The incidence of upper respiratory infections in children is related to the concentration of vanadium in indoor dust aggregates.

Background: It has been reported that the disease-initiated and disease-mediated effects of aerosol pollutants can be related to concentration, site of deposition, duration of exposure, as well as the specific chemical composition of pollutants. Objectives: To investigate the microelemental composition of dust aggregates in primary schools of Vilnius and determine trace elements related to acute upper respiratory infections among 6-to 11-year-old children. Methods: Microelemental analysis of aerosol pollution was performed using dust samples collected in the classrooms of 11 primary schools in Vilnius from 2016 to 2020. Sites included areas of its natural accumulation behind the radiator heaters and from the surface of high cupboards. The concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, W, Sb, Sn, Zr, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, and As) in dust samples were analyzed using a SPECTRO XEPOS spectrometer. The annual incidence rates of respiratory diseases in children of each school were calculated based on data from medical records. Results: The mean annual incidence of physician-diagnosed acute upper respiratory infections (J00-J06 according to ICD-10A) among younger school-age children was between 25.1 and 71.3% per school. A significant correlation was found between vanadium concentration and the number of episodes of acute upper respiratory infections during each study year from 2016 to 2020. The lowest was r = 0.67 (p = 0.024), and the highest was r = 0.82 (p = 0.002). The concentration of vanadium in the samples of dust aggregates varied from 12.7 to 52.1 parts per million (ppm). No significant correlations between the other trace elements and the incidence of upper respiratory infections were found, which could be caused by a small number of study schools and relatively low concentrations of other heavy metals found in the samples of indoor dust aggregates. Conclusion: A significant and replicable correlation was found between the concentration of vanadium in the samples of natural dust aggregates collected in primary schools and the incidence of acute upper respiratory infections in children. Monitoring the concentration of heavy metals in the indoor environment can be an important instrument for the prevention and control of respiratory morbidity in children.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Dust in Vilnius Schools: Source Identification, Pollution Levels, and Potential Health Risks for Children.

The main objective of this study is to thoroughly evaluate the diversity and sources of heavy metals in the school environment. Specifically, this study examines the presence of heavy metals in the dust found and collected from 24 schools in Vilnius. Employing hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and positive matrix factorization, we identified combustion-related activities as primary contributors to elevated metal concentrations, notably zinc, scandium, and copper, with PM2.5/PM10 ratios indicating a combustion source. They reveal significant differences in the levels of elements such as arsenic (4.55-69.96 mg/kg), copper (51.28-395.37 mg/kg), zinc, and lead, which are affected by both local environmental factors and human activities. Elevated pollution levels were found in certain school environments, indicating environmental degradation. Pollution assessment and specific element pairings' strong positive correlations suggested shared origins or deposition processes. While this study primarily assesses non-carcinogenic risks to children based on a health risk assessment model, it acknowledges the well-documented carcinogenic potential of substances such as lead and arsenic. The research emphasizes the immediate necessity for efficient pollution management in educational environments, as indicated by the elevated hazard index for substances such as lead and arsenic, which present non-carcinogenic risks to children. This research offers important insights into the composition and origins of dust pollution in schools. It also promotes the need for broader geographic sampling and prolonged data collection to improve our understanding of pollution sources, alongside advocating for actionable strategies such as environmental management and policy reforms to effectively reduce exposure risks in educational settings. Furthermore, it aims to develop specific strategies to safeguard the health of students in Vilnius and similar urban areas.

Airborne pollen and fungi indoors: Evidence from primary schools in Lithuania.

The number of children suffering from respiratory allergies and asthma has been increasing worldwide and, hence, it is crucial to understand the burden of inhalant biological particles present in school facilities, where children spend one third of their life. From the perspective of indoor air quality, while there are numerous studies on outdoor bioaerosol exposure, there are still uncertainties regarding the diversity and deposition of airborne pollen and fungi indoors. When it comes to schools, there is limited research as to the potential bioaerosol exposure. Here we studied the indoor environment of public schools aiming to reveal whether primary schools of different sizes and at localities of different levels of urbanization may exhibit a variability in the biodiversity and abundance of particles of biological origin, which could pose a risk to child health. To achieve this, 11 schools were selected, located in a variety of environments, from downtown, to city centre-periphery, and to the suburbs. Fungal and pollen samples were collected from various surfaces in school classrooms and corridors, using passive air sampling and swab sampling. We demonstrated that fungi and pollen are detected in school premises during and after the vegetation season. The highest diversity of bioaerosols was found on the top of cabinets and windowsills, with Penicillium, Cladosporium and Acremonium being the most abundant indoors. The levels of fungi were higher in schools with more students. The diversity and amount of pollen in the spring were significantly higher than in samples collected in autumn. Our findings complemented existing evidence that bioaerosol measurements in schools (including kindergartens or informal education facilities) are vital. Hence, we here suggest that, in addition to monitoring air quality and bacterial levels indoors, fungi and pollen measurements have to be integrated in the existing regular biomonitoring campaigns so as to prevent exposure, increase awareness and manage efficiently allergic symptomatology.

Indoor air pollution effects on pediatric asthma are submicron aerosol particle-dependent.

The school environment is crucial for the child's health and well-being. On the other hand, the data about the role of school's aerosol pollution on the etiology of chronic non-communicable diseases remain scarce. This study aims to evaluate the level of indoor aerosol pollution in primary schools and its relation to the incidence of doctor's diagnosed asthma among younger school-age children. The cross-sectional study was carried out in 11 primary schools of Vilnius during 1 year of education from autumn 2017 to spring 2018. Particle number (PNC) and mass (PMC) concentrations in the size range of 0.3-10 µm were measured using an Optical Particle Sizer (OPS, TSI model 3330). The annual incidence of doctor's diagnosed asthma in each school was calculated retrospectively from the data of medical records. The total number of 6-11 years old children who participated in the study was 3638. The incidence of asthma per school ranged from 1.8 to 6.0%. Mean indoor air pollution based on measurements in classrooms during the lessons was calculated for each school. Levels of PNC and PMC in schools ranged between 33.0 and 168.0 particles/cm3 and 1.7-6.8 µg/m3, respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between the incidence of asthma and PNC as well as asthma and PMC in the particle size range of 0.3-1 µm (r = 0.66, p = 0.028) and (r = 0.71, p = 0.017) respectively. No significant correlation was found between asthma incidence and indoor air pollution in the particle size range of 0.3-2.5 and 0.3-10 µm.   Conclusion: We concluded that the number and mass concentrations of indoor air aerosol pollution in primary schools in the particle size range of 0.3-1 µm are primarily associated with the incidence of doctor's diagnosed asthma among younger school-age children. What is Known: • Both indoor and outdoor aerosol pollution is associated with bronchial asthma in children. What is New: • The incidence of bronchial asthma among younger school age children is related to indoor air quality in primary schools. • Aerosol pollutants in the size range of 0.3-1 µm in contrast to larger size range particles can play major role in the etiology of bronchial asthma in children.

The Impact of Intensive Fish Farming on Pond Sediment Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Composition.

Aquaculture is a fast-growing animal food sector, and freshwater fish farming is particularly common in Central and Eastern Europe. As the biodiversity of fishery ponds is changed toward fulfilling the industrial needs, precautions should be taken to keep the system sustainable and protect the adjacent environment from possible damage. Due to risk of infectious diseases, antibiotics are used in aquaculture production systems. The constant exposure to antimicrobials can contribute to the rise of antibiotic resistance in aquaculture products and the adjacent ecosystems, with possibility of dissemination to the wider environment as well as between animals and humans. Even though previous studies have found antibiotic resistance genes in the sediments and water of farming ponds, the tendency and direction of spreading is not clear yet. The objective of this project was to evaluate the influence of intensive fish farming on the condition of water bodies used for the aquaculture and the environment, concentrating on the impact of the aquaculture on the surrounding water ecosystems as well as the possibility of transferring the pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes to both environment and the human hosts. Combined measurement of antibiotic and heavy metal contamination, toxicity assessment, microorganism diversity, and the detection of common antibiotic resistance genes was performed in the sediments of one fishery farm ponds as well as sampling points upstream and downstream. All the tested sediment samples did not show significantly elevated heavy metal concentrations and no substantial veterinary antibiotic pollution. From the antibiotic resistance genes tested, the presence of aminoglycoside and ß-lactam resistance determinants as well as the presence of integrons could be of concern for the possibility of transfer to humans. However, despite the lack of heavy metal and antibiotic pollution, the sediments showed toxicity, the cause of which should be explored more.

Lunar Phases and Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions: Application of the Lunar Disk Percentage Method.

We investigated the relationship between lunar illumination based on the percentage of the visible lunar disk (LDP) and the frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in Lithuania. We analyzed WVC frequency during ten 10% LDP intervals to more precisely reflect the relationship between LDP and WVC. The 10% LDP interval approach showed a significant trend of increasing WVC frequencies with an increasing LDP at night. We also examined the correlation between the daily numbers of WVCs and LDP for different months and seasons. The relationship seemed to be stronger at night and during the late autumn-winter months, particularly in December, suggesting the importance of lunar illumination on WVCs. There was a weak positive correlation between LDP and overall daily number of WVCs (rs = 0.091; p < 0.001) and between LDP and night WVCs (rs = 0.104; p < 0.001). We found significant positive correlations for winter (December-February) (rs = 0.118; p = 0.012) and autumn (August-November) (rs = 0.127; p = 0.007). Our study suggests that the LDP interval approach may provide more possibilities for the evaluation and quantification of WVCs and lunar light relationships than the traditional lunar phase approach.