The COVID-19 Pandemic: New Knowledge on the Impact of Air Quality on the Spread of Coronavirus Infection in Cities.

Suspended substances in the air form clusters with coronavirus particles and spread up to 10 m from the source of infection. The importance of taking air pollution into account when simulating the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is due to the similarity in the health impacts made by the coronavirus and the respirable fraction of suspended solids. In Europe, up to 6.6% of deaths and in China up to 11% of deaths from COVID-19 are due to ambient air pollution. In epidemiological models, this factor must be considered along with other reasons for the development of coronavirus infection. In Russian cities, increased air pollution can be one of the risk factors for the development of an epidemic.

Impact of air temperature variation on the ixodid ticks habitat and tick-borne encephalitis incidence in the Russian Arctic: the case of the Komi Republic.

BACKGROUND: The causes of the recent rise of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence in Europe are discussed. Our objective was to estimate the impact of air temperature change on TBE incidence in the European part of the Russian Arctic. METHODS: We analysed the TBE incidence in the Komi Republic (RK) over a 42-year period in relation to changes in local annual average air temperature, air temperature during the season of tick activity, tick abundance, TBE-prevalence in ticks, tick-bite incidence rate, and normalised difference vegetation index within the area under study. RESULTS: In 1998-2011 in RK a substantial growth of TBE virus (TBEV) prevalence both in questing and feeding ticks was observed. In 1992-2011 there was 23-fold growth of the tick-bite incidence rate in humans, a northward shift of the reported tick bites, and the season of tick bites increased from 4 to 6 months. In 1998-2011 there was more than 6-fold growth of average annual TBE incidence compared with 1970-1983 and 1984-1997 periods. This resulted both from the northward shift of TBE, and its growth in the south. In our view it was related to local climate change as both the average annual air temperature, and the air temperature during the tick activity season grew substantially. We revealed in RK a strong correlation between the change in the air temperature and that in TBE incidence. The satellite data showed NDVI growth within RK, i.e. alteration of the local ecosystem under the influence of climate change. CONCLUSIONS: The rise in TBE incidence in RK is related considerably to the expansion of the range of Ixodes persulcatus. The territory with reported TBE cases also expanded northward. Climate change is an important driver of TBE incidence rate growth.

[Hazard assessment of the impact of high temperature and air pollution on public health in Moscow].

In the article there are considered the main problems of assessing public health risks of the combined effects of high temperatures and air pollution with the account taken of the consequences of abnormally hot weather observed in summer 2010 in Moscow and without equals in the history of meteorological measurements in the city. The daily average concentrations of fine suspended particles matter (PM10) in the city during peatland fires from 4 to 9 August are emphasized to be within the range of 431-906 µ/m3, being 7.2-15.1 times the Russian maximum permissible concentration (MPCs) (60 µ/m3). The anomalous heat and high levels of air pollution in this period were shown to cause a significant increase in excess mortality among the population of Moscow. There was established the relative gain in mortality from all natural causes per 10 µg/m3 increase in daily average concentrations of PM10 and ozone, which was respectively: 0.47% (95%; CI: 0.31-0.63) and 0.41% (95%; CI: 0.31-1.13). On the base of the statistical analysis of daily mortality rates, meteorological indices, the concentrations of PM10 and ozone there was developed marking scale for the risk assessment of these indices accordingly to 4 gradings--low (permissible), warning, alert, and a hazard level. There has been substantiated the importance of the introduction of the system for the early alert for hazard weather events and the unified rating scale for the hazard of high air temperatures and high levels of air pollution with PM10 and ozone, which allows to take timely measures for the protection of the public health.

[Lead and children's health: results of some Russian studies in 2000-2009].

Environmental pollution by lead and its effects on human health continue to remain one of the most urgent problems of environmental hygiene. The paper gives the results of basic environmental and epidemiological studies conducted in different regions of the country, which prove elevated lead levels in the blood of examined children. The role of the influence of household factors on the elevation of blood lead levels in a child is shown, by using a town that has no large sources of lead emission as an example. Evidence is provided that a program should be elaborated to reduce a risk for human lead poisoning, which involves the introduction of methods for the biomonitoring and treatment of children having elevated blood lead levels.

[Influence of some weather factors and the geomagnetic activity on the development of severe cardiological pathologies].

The influence of weather factors (atmospheric pressure and temperature) and the geomagnetic activity on the development of severe cardiological pathologies has been studied using the daily data from two Moscow clinics, accumulated over a period of 12 and 7 years. It was shown that the most biotropic factors are variations of atmospheric temperature. The relative contribution of the geomagnetic activity to the development of diseases is only 20%; however, its action is combined with the effect of ordinary weather because both these factors affect the vascular tonus of humans.

[The need for human health protection from climate changes].

The occurring climate changes have a considerable impact on human health. The higher frequency of different natural disasters, including flood and typhoons, deteriorates the epidemiological situation. Evidence is provided for the importance of climate warming as a risk factor for a number of communicable diseases, including West Nile fever in the Astrakhan and Volgograd Regions. The paper presents the results of analytical epidemiological surveys, by using the time-series analysis, in Tver and Moscow, which indicate an increase in the number of fatal outcomes particularly among the elderly during temperature heat and cold waves. The specific features of the impact of climate warming on human health in the northern and southern regions of the country are considered. The need for developing the National Plan of Actions to prevent the population's health from climate changes is warranted.

[Environmental contamination with permanent organic pollutants and human health].

The hottest points of contamination of the environment with permanent organic pollutants, including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) have been identified in Russia. These are located in different regions of the country where DDT, PCB, and other chlorine-containing compounds have been earlier manufactured. Despite discontinuance of their production, the environment and foodstuffs show the high levels of these substances. The world's highest content of dioxins in breast milk and blood is noted in the dwellers of Chapayevsk and Ufa. In these towns, there are changes in the population's health, which are typical of the action of permanent organic pollutants.

[Climate conditions and ambient air quality as risk factors for mortality in Moscow].

Analysis of time rows (daily values of mortality, temperature and pollution of ambient air) proved that present climate warming in Moscow, more subnormally hot and cold days influences level of mortality with all causes except external - with cardiovascular diseases (IHD, angina pectoris, cerebrovascular diseases including cerebrovascular accidents), chronic diseases of lower respiratory tract including bronchial asthma - especially in older age group. Heat waves are associated with significantly increased mortality. Zone of temperature comfort for Moscow, associated with minimal mortality values, is within -20 to +20 C interval.

Excess mortality during heat waves and cold spells in Moscow, Russia.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate excess mortality during heat waves and cold spells, and to identify vulnerable population groups by age and cause of death. METHODS: Daily mortality in Moscow, Russia from all non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory causes between January 2000 and February 2006 was analysed. Mortality and displaced mortality during cold spells and heat waves were estimated using independent samples t tests. RESULTS: Cumulative excess non-accidental mortality during the 2001 heat wave was 33% (95% CI 20% to 46%), or approximately 1200 additional deaths, with short-term displaced mortality contributing about 10% of these. Mortality from coronary heart disease increased by 32% (95% CI 16% to 48%), cerebrovascular mortality by 51% (95% CI 29% to 73%) and respiratory mortality by 80% (95% CI 57% to 101%). In the 75+ age group, corresponding mortality increments were consistently higher except respiratory deaths. An estimated 560 extra deaths were observed during the three heat waves of 2002, when non-accidental mortality increased by 8.5%, 7.8% and 6.1%, respectively. About 40% of these deaths were brought forward by only a few days, bringing net mortality change down to 3.2% (95% CI 0.8% to 5.5%). The cumulative effects of the two cold spells in 2006 on mortality were significant only in the 75+ age group, for which average daily mortality from all non-accidental causes increased by 9.9% (95% CI 8.0% to 12%) and 8.9% (95% CI 6.7% to 11%), resulting in 370 extra deaths; there were also significant increases in coronary disease mortality and cerebrovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that daily mortality in Moscow increases during heat waves and cold spells. A considerable proportion of excess deaths during heat waves occur a short time earlier than they would otherwise have done. Harvesting, or short-term mortality displacement, may be less significant for longer periods of sustained heat stress.

[Climate changes and health of population in Russia in XXI century].

Warming seen in Russia is a real danger to health of population. The authors consider influence of warming on prevalence of some infectious and parasitic diseases. At present, the most reliable proof are obtained for West Nile fever and Crimean fever. To obtain reliable data on other infectious diseases we need prolonged followup in inpatient departments. Abnormally high temperatures in cities result in higher mortality rate withcardiovascular diseases including myocardial infarction, increased drowning and suicides numbers.

[Breast cancer in Chapayevsk]. / Rak molochnoi zhelezy v Chapaevske.

Numerous epidemiological surveys show the ambiguity of evaluation of stable organic chlorine compounds as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC). This is likely to be, to a certain degree, associated with the specific features of performance of epidemiological surveys. The selection of cases of BC from different areas has provided groups with different levels of exposure that as judged from the content of the above substances in the biological environments. Only few epidemiological surveys have been made in the world to assess stable organic pollutants (SOP) as risk factors of BC mainly in occupational groups. In the local areas highly polluted with dioxins, there is evidence for their role as a risk factor of BS only for women living in Sevezo. These findings are in agreement with the results of the surveys made in Chapayevsk. The analytical epidemiological study using a case-control approach has revealed the significance of biological (BC in relatives, childlessness), occupational (women's work at CVZH) and environmental (pollution, the more frequent ingestion of local pork and fish than in the control group) risk factors of BC. In the 1950-1960s, the largest Russian enterprises of chlorine chemistry worked most actively not only in Chapayevsk, but also in towns with plants of chlorine industry, such as Dzerzhinsk, Novomoskovsk, Sayansk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, and others. Ecological and epidemiological studies should be organized in these towns in order to define the value of SOP as a risk factor of BC for general populational groups.

[Evaluation of the effect of climatic warming on population health is a new task of preventive medicine].

Climatic warming in Russia presents a real hazard to population health. The authors consider effects of warming on prevalence of a range of infectious and parasitic diseases and stress that nowadays the most sufficient evedence has been obtained for West Nil fever and Crimea fever. Long-term dynamic stationary observations are necessary to obtain sufficient data on other infectious diseses. In cities abnormally high temperatures cause elevation of cardiovascular mortality, including myocardial infarction mortality, as well as growth of drowning and suicide rate.

Environmental health collaboration: United States and Russia.

Developed nations share similar challenges to human health from commercial and agricultural chemicals that are released into the environment. Although Russia and the United States are historically distinct and unique, both countries are geographically large and economically dependent on emission-producing surface transportation. This paper describes U.S.-Russian collaborative activities that grew from a 1995 conference in Moscow that brought together environmental health investigators from both countries to discuss common concerns about the human health impact of environmental pollutants. Lead, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and mercury were identified as contaminants of greatest concern. Collaborative studies were initiated that included collecting blood and hair samples and splitting samples for analyses in both countries, and introducing and sharing new portable blood and environmental sample analyses instruments. The findings demonstrated that hair analysis was not a good predictor of BLL and that Russian children in the first city sampled had a mean BLL of 7.7 microg/dl. Although higher than the U.S. mean, this level was below the 10.0 microg/dl CDC level of concern. This manuscript summarizes additional study results and describes their impacts on Russian policy. On-going collaborative environmental investigations are described.

[Chemical substances in the Russian urban environment: hazard to human health and prospects for its prevention]. / Khimicheskie veshchestva v okruzhaiushchei srede gorodov Rossii: opasnost' dlia zdorov'ia naseleniia i perspektivy profilaktiki.

The paper deals with the situation associated with some substances, as described by the UNEP/Chemicals as priority persistent toxic, in the Russian Federation. Among them, lead was shown to head the list of them and its blood levels may be greater than the recommended allowable level of 10 micrograms/dl in almost 2 million children in different regions of the country. Exposure to mercury and cadmium is of local character, but some regions (the Irkutsk Region, Bashkiria, Vladikavkaz, V. Pyshma) showed specific changes in human health. Among persistent organic pollutants (POPs) there are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) extensively used in the transformers, which present the greatest hazard. These substances were found to be of significance as a risk factor (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 0.9-1.3) for female infertility in the town of Serpukhov where PCB-containing capacitors were manufactured. Reproductive and endocrine disorders (higher incidence of abortions, infertility, late gestoses, cryptorchidism, retarded male sexual development, etc.) are common in the residents of Chapaevsk (Samara Region), one of the world's most dioxin-contaminated towns. In the female residents of this town, the highest global concentrations of dioxins were recorded in the breast milk and blood (43.3 and 24-75 pg TEQ/g fat, respectively). The ambient air in the most industrial towns of Russia was demonstrated to contain increased benz(a)pyrene, but there is very little analytical environmental and epidemiological evidence for the carcinogenic effect of these substances by taking into account of the factor of smoking. The population of many cities and towns in Russia is at risk for consumption of drinking water containing excess water disinfection products. Special preventive programs to reduce the adverse effects of the above persistent toxic agents should be elaborated and introduced.

[Effects of dioxins in the development of malignant tumors and disorders of reproductive health of the population]. / O vliianii dioksinov na vozniknovenie zlokachestvennykh novoobrazovanii i narushenii reproduktivnogo zdorov'ia naseleniia.

The mortality caused by malignant tumors in the town of Chapaevsk, characterized by increased level of dioxins in the environment, is statistically higher than the expected values. For men the relative risk of general morbidity is 1.9 and mortality, 1.8; for lung cancer: morbidity, 3.3 and mortality 3.1; for urogenital cancer: morbidity, 3.6 and mortality, 2.6; for gastric cancer: morbidity 1.9 and mortality, 1.7. In women the morbidity and mortality due to breast cancer (relative risks 1.9 and 2.1, respectively) and cancer of the cervix uteri (relative risks 2.1 and 1.8, respectively) are increased. Changes in the reproductive health of residents of this town are as follows: high incidence of spontaneous abortions, appearance of small-for-date babies, and genital disorders in body (cryptorchidism, phimosis, hypospadia, delayed sexual development).

[Assessing the risk of lead environmental pollution for children's health status in Russia]. / Otsenka riska zagriazneniia okruzhaiushchei sredy dlia zdorov'ia detei v Rossii.

The calculations prove that average serum lead level in children residents of cities with low environmental lead content approximates 10 mg/dl. This value in cities with high environmental lead content could be nearly 2 times higher and equals 18.9 mg/dl. The main lead sources influencing serum lead levels in children are mainly foods, the soils with dust, polluted air and drinkable waters play minor roles. The estimates show that nearly 400,000 children require medical examination and repeated measurements of serum lead levels, 10,000 children may need specific therapy.