributable cases for the study representative population using DALYs per 100,000 women of all ages in Ethiopia are20,566 (95% CI: 15,632-23,922) for ALRI, 15,541 (95% CI: 10,846-19,243) for COPD, (95% CI: 25,316-51,897) for IHD, 13,923 (95% CI: 7701-16,195) for lung cancer and (95% CI: 23,308-51,656) for stroke. These estimated attributable cases are lower if only women aged 49 and under are considered (…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor Air Pollution Exposure of Women in Adama, Ethiopia, and Assessment of Disease Burden Attributable to Risk Factor

Balidemaj

Isaxon

Abera

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Introduction and aim: Air pollution, a major environmental threat to human health, contributes to the premature deaths of millions of people worldwide. Cooking with solid fuels, such as charcoal and wood, in low- and middle-income countries generates very high emissions of particulate matter within and near the household as a result of their inefficient combustion. Women are especially exposed, as they often perform the cooking. The purpose of this study was to assess the burden of disease attributable to household air pollution exposure from cooking among women in Adama, Ethiopia. Methods: AirQ+ software (WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark) was used to assess the health impact of household air pollution by estimating the burden of disease (BoD) including Acute Lower Respiratory Infections (ALRI), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), lung cancer, and stroke, among a cohort of women in Adama. Household air pollution exposure estimated by cooking fuel type was assessed through questionnaires. Results: Three-quarters (75%) of Adama’s population used solid fuel for cooking; with this, the household air pollution attributable mortality was estimated to be 50% (95% CI: 38–58%) due to ALRI, 50% (95% CI: 35–61%) due to COPD, 50% (95% CI: 27–58%) due to lung cancer, (95% CI: 23–48%) due to IHD, and (95% CI: 23–51%) due to stroke. The corresponding disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 women ranged between 6000 and 9000 per disease. Conclusions: This health impact assessment illustrates that household air pollution due to solid fuel use among women in Adama leads to premature death and a substantial quantity of DALYs. Therefore, decreasing or eliminating solid fuel use for cooking purposes could prevent deaths and improve quality of life.

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“…Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanising at an unprecedented rate and is projected to pass the 50% urban tipping point by 2035 [ 38 ]. This rapid urbanisation, together with inadequate capacities in policy regulations and supporting infrastructure, are expected to bring unfavourable changes in urban environment, including the air quality [ 39 ]. Some African cities already reported that concentrations of air pollutants were higher in urban business and high-density residential areas, where traffic and biomass use are the dominant sources, than in peri-urban or rural areas where traffic is considerably less [ 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambient Air Pollution and Respiratory Health in Sub-Saharan African Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Cai

Gibson

Ramakrishnan

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Ambient air pollution is projected to become a major environmental risk in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Research into its health impacts is hindered by limited data. We aimed to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and prevalence of cough or acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) among children under five in SSA. Data were collected from 31 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 21 SSA countries between 2005–2018. Prior-month average PM2.5 preceding the survey date was assessed based on satellite measurements and a chemical transport model. Cough and ALRI in the past two weeks were derived from questionnaires. Associations were analysed using conditional logistic regression within each survey cluster, adjusting for child’s age, sex, birth size, household wealth, maternal education, maternal age and month of the interview. Survey-specific odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using random-effect meta-analysis. Included were 368,366 and 109,664 children for the analysis of cough and ALRI, respectively. On average, 20.5% children had reported a cough, 6.4% reported ALRI, and 32% of children lived in urban areas. Prior-month average PM2.5 ranged from 8.9 to 64.6 μg/m3. Pooling all surveys, no associations were observed with either outcome in the overall populations. Among countries with medium-to-high Human Development Index, positive associations were observed with both cough (pooled OR: 1.022, 95%CI: 0.982–1.064) and ALRI (pooled OR: 1.018, 95%CI: 0.975–1.064) for 1 μg/m3 higher of PM2.5. This explorative study found no associations between short-term ambient PM2.5 and respiratory health among young SSA children, necessitating future analyses using better-defined exposure and health metrics to study this important link.

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Air Quality in Africa: Public Health Implications

Cited by 68 publications

References 117 publications

Proinflammatory Responses of 1-Nitropyrene against RAW264.7 Macrophages through Akt Phosphorylation and NF-κB Pathways

Proinflammatory Responses of 1-Nitropyrene against RAW264.7 Macrophages through Akt Phosphorylation and NF-κB Pathways

Indoor Air Pollution Exposure of Women in Adama, Ethiopia, and Assessment of Disease Burden Attributable to Risk Factor

Ambient Air Pollution and Respiratory Health in Sub-Saharan African Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

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