Managing Public Health Risks Using Air Monitoring at a Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site

Monitoring emissions from a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site during remediation was used to manage risks associated with inhalation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and contaminated particulates acting as an exposure conduit for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. This risk management case study presents a USEPA-approved air monitoring program implemented to manage public health risks during remediation at a former MGP site located in the southeast United States. Risk-based Acceptable Air Concentrations (AACs) were developed and a sampling regimen established to monitor potential emissions to maintain contaminant concentrations below the AACs. The exposure duration used was based on a twelve-month project duration and an exposure time of 24 hours per day;equations, toxicity values and sources were based on USEPA’s Regional Screening Levels. A total 535 twenty-four hour time weighted samples (269 VOC samples and 266 PAH samples) were collected over the project duration. Only minor levels of VOCs and PAHs were detected and no results were above the AACs. These timeweighted averages demonstrate that the real-time air monitoring and control measures implemented at the site effectively maintained concentrations below the AACs and were protective of public health.

Linking Perceived Risk of Public Health Emergency to Psychological Distress among Chinese College Students: The Chain Mediation Role of Balanced Time Perspective and Negative Coping Styles

Background:With public health emergencies(PHE)worldwide increasing,the perceived risk of PHE has been one of the critical factors influencing college students’psychological distress.However,the mechanisms by which the perceived risk of PHE affects college students’psychological distress are not clear.The study’s purpose was to investigate the mediation roles of deviation from a balanced time perspective(DBTP)and negative coping styles between the perceived risk of PHE and psychological distress.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to survey 1054 Chinese college students with self-reporting.Data was collected using the Public Risk Perception Scale(PRPS),the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory(ZTPI),the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire(SCSQ),the PHE Anxiety Scale,and the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ).The associations between the perceived risk of PHE,DBTP,negative coping styles,and psychological distress were clarified using the correlation analysis.Additionally,the mediating roles of DBTP and negative coping styles between the perceived risk of PHE and psychological distress were investigated using a structural equation model.Results:The findings revealed low to moderate correlations between the variables studied.Students’perceived risk of PHE was a positive predictor of their psychological distress(b=0.219,p<0.01).DBTP and negative coping styles played chain mediation roles between them with the effect being 0.009 and a 95%Boot CI of[0.003,0.023].This chain mediation model had an excellent fit index(χ^(2)/df=4.732,CFI=0.973,TLI=0.930,RMSEA=0.048,SRMR=0.047).Conclusion:These findings showed how the perceived risk of PHE affected college students’psychological distress.Specifically,these results suggested that improving students’mental ability to switch effectively among different time perspectives depending on task features and situational considerations and reducing their negative coping styles might be effective ways to promote their mental health.

Comprehensive Analysis of Cancer Incidence and Mortality Trends in Costa Rica: Implications for Public Health

This commentary delves into the evolving landscape of cancer incidence and mortality in Costa Rica, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the data. Key findings reveal a concerning upward trajectory in cancer incidence rates, placing Costa Rica at the forefront within Central America. While prostate cancer and breast cancer dominate, disparities emerge when scrutinizing gender-specific trends. Notably, stomach and cervical cancers show declines, potentially attributed to targeted interventions. However, colorectal and liver cancers witness mortality increases, necessitating strategic responses. Geographical disparities persist across provinces, highlighting the need for equitable healthcare access. In conclusion, this commentary underscores the urgency of addressing the burgeoning cancer burden in Costa Rica, calling for evidence-based interventions and collaborative efforts on a global scale.

Legal response to environmental health risks in a risky society

The protection of public health is one of the legislative purposes of China’s environmental legal system.Article 39 of the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China establishes an environmental and health risk assessment system.The health risk assessment system has biases in understanding,and it fails to face up to the functional transformation from the ex-post relief of environmental damage to the pre-prevention prevention of health risks in the environmental legal system;lack of a complete environmental and health legal system,unclear environmental and health risk assessment framework,and unclear environmental and health risk assessment frameworks.Health risk management capabilities need to be improved,there is a lack of specialized environmental and health risk assessment institutions,and there is a lack of supporting risk assessment technical standard system construction.It is necessary to combine practical experience with China’s national conditions and actual needs,construct an environmental health risk assessment system with Chinese characteristics from both the entity and the procedure,strengthen legislative support,and improve my country’s environmental and health laws on the basis of objective and scientific protection of the assessment process.Institutional system,establish a national environmental health risk assessment expert committee as soon as possible,improve my country’s environmental and health risk assessment framework,strengthen environmental and health management capacity building,improve the environmental and health risk assessment technical system,and promote the development of China’s environmental and health risk assessment system develop and give play to the institutional mission of safeguarding public health.

Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem

Functional constipation(FC) is a significant health problem in children and contrary to common belief, has serious ramifications on the lives of children and their families. It is defined by the Rome criteria which encourage the use of multiple clinical features for diagnosis. FC in children has a high prevalence(0.7%-29%) worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Biopsychosocial risk factors such as psychological stress, poor dietary habits, obesity and child maltreatment are commonly identified predisposing factors for FC. FC poses a significant healthcare burden on the already overstretched health budgets of many countries in terms of out-patient care, in-patient care, expenditure for investigations and prescriptions. Complications are common and range from minor psychological disturbances, to lower health-related quality of life. FC in children also has a significant impact on families. Many paediatric clinical trials have poor methodological quality, and drugs proved to be useful in adults, are not effective in relieving symptoms in children. A significant proportion of inadequately treated children have similar symptoms as adults. These factors show that constipation is an increasing public health problem across the world with a significant medical, social and economic impact. This article highlights the potential public health impact of FC and the possibility of overcoming this problem by concentrating on modifiable risk factors rather than expending resources on high cost investigations and therapeutic modalities.

On COVID-19 and Membrane Lipids and Public Health

Coronavirus has a lipid membrane.Whist replication requires hijacking the RNA tools of the host to synthesize virion protein,that then has to be wrapped in a lipid membrane to enable the budding off which extends the infection.Recent studies implicate certain essential fatty acids with replication suppression properties.The lipid membrane is commonly thought of as a fatty barrier to water solubles.It is however highly ordered and compositionally specific to cellular and sub cellular functions.There will likely also be an optimum specificity for the viral coat.Whist DNA,RNA and protein compositions are not affected by diet,the lipid membrane is.Moreover,the greater sensitivity of males over females to inadequacy of these essential fatty acids and membrane integrity has been known since the 1960 s.With evidence that arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids exhibiting anti-viral,immune,anti-inflammatory,blood pressure control and resolvin activity,their status needs to be urgently examined in relation to the prevention and therapy for Covid-19.It would also be advisable to re-assess food policy.The lipid requirements for the membrane rich systems as in the brain,nervous,vascular and immune systems have not been considered.There is little doubt these were significant in shaping the human genome over several million years.Departure from such conditions would be predicted to put populations at risk to disorder and infection,with males being more at risk than females.

Implications of the Reanalysis and Weight of Evidence Determination of Human Health Studies for Exposure to Perchlorates under Cumulative and Aggregate Risk Assessment

This paper applies cumulative and aggregate risk methods and weight of evidence determination to re-analysis of epidemiological and clinical studies of exposure to perchlorates. The implications of cumulative and aggregate risk are considered for 28 epidemiological studies on IUI, serum thyroid hormone levels and clinical indicators. Consideration is given to simultaneous exposures to perchlorates, nitrates, thiocyanates and organohalogens in the study populations. The elevation of effects by perchlorates alone is found only in the studies that use urinary perchlorate as the metric of exposure. These studies are beset by a problem with use of urinary perchlorate concentration in that there is large inter-subject variability in the relationship between intake and urinary concentration due to differences in metabolism and disposition of the compounds following ingestion. As a result, an individual placed into the “high urinary concentration” group may be there due to high values of exposure, to long biological clearance halflives, or due to high transfer fractions from the serum into the urine. The influence could be removed by correcting urinary levels by measured clearance half-times for individuals in a study, but that has not been done in the case of the studies examined here. It is of interest therefore that the studies that use direct measures of intake of perchlorates rather than urine concentration fail to display the hormone effects. The current study uses a “weight of evidence” approach for perchlorates, employing all 28 studies. The result is a slope of the exposure response curve (percentage change in hormone effect per unit exposure) of 0.3% per μg/kg-day, with 95% confidence interval of (?0.05%, 1%). This confidence interval for the slope encompasses 0, indicating no statistically significant slope when all data are combined in a weight of evidence determination. This is consistent with the conclusions of the USEPA and EFSA that the epidemiological studies do not provide compelling evidence for a causal association between exposures to perchlorates and either hormone effects or clinically adverse effects. The conclusions are 1) that current epidemiological results do not provide evidence of effects induced by perchlorates apart from the IUI effects, 2) that the same results provide evidence that the IUI effects induced at environmental levels of exposure are associated with down-stream adverse effects and 3) that effective risk management requires the cumulative and aggregate risk framework adopted here, suggesting a need for risk assessors to return to the original studies and provide separate estimates of exposure response relationships for all four compounds or at the least to control for exposures to nitrates, thiocyanates and organohalogens.

城市重大公共卫生风险全过程防控体系构建

在复杂多样的城市风险中,重大公共卫生风险是影响力与破坏力较为严重的一种,探索建立符合中国城市发展进程的城市重大公共卫生风险全过程防控体系迫在眉睫。遵循风险发生过程,以“全周期管理”理念为指引,结合4R危机管理理论、风险管理理论和整体性治理理论,构建重大公共卫生风险全过程动态防控理论框架,同时立足于“以体系为核心”和“以风险为主线”的研究视角,深入分析“全过程动态”的核心意识,将风险防控过程划分为“全面风险评估预警—精准动态响应控制”,进而探讨构建包含风险识别、风险评估、风险评价和决策支持的风险评估体系,以及包含应急响应和常态化控制的风险控制机制的实践路径,提升中国重大公共卫生风险治理水平。

Growing Public Health Concerns from Poor Urban Air Quality: Strategies for Sustainable Urban Living

Urban areas around the world, particularly in emerging nations such as China, India, and Brazil are experiencing high levels of air pollution due to increased population, economy, spending, and consumption, all of which contribute to deterioration in environmental and public health conditions in urban areas. This paper briefly discusses important sources of air pollution, air pollutants of concern, public health impacts, and proposed strategies to combat urban air pollution and promote sustainable urban living. A team of researchers under the mentorship of the main author is working on a number of air quality projects that involve air quality monitoring (sources, ambient, indoor, and occupational), emissions modeling, atmospheric dispersion modeling, air pollution control, and development of knowledge-based systems to manage air quality.? This paper presents potential strategies that could help address the growing public health concerns in urban areas and promote sustainable and healthy living.

交互视角下重大突发公共卫生事件风险影响因素识别

为了有效识别重大突发公共卫生事件风险的影响因素,基于交互视角,从事件特征、预防能力、控制能力、恢复能力等4个方面,构建了包含4个一级指标、18个二级指标的重大突发公共卫生事件风险影响因素的指标体系。在此基础上,运用模糊DEMATEL方法识别影响重大突发公共卫生事件风险的关键因素。最后,通过实际案例,对重大突发公共卫生事件风险影响因素的影响度、原因度和中心度进行了分析,识别出关键影响因素,验证了方法的可行性。

基于多源地理数据的城市突发公共卫生事件风险评估研究

风险评估是突发公共卫生事件应急管理的关键环节,基于地理数据开展风险评估可有效提高精度.通过采集多源地理数据,结合随机森林算法和地理探测器、核密度分析、空间自相关等空间统计分析提出城市突发公共卫生事件风险评估方法,并通过实证分析验证模型可行性.结果表明:采用随机森林算法构建的风险评估模型表现良好;餐饮美食、公司企业和交通设施等场所是影响疫情的主要因素,疫情流行具有因子交互性,其中餐饮美食与其他因子的交互作用最强;空间传播上位于城市中心区域的社区风险等级较高并呈现向外围逐渐减弱的趋势,同时有明显的高值或低值聚集.

中国突发公共卫生事件风险沟通知识生产研究

为深入探究我国突发公共卫生事件风险沟通领域的知识生产状况与发展逻辑,运用文献计量法与内容分析法,系统梳理中国知网234篇核心文献。首先,通过量化统计总结知识生产态势;其次,利用Citespace软件构建知识生产主体与载体以及核心议题可视化知识图谱,分析知识生产现状;最后,通过分析文献内容,梳理知识生产的内容逻辑与过程逻辑。结果表明:当前,我国突发公共卫生事件风险沟通知识生产受“推力”与“拉力”共同驱动;存在明显学科交叉趋势;知识生产内容体系初具雏形;知识生产方法具有多样化特征。

边疆民族地区输入型公共卫生安全风险的制度协同治理机制研究

公共卫生安全风险是非传统安全风险的组成部分,一定情况下会威胁到国家总体安全。我国边疆民族地区多处于边境地带,既是境外公共卫生安全风险向国内输入的脆弱性空间,又是防范化解境外公共卫生安全风险的安全屏障。那么,如何有效治理边疆民族地区输入型公共卫生安全风险是当前亟须解决的重要问题。从输入型公共卫生安全风险的生成缘由、影响因素、发展态势等方面分析,边疆民族地区输入型公共卫生安全风险治理需遵循出入境制度、婚育制度、就业制度、反走私制度、公共卫生安全制度与社会公共安全制度。基于协同治理理论,在审视各项制度的基础上,通过制度建设协同、制度运行协同、制度保障协同构建边疆民族地区输入型公共卫生安全风险的制度协同治理机制,为边疆民族地区输入型公共卫生安全风险治理提供可行方案。

基于ISM和AHP的城乡结合部公众突发公共卫生事件风险感知关键影响因素分析

深入研究城乡结合部公众突发公共卫生事件风险感知关键影响因素,对政府调节公众风险感知、提升应急管理能力具有重要意义。首先构建城乡结合部公众突发公共卫生事件风险感知影响因素指标体系,然后利用解释结构模型(ISM)方法对影响因素进行层次分析,并采用层次分析(AHP)法对各层次影响因素的影响力大小进行分析,确定城乡结合部公众突发公共卫生事件风险感知的关键影响因素。结果表明:城乡结合部公众突发公共卫生事件风险感知的影响因素分为直接因素、间接因素和根本因素三个层次;应急决策指挥和感染死亡情况是关键直接影响因素,医疗救援能力和应急物资保障是关键间接影响因素,文化水平、技能水平和公共设施完善度是关键根本影响因素。针对关键影响因素,提出建立和完善预警系统、普及宣传应急知识和加大对城乡结合部地区医疗机构的投入等措施,为政府应急管理提供决策支持。

旅游者风险感知对目的地信任影响研究——政府信任的中介作用

旅游者风险感知与信任密切相关,各种风险所带来的不确定性会改变社会互动并造成信任危机,而旅游者目的地信任是影响旅游者满意度与忠诚度的重要因素。以安东尼·吉登斯关于风险感知和信任的论述为理论依据建立分析框架,通过网络问卷对326名风险经历者进行调查,并以政府信任为中介变量,以风险沟通、应急处置为调节变量,重点探讨了公共卫生事件情境下旅游者风险感知对其目的地信任的作用机制与效应。结果显示:风险感知对旅游者政府信任具有显著负向影响,而风险感知对旅游者目的地信任无显著影响;政府信任对旅游者目的地信任具有显著正向影响;风险沟通在风险感知与政府信任中不存在调节作用,应急处置在风险感知与政府信任中存在调节作用。

突发公共卫生事件中公众的风险感知与情绪传播研究

在风险社会背景下,社交媒体平台在应对突发性公共卫生事件,如风险感知的变迁和问题反馈解决等方面,扮演着关键角色。本研究对微博平台“新十条”发布后两个月内所涵盖的约30万条帖子进行了数据挖掘与实证分析,深入探讨社交媒体平台上风险感知变化的规律。研究结果揭示,不同情绪对风险感知的影响存在显著差异,负面情绪“恶”的传播对风险感知的影响最为突出。

突发公共卫生事件中民众对专家系统的信任研究

风险社会充满不确定性,社会风险因素不断增加,突发公共卫生事件中民众与专家系统的信任关系存在“有限”信任取代完全依赖、盲从式跟风、信任缺失等问题。从风险传播视角出发,分析民众与专家系统信任关系存在问题的原因主要包括:专家与普通民众之间的认知落差、媒体不当报道消解专家公信力、对话机制缺失影响专家观点传播效果,并在此基础上提出落实公众参与交流机制、规范新闻媒体报道、优化专家风险话语表达等修复和调整民众对专家系统信任关系的有效策略。

2022年克拉玛依市公共场所健康危害因素监测结果分析

目的了解克拉玛依市公共场所卫生状况及存在的健康风险,为加强本地公共场所卫生管理提供依据和技术支持。方法依据《2022年国家公共场所健康危害因素监测工作方案》,对2022年克拉玛依市7类50家公共场所进行卫生管理情况调查,并采集其环境物理因素、室内空气、公共用品用具和设施健康危害因素相关样品,采用《公共场所卫生指标及限值要求》(GB 37488-2019)和《室内空气质量标准》(GB/T 18883-2002)对各指标进行评价。结果2022年50家公共场所中尚有16家(32.00%)未开展卫生监督量化分级。共采集各类样本4160项,其中3611项达标,总体达标率为86.80%。其中健身房达标率最高为89.35%,其次是宾馆酒店和美发/美容店,分别为88.98%和87.90%,游泳馆达标率最低(68.18%),7类场所达标率差异存在统计学意义(χ^(2)=51.11,P<0.001)。物理性因素中风速均达标,其次为噪声和温度,达标率分别为78.24%和44.27%,湿度达标率最低为11.07%。健身房、候车室的室内空气质量各指标均达标,各类场所空气中CO和PM10均达标。宾馆酒店室内空气中苯、甲苯和二甲苯的达标率分别为93.90%、92.68%和90.24%,菌落总数达标率为81.71%。各类场所公共用品用具和设施的金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠菌群均达标,毛巾的pH达标率为99.41%,菌落总数达标率为86.76%。结论克拉玛依市公共场所卫生状况仍有待加强,今后应重点加强游泳馆的湿度和温度、宾馆酒店空气的菌落总数和苯系物、公共用品用具菌落总数的监督监测。

突发公共卫生事件沟通困境与破解之道——博弈理论视角

风险沟通是应对突发公共卫生事件的关键环节,突发公共卫生事件显露出我国仍存在信息传递匹配度不高、沟通主体间有信息差、公众被动接受信息等沟通问题。从博弈论视角来看,网络媒体对流量变现的盲目追求使其在与主流媒体的博弈中呈现非合作性,大量不实谣言的传播对公众风险认知造成误导。同时,中央政府与地方政府在政策执行过程中存在着“委托代理博弈”,引起执行走样、虚假执行等问题,最终形成沟通困局。为打破沟通主体博弈的纳什均衡,需要祛除商业媒体的“经济人假设”,通过多次重复博弈构建合作共赢的央地关系,在政府、媒体、公众三方协商的沟通机制下,建立起官方—民间互为引导,求同存异的话语生态,发挥风险沟通对集体行动的正向调节作用。

北京市重大突发公共卫生事件特征分析及风险评估研究

为进一步加强北京市突发公共卫生事件的防控工作,基于北京市1998—2018年发生的43起重大级别及以上突发公共卫生事件的数据信息,从类型、时间和地点及人群分布3个维度分析其特征,并结合风险评估的一般流程和步骤,根据传染病、食物中毒、工业中毒、饮用水污染4类突发公共卫生事件的特点,采用文献调查方法建立4类突发公共卫生事件的风险评估体系,利用该体系对43起事件开展评估,结合评估结果提出措施。结果表明:北京市重大突发公共卫生事件在2002—2003年间发生较为频繁;顺义区、海淀区、朝阳区发生事件较多;学校及工作地等人员密集场所容易发生传染病和食物中毒等突发公共卫生事件;根据风险评估结果,极高和高风险级别事件集中于传染病和食物中毒类别。最后从构建全过程风险预警体系等3个方面提出的应对措施,为北京市加强突发公共卫生事件风险防控提供参考。