Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Public Health
THE STATUS OF NOISE POLLUTION OF SUST CAMPUS, SYLHET, BANGLADESH: A GIS-BASED NOISE MAPPING
Published: 2024-04-24
Subjects: Public Health
This study investigates the status of noise pollution at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in Sylhet, Bangladesh, employing a GIS-based approach to map and analyze noise levels across different areas of the campus. The research was motivated by the growing concern over environmental noise as a public health issue, particularly in educational settings, where it can [...]
Wildfire smoke exposure and mortality burden in the US under future climate change
Published: 2024-03-12
Subjects: Environmental Health and Protection, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Wildfire activity has increased in the US and is projected to accelerate under future climate change. However, our understanding of the impacts of climate change on wildfire smoke and health remains highly uncertain. Here we quantify the mortality burden in the US due to wildfire smoke fine particulate matter (PM2.5) under future climate change. We construct an ensemble of statistical and machine [...]
Exposure to Climate Events and Mental Health: Risk and Protective Factors from the California Health Interview Survey
Published: 2024-02-22
Subjects: Public Health
There is increasing awareness of the effects of climate change on mental health, but more work on understanding risk and protective factors is needed. The 2021 California Health Interview Survey included new questions about exposure to extreme weather events and mental health responses. This study aims to identify how individual factors and neighborhood social cohesion are associated with [...]
Natural occurrence of asbestos in serpentinite quarries from Southern Spain.
Published: 2024-01-29
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Public Health
The nevado-filábride complex (NFC) (southern Spain) is well known for its widespread mining and quarrying activities. Serpentinite and metabasite rocks are extracted, processed and traded as building and ornamental stones. Due to the possible presence of natural occurrence of asbestos (NOA) in these rocks, the aim of this paper is to conduct an in-depth characterisation of fibrous minerals. To [...]
Designing and describing climate change impact attribution studies: a guide to common approaches
Published: 2024-01-06
Subjects: Climate, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Public Health, Environmental Studies, Human Geography, Physical and Environmental Geography, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Probability, Public Health, Spatial Science, Statistical Methodology, Statistical Models, Statistics and Probability
Impact attribution is an emerging transdisciplinary sub-discipline of detection and attribution, focused on the social, economic, and ecological impacts of climate change. Here, we provide an overview of common end-to-end frameworks in impact attribution, focusing on examples relating to the human health impacts of climate change. We propose a typology of study designs based on whether [...]
Comprehensive review of the annual haze episode in Northern Thailand
Published: 2023-12-09
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Public Health
The mountainous part of northern Thailand is subject to an intense haze episode occurring almost every year between January and May. In the last couple of decades, this atmospheric phenomenon has been extensively covered in the media and is now a main concern for the population living in this area. In this review, we synthesized the information available from hundreds of publications on air [...]
Factors influencing access to safely managed sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review protocol
Published: 2023-11-02
Subjects: Public Health
Introduction Several interventions have been implemented to improve access for all to safely managed sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the beginning of the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015. However, consolidated evidence on how such interventions worked or not worked remains limited. The proposed systematic review aims to synthesis evidence on how, why and under which [...]
Bacteriological quality of household drinking water and cholera risk in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Published: 2023-08-25
Subjects: Public Health
Background The bacteriological quality of drinking water plays a critical role in preventing waterborne diseases. In Ghana, there is water scarcity and many communities depend on contaminated water sources for their domestic use. This study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of household drinking water in both cholera endemic and non-endemic areas in Greater Accra Region. Methods A [...]
What can be said about risks, vulnerabilities, and adaptation to climate change in Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS)? The case of Dominica. A qualitative study
Published: 2023-08-02
Subjects: Public Health
Introduction Caribbean Small island developing states (SIDS) are generally qualified as disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, including extreme weather events like hurricanes. While many studies already documented the impacts of climate change on health in the wealthiest countries, there is little knowledge in this field in Caribbean SIDS. Our study aims to discuss health risks and [...]
Improving drinking water consumer confidence reports: Applying user-centered design
Published: 2023-07-20
Subjects: Public Health
The US Environmental Protection Agency is revising its policy on drinking water quality reports for consumers. These reports are intended to enhance the public’s “right to know” and to spur action to protect and promote safe water. However, these reports are known to be highly technical and difficult to access compromising their communication value. This study engaged a focus group to gather [...]
The weather does not support farmers: an exploratory qualitative study in Kavre district, Nepal.
Published: 2023-06-22
Subjects: Public Health
Kavre district, Nepal, is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including increases in erratic rainfall, drought, floods, and landslides. As gender roles, culture, age, physical and physiological characteristics increase, mainly Nepalese women's and children's, health risks associated with climate change and air pollution, listening to and learning from women is critical. This study [...]
Using Detrending to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Loads as a Leading Indicator of Fluctuations in COVID-19 Cases at Fine Temporal Scales: Correlations Across Twenty Sewersheds in North Carolina
Published: 2023-06-03
Subjects: Public Health
Wastewater surveillance emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as a novel strategy for tracking the burden of illness in communities. Previous work has shown that trends in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 viral loads correlate well with reported COVID-19 case trends over longer time periods (i.e., months). We used detrending time series to reveal shorter sub-trend patterns (i.e., weeks) to identify leads or [...]
Climate change, concern, and children: A systematic review exploring the intersection of climate change, mental health, and reproductive decision-making
Published: 2023-05-27
Subjects: Public Health
The impact of climate change on reproductive decision-making is becoming a significant issue, with anecdotal evidence indicating a growing number of people factoring their concerns about climate change into their childbearing plans. Although empirical research has explored climate change and its relationship to mental health, as well as the motivations behind reproductive decision-making [...]
The Invisibility of Health Effects Associated with Water Pollution within Disease Burden Estimates: Analysis from a Colombian Andean Watershed
Published: 2023-04-14
Subjects: Public Health
Modernization goes along with a significant increase in pollution-related health risks linked to the ever growing economic and technological development. In addition to water-related communicable diseases, there are emerging concerns regarding the burden of disease attributable to the complexity of chemical pollution loads released into the environment. Studies demonstrating an association [...]
Understanding and Assessing Demographic (In)Equity Resulting from Extreme Heat Exposure due to Lack of Tree Canopies in Norfolk, VA using Agent-Based Modeling
Published: 2023-03-31
Subjects: Biodiversity, Environmental Public Health, Environmental Studies, Human Geography, Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Statistics and Probability
Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can result in illness and death. In urban areas of dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat, extreme heat conditions can arise regularly and create harmful environmental exposures for residents daily during certain parts of the year. Tree canopies provide shade and help to cool the environment, making mature [...]