Adverse health effects of outdoor air pollutants

Much research on the health effects of outdoor air pollution has been published in the last decade. The goal of this review is to concisely summarize a wide range of the recent research on health effects of many types of outdoor air pollution. A review of the health effects of major outdoor air pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, acid gases, metals, volatile organics, solvents, pesticides, radiation and bioaerosols is presented. Numerous studies have linked atmospheric pollutants to many types of health problems of many body systems including the respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, hematological, neurological and reproductive/ developmental systems. Some studies have found increases in respiratory and cardiovascular problems at outdoor pollutant levels well below standards set by such agencies as the US EPA and WHO. Air pollution is associated with large increases in medical expenses, morbidity and is estimated to cause about 800,000 annual premature deaths worldwide [Cohen, A.J., Ross Alexander, H., Ostro, B., Pandey, K.D., Kryzanowski, M., Kunzail, N., et al., 2005. The global burden of disease due to outdoor air pollution. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 68: 1-7.]. Further research on the health effects of air pollution and air pollutant abatement methods should be very helpful to physicians, public health officials, industrialists, politicians and the general public.     

Organochlorine pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents in the blood of chemically sensitive patients [corrected]. A statistical comparison with therapeutic medication and natural hormones

The blood levels of organochlorine pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents were measured in 200 and 114 chemically sensitive patients respectively, and compared with blood concentrations of standard medication (non- chlorinated substances. Clonidine, Haloperidol) of comparable toxicity after therapeutically effective dosage, and with reference levels of highly potent chemicals in the blood such as hormones. It was shown that the average blood levels of the most toxic environmental pollutants are comparable with the therapeutic steady state average blood levels of medications which have similar toxicities in the animal model. In addition the toxicity levels of xenoestrogens are at least an order of magnitude higher than normal plasma estrogen or progesterone levels. These findings suggest the possibility of additive or synergistic effects of these chlorinated compounds and the aforementioned medications. Also, these findings suggest the possibility of hormone deregulation from exposure to the aforementioned toxic chlorinated compounds.