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Abstract Rationale Episode analyses of heat waves have documented a comparatively higher impact on mortality than on morbidity (hospital admissions) in European cities. The evidence from daily time series studies is scarce and inconsistent. Objectives To evaluate the impact of high environmental temperatures on hospital admissions during April to September in 12 European cities participating in the Assessment and Prevention of Acute Health Effects of Weather Conditions in Europe (PHEWE) project. Methods For each city, time series analysis was used to model the relationship between maximum apparent temperature (lag 0–3 days) and daily hospital admissions for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory causes by age (all ages, 65–74 age group, and 75+ age group), and the city-specific estimates were pooled for two geographical groupings of cities. Measurements and Main Results For respiratory admissions, there was a positive association that was heterogeneous between cities. For a 1°C increase in maximum apparent temperature above a threshold, respiratory admissions increased by +4.5% (95% confidence interval, 1.9–7.3) and +3.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.8–5.5) in the 75+ age group in Mediterranean and North-Continental cities, respectively. In contrast, the association between temperature and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular admissions tended to be negative and did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions High temperatures have a specific impact on respiratory admissions, particularly in the elderly population, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Why high temperature increases cardiovascular mortality but not cardiovascular admissions is also unclear. The impact of extreme heat events on respiratory admissions is expected to increase in European cities as a result of global warming and progressive population aging.

Air pollution exposure studies in the past decade have focused on acute (days) or long-term (years) effects. We present an analysis of medium-term (weeks to months) exposure effects of particulate pollution and temperature. We assessed the associations of particulate pollution (black smoke) and temperature with age-standardized daily mortality rates over 17 years in Dublin, Ireland, using a polynomial distributed lag model of both temperature and particulate air pollution simultaneously through 40 days after exposure. When only acute effects (3-day mean) were considered, we found total mortality increased by 0.4% for each 10-μ g/ m3increase in black smoke concentration. When deaths in the 40 days after exposure were considered, we found a 1.1% increase. For respiratory mortality, the estimated effect was 0.9% for acute exposures, but 3.6% for the extended follow-up. We found each increase in current-day temperature by 1°C was associated with a 0.4% increase in total mortality, whereas each decrease of 1°C was associated with a 2.6% increase in mortality in the following 40 days. For both temperature and pollution, the largest effects on cardiovascular mortality were observed immediately, whereas respiratory mortality was delayed and distributed over several weeks. These effects were two to three times greater than the acute effects reported in other studies, and approach the effects reported in longer-term survival studies. This analysis suggests that studies on the acute effects of air pollution have underestimated the total effects of temperature and particulate air pollution on mortality.

Heatwaves are a critical public health problem. There will be an increase in the frequency and severity of heatwaves under changing climate. However, evidence about the impacts of climate change on heatwave-related mortality at a global scale is limited. We collected historical daily time series of mean temperature and mortality for all causes or nonexternal causes, in periods ranging from January 1, 1984, to December 31, 2015, in 412 communities within 20 countries/regions. We estimated heatwave-mortality associations through a two-stage time series design. Current and future daily mean temperature series were projected under four scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions from 1971-2099, with five general circulation models. We projected excess mortality in relation to heatwaves in the future under each scenario of greenhouse gas emissions, with two assumptions for adaptation (no adaptation and hypothetical adaptation) and three scenarios of population change (high variant, median variant, and low variant). Results show that, if there is no adaptation, heatwave-related excess mortality is expected to increase the most in tropical and subtropical countries/regions (close to the equator), while European countries and the United States will have smaller percent increases in heatwave-related excess mortality. The higher the population variant and the greenhouse gas emissions, the higher the increase of heatwave-related excess mortality in the future. The changes in 2031-2080 compared with 1971-2020 range from approximately 2,000% in Colombia to 150% in Moldova under the highest emission scenario and high-variant population scenario, without any adaptation. If we considered hypothetical adaptation to future climate, under high-variant population scenario and all scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions, the heatwave-related excess mortality is expected to still increase across all the countries/regions except Moldova and Japan. However, the increase would be much smaller than the no adaptation scenario. The simple assumptions with respect to adaptation as follows: no adaptation and hypothetical adaptation results in some uncertainties of projections. This study provides a comprehensive characterisation of future heatwave-related excess mortality across various regions and under alternative scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions, different assumptions of adaptation, and different scenarios of population change. The projections can help decision makers in planning adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change.

The Paris Agreement binds all nations to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change, with the commitment to “hold warming well below 2 °C in global mean temperature (GMT), relative to pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C”. The 1.5 °C limit constitutes an ambitious goal for which greater evidence on its benefits for health would help guide policy and potentially increase the motivation for action. Here we contribute to this gap with an assessment on the potential health benefits, in terms of reductions in temperature-related mortality, derived from the compliance to the agreed temperature targets, compared to more extreme warming scenarios. We performed a multi-region analysis in 451 locations in 23 countries with different climate zones, and evaluated changes in heat and cold-related mortality under scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement targets (1.5 and 2 °C) and more extreme GMT increases (3 and 4 °C), and under the assumption of no changes in demographic distribution and vulnerability. Our results suggest that limiting warming below 2 °C could prevent large increases in temperature-related mortality in most regions worldwide. The comparison between 1.5 and 2 °C is more complex and characterized by higher uncertainty, with geographical differences that indicate potential benefits limited to areas located in warmer climates, where direct climate change impacts will be more discernible.

Introduction Numerous epidemiological studies have found a link between air pollution and health. We are reviewing a collection of published intervention studies with particular focus on studies assessing both improvements in air quality and associated health effects. Methods Interventions, defined as events aimed at reducing air pollution or where reductions occurred as a side effect, e.g. strikes, German reunification, from the 1960s onwards were considered for inclusion. This review is not a complete record of all existing air pollution interventions. In total, 28 studies published in English were selected based on a systematic search of internet databases. Results Overall air pollution interventions have succeeded at improving air quality. Consistently published evidence suggests that most of these interventions have been associated with health benefits, mainly by the way of reduced cardiovascular and/or respiratory mortality and/or morbidity. The decrease in mortality from the majority of the reviewed interventions has been estimated to exceed the expected predicted figures based on the estimates from time-series studies. Conclusion There is consistent evidence that decreased air pollution levels following an intervention resulted in health benefits for the assessed population.

Two patients in whom the bispectral index (BIS) decreased to zero following cardiac arrest during cardiothoracic surgery are described. The BIS value decreased to zero after cardiac arrest, and the value remained low for the remainder of the anesthetic despite successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Both patients were found to have severe brain injuries in the postoperative period.

Introduction In the past few years, comprehensive smoke-free laws that prohibit smoking in all workplaces have been introduced in many jurisdictions in the US, Canada, and Europe. In this paper, we review published studies to ascertain if there is any evidence of health benefits resulting from the implementation of these laws. Methods All papers relating to smoke-free legislation published in or after 2004 were considered for inclusion in this review. We used Pubmed, Google scholar, and Web of Science as the main search tools. The primary focus of the paper is on health outcomes, and thus many papers that only report exposure data are not included. Results Studies using subjective measures of respiratory health based on questionnaire data alone consistently reported that workers experience fewer respiratory and irritant symptoms following the introduction of smoke-free laws. Some studies also found measured improvements in the lung function of workers. However, the most dramatic health outcome associated with smoke-free laws has been the reduction in myocardial infarction in the general population. This outcome has been observed in the US, Canada, and Europe, with studies reporting reductions of between 6 and 40%, post-legislation, the larger reductions being mostly from studies with smaller population groups. The evidence as to whether these smoke-free laws have helped smokers to stop smoking or to reduce tobacco consumption is less clear. Conclusions There is now significant body of published literature that demonstrates that smoke-free laws can lead to improvements in the health of both workers who are occupationally exposed and of the general population. There is no longer any reason why non-smokers should be exposed to SHS in any workplace. We recommend that all countries adopt national smoke-free laws that are in line with article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that sets out recommendations for the development, implementation, and enforcement of national, comprehensive smoke-free laws.

Childhood asthma is a recurring health burden and symptoms of severe asthma in children are also emerging as a health and economic issue. This study examined changing patterns in symptoms of severe asthma and allergies (ever eczema and hay fever), using the Irish International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol. ISAAC is a cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire survey of randomly selected representative post-primary schools. Children aged 13–14 years were studied: 2,670 (in 1995), 2,273 (in 1998), 2,892 (in 2002–2003), and 2,805 (in 2007). Generalized linear modelling using Poisson distribution was employed to compute adjusted prevalence ratios (PR). A 39% significant increase in symptoms of severe asthma was estimated in 2007 relative to the baseline year 1995 (adjusted PR: 1.39 [95% CI: 1.14–1.69]) increasing from 12% in 1995 to 15.3% in 2007. Opposite trends were observed for allergies, showing a decline in 2007, with an initial rise. The potential explanations for such a complex disease pattern whose aetiological hypothesis is still evolving are speculative. Changing environmental factors may be a factor, for instance, an improvement in both outdoor and indoor air quality further reinforcing the hygiene hypothesis but obesity as a disease modifier must also be considered.

During the 1980s Ireland experienced severe pollution episodes, principally because of domestic coal burning. In 1990, the Irish government introduced a ban on the marketing, sale, and distribution of coal in Dublin. They extended the ban to Cork in 1995 and to ten other communities in 1998 and 2000. We previously reported declines in particulate (black smoke [BS]) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) concentrations in Dublin following the 1990 coal ban. We now explore and compare the effectiveness of these sequential bans in 1990, 1995, 1998, and 2000. Daily BS and total gaseous acidity (SO 2 ) measurements were compiled between 1980 and 2004. We calculated descriptive statistics for the pre-ban (5 yr before ban) and post-ban (5 yr after ban) periods for BS and SO 2 concentrations and for season-specific periods. Mean BS levels fell in all centers post-ban compared with the pre-ban period, with decreases ranging from 4 to 35 μg∙m -3 (-45 to -70%). These reductions were smallest in the summer and largest in the winter. These BS reductions were sustained in all centers until the end of the study period. We observed no clear pattern in SO 2 changes associated with the coal bans. The 1990, 1995, 1998, and 2000 Irish coal sale bans resulted in immediate and sustained decreases in particulate levels in centers, with the largest declines in the winter. In contrast, we did not observe consistent declines in total acidity as a measure of SO 2 . It may be that coal was not the major source of SO 2 . Simple legislation was very effective at improving ambient air quality in Irish cities with varying populations, geography/topography, and meteorological conditions.

Second-hand smoke (SHS) is a major avoidable cause of developmental and respiratory disease and premature death among children worldwide. SHS is a 'Class A' carcinogen, and there is no safe level of SHS exposure. Almost 700 million children worldwide are exposed daily to SHS at home. This article reviews and summarizes evidence based on available studies that report on 'voluntary' home smoking restrictions and their effects on SHS exposure levels in children aged 0-17 years. All potentially relevant publications within a 10-year period (January 2000-April 2010) were identified (n = 19 full-text articles) through comprehensive database searches. In general, voluntary household smoking restrictions reported a significant reduction in childhood SHS exposure ranging between 20-50% reductions, using both self-reported and biological measures. Mandated comprehensive workplace and enclosed public smoke-free policies also suggested an apparent benefit in some specific pediatric health encounters, namely, decreased preterm birth risks and reduced emergency hospital visits owing to asthma.