In a standard overlapping generations model, we show how the health effects of pollution impact the balanced-growth path (BGP) and the transition dynamics of the economy. The key driver is the differential between physical and human capital accumulation. The differential occurs because pollution alters the incentives to save and to invest in education via reductions in longevity and alters the effectiveness of education expenditures via impaired cognitive learning. Two predictions of the model are noteworthy. The first prediction is the existence of two stable BGPs with a separating saddle path. One BGP is desirable featuring high economic growth and low pollution, whereas the other should be avoided because it is associated with low economic growth and high pollution. The second prediction is that economic and environmental cycles may emerge, implying inequality between generations. These theoretical results are supported by empirical evidence and imply a role for government to steer the economy toward the desirable BGP and eliminate the cycles.

The ability to use the internet frequently is likely to provide a useful means of engaging with society and using services in later life, yet older people are the most likely to suffer digital exclusion, with those of the oldest ages at the greatest risk. Using six waves (2002–2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we model cohort-specific patterns of frequent internet use for people aged 50 and over. Multi-level growth models are used to observe trajectories of internet use over the ten-year period. Firstly, analyses are stratified by gender and wealth, and secondly we additionally test for health effects. The study finds cohort-specific differences in patterns of internet use. Rates of internet use increase faster among younger cohorts yet, despite initially increasing, begin to decline among older cohorts. Poor health is shown to be a key factor in shaping the trajectory of internet use over time. Rates of internet use are consistently lower for women than men and for those in poorer financial circumstances, independently of age cohort. The findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring older people can remain digitally included throughout later life, including after the onset of poorer health, especially as some of these individuals might benefit the most from some of the services the internet can provide.

Airborne dust generated by primary blasting was collected in Taffs Well Quarry, just north of Cardiff, Wales. Collections of airborne particulate matter were also made in the nearby village of Morganstown at the same time as the blasting collections. The explosions were recorded on a motor-driven camera and a digital video camera. These images show that the dust clouds generated by the explosions consist of three distinct components; a reddish-grey dust cloud, followed by a light grey dust cloud, and finally a pale grey cloud that stayed near the blast face. It is believed that the reddish-grey cloud was composed mostly of mineral grains, as evidenced by the chiefly red colour of the dolomitic limestone rock in the quarry. The whiter clouds contained more explosive combustion particles (diesel soot). The samples were studied by analytical scanning electron microscopy, very high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy, and image analysis. The two different components (minerals and diesel soot) can be readily seen under high-resolution electron microscopy. Any consideration of the possible adverse health effects or nuisance value of this dust needs to consider both of these components. A size distribution of the quarry particles shows that soot particles dominate the assemblage under 2 mm, whereas the mineral grains are more abundant over 2 mm. This contrasts with the Morganstown particle sizes, where the two components show similar size distributions. The determination of the mineralogy of the quarry dust and Morganstown particles has shown highly complex and heterogeneous mixtures, though some distribution patterns are emerging. It is concluded that much of the dust in Morganstown probably originated from sources other than the quarry, such as other local industries, roads and construction sites.

The Soufrière Hills stratovolcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat has been erupting since 18th July 1995. An enormous amount of respirable volcanic ash has been suspended into the atmosphere by the eruptions and wind re-suspension of deposited ash. The large amount of fine, airborne particulate matter, in particular the component 10 μm equivalent aerodynamic diameter (PM10), is a cause of medical concern. Airborne levels have frequently exceeded the UK environmental standard for PM10, (50 μg/m3), although it is noted that this standard was primarily set for urban PM10. The crystalline silica in the ash is mostly cristobalite, at reported levels up to 20%. The UK government’s Chief Medical Officer, referring to Montserrat, has suggested that long-term exposure to high levels of volcanic ash could lead to silicosis. These concerns have prompted government-funded investigations into the potential toxicity of well characterized volcanic ash samples from Montserrat. Given the well established toxicity of cristobalite, particular attention was paid to the amount of this mineral in the ash samples. Three ash samples were tested: (1) a vulcanian eruption ash, (2) ash released in a domecollapse pyroclastic flow, and (3) ash from a major vulcanian explosion that was wind-transported to, and deposited on, the neighbouring island of Antigua. Comparative toxicological studies were carried out on respirable preparations of these three samples together with appropriate control mineral dusts that matched the major components of the Montserrat samples: anorthite, labradorite, cristobalite/ obsidian and cristobalite. Alpha quartz (DQ12) was the positive control. All samples, including the controls, were characterized to establish particle-size distributions, particle morphologies, and to confirm the mineralogy. Rats were challenged with 1 mg via intratracheal instillation, and groups sacrificed at three time points (1, 3 and 9 weeks). Health assessment was made by examining endpoints of increasing lung damage such as inflammation, permeability (oedema), changes in epithelium, and increase in the size of broncho-thoracic lymph nodes. The data indicate that Montserrat respirable ash, derived from dome collapse pyroclastic flows or vulcanian explosions, has minimal acute bioreactivity in the lung. The feldspar standards showed low bioreactivity, in stark contrast to the cristobalite standard that showed progressive increases in lung damage. These results suggest that either the mass of cristobalite present in the Montserrat ash was insufficient to cause an effect in the lung, or the cristobalite in the ash was, for some as yet unknown reason, markedly less bioreactive than our pure cristobalite standard.

Probiotics and prebiotics, mainly commercialised as food ingredients and also as supplements, are considered highly profitable niche markets. However, in recent years, the food industry has suffered from a series of health claim restrictions on probiotics and prebiotics in many parts of the world, including those made by the European Food Safety Authority. Therefore, we reviewed the core benefits of probiotic and prebiotic consumption on health. A number of studies have examined the prevention and/or management of intestinal infections, respiratory tract infections, CVD, osteoporosis, urogenital infections, cavities, periodontal disease and halitosis, allergic reactions, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome and Helicobacter pylori gastric infections. In fact, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved in human microbiota and immune system modulation by probiotics and prebiotics relies on continuous efforts to establish suitable biomarkers of health and diseases risk factors for the design of clinical trials required for health claim approval. In spite of the promising results, the performance of large, long-term, well-planned, well-aligned clinical studies is crucial to provide more reliability and a more solid basis for the outcomes achieved and to support the potential use of probiotics and prebiotics in clinical practice.

The levels of phytochemicals (total phenols, proanthocyanidins, gallic acid+gallotannins, ellagic acid+ellagitannins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes and phytates), fat-soluble bioactives (lipid, tocols, phytosterols, sphingolipids, carotenoids, chlorophylls and alkyl phenols) as well as natural antioxidants (nutrient and non-nutrient) present in commonly consumed twelve nuts (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, hazelnut, heartnut, macadamia, peanut, pecan, pine nut, pistachio and walnut) are compared and reported. Recent studies adding new evidence for the health benefits of nuts are also discussed. Research findings from over 112 references, many of which have been published within last 10 years, have been compiled and reported.

Based on fieldwork in a heavily industrialized Yunnan village, this article examines how villagers understand and respond to pollution-related health risks. Building on Robert Weller's (2006) concept of environmental consciousness, it shows that Baocun villagers have developed an acute environmental health consciousness. However, despite earlier instances of collective activism, they no longer act as a community to oppose the harm to their bodies caused by pollution. The article investigates the role of uncertainty surrounding illness causation in deterring action. It argues that uncertainty about pollution's effects on health is reinforced by the social, political and economic contexts and developments in the past few decades. As a result, villagers engage in a form of “lay epidemiology” to make sense of the effects of pollution on their health, but not in a “popular epidemiology” consisting of collective action against presumed health damages. The article concludes with some thoughts on how locals act within and despite uncertainty.

For 63 years scientists in the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission and its successor, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, have been assessing the long-term health effects in the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and in their children. The identification and follow-up of a large population (approximately a total of 200 000, of whom more than 40% are alive today) that includes a broad range of ages and radiation exposure doses, and healthy representatives of both sexes; establishment of well-defined cohorts whose members have been studied longitudinally, including some with biennial health examinations and a high survivor-participation rate; and careful reconstructions of individual radiation doses have resulted in reliable excess relative risk estimates for radiation-related health effects, including cancer and noncancer effects in humans, for the benefit of the survivors and for all humankind. This article reviews those risk estimates and summarizes what has been learned from this historic and unique study.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:S122-S133)

L’utilisation du tritium dans les réacteurs CANDU (Canada Deutérium Uranium), dansl’industrie, pour la production de sources et de peintures luminescentes, dansl’exploration pétrolière et gazière, dans les hôpitaux pour des tests diagnostiques, enradiothérapie et en recherche, rend le contrôle de ses rejets particulièrement importantau Canada. Ces rejets sont réglementés et étroitement surveillés par la Commissioncanadienne de sûreté nucléaire (CCSN). Certains groupes d’intérêt et de citoyensprétendent cependant que l’incertitude scientifique sur les effets du tritium sur la santéet l’environnement est telle que la réglementation des installations rejetant ou utilisantdu tritium serait inadéquate. Pour répondre à ces inquiétudes, la CCSN a demandé à sonpersonnel d’entreprendre le projet intitulé « Études sur le tritium ».Dans le cadre de ce projet, le devenir du tritium dans l’environnement ainsi que seseffets sanitaires, ont été étudiés au moyen de mesures directes sur le terrain ainsi qu’àtravers la revue de la littérature scientifique la plus récente sur le sujet. Ce projet apermis de conclure que les mesures de radioprotection concernant le tritium ainsi que lesmécanismes utilisés pour le réglementer sont adéquats pour protéger la santé et lasécurité des Canadiens.

Atmospheric pollution models are generally evaluated using measures of the difference between predicted and observed concentrations. These statistics can be inadequate as they tend to be sensitive to small errors in the timing of peak events that are generally of little consequence from a health point of view. This paper presents a technique for evaluating atmospheric carbon monoxide models based on the statistical properties of the uptake of carbon monoxide, rather than relying on traditional model evaluation measures. A simple semi-empirical atmospheric carbon monoxide model is used as an example to illustrate the approach.

A twenty-year follow-up study was carried out at Baiyun Obo Rare-earth Iron Mine in China, This mine has been mined since 1958. Its ore contains 0.04% of ThO2 and 10% of SiO2. The purpose of this study is to investigate possible health effects in dust-exposed miners following long-term exposure to thorium-containing dusts and thoron progeny. By using the negative high voltage exhaled thoron progeny measurement system to estimate the miner’s thorium lung burden. The highest thorium lung burden among 1 158 measurements of 638 miners was 11.11 Bq. The incidence of stage 0+ pneumoconiosis was increased among dust-exposed miners. An epidemiological study showed that the lung cancer mortality of the dust-exposed miners was significantly (p < 0.005) higher than that of the non-exposed group. It is suggested that the difference results in the long-term exposure to thorium-containing dusts (carcinogens are ThO2 and SiO2) and thoron progeny. This is the first evidence in humans of the carcinogenicity after long-term inhalation of thorium-containing dusts and thoron progeny. The total person-years of observation for the dust-exposed miners and the controls were 62 712 and 34 672 respectively.