LSU Health New Orleans review suggests HNB tobacco products may threaten health

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

Research News 

New Orleans, LA - A review of heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products from the laboratory of Dr. Jason Gardner, Professor of Physiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports an association with elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, cell death, and circulatory dysfunction shown by early studies. Additionally, chemicals found in the vapor produced by HNB devices have previously been shown to impair lung function, put users at risk of heart attack and stroke, cause cancers, increase circulating low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") and more. The review is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, available online here.

Cigarette smoking continues to decline globally, but vaping is becoming more popular, especially among youth and young adults. Recent cases of vaping-associated lung injury may lead consumers to try new methods of nicotine consumption. Heat-not-burn products are newcomers to the U.S. market. They produce nicotine-containing vapor by heating tobacco at low temperatures. This is in contrast to cigarettes that use high temperatures to burn tobacco and produce smoke or e-cigarettes that heat e-liquid, which contains nicotine but not tobacco, to produce vapor.

Due to the novelty of these products, little research has been conducted on HNB devices. The Gardner lab compiled findings from dozens of human, animal, and cell culture studies to determine associated inhalants and potential health effects, with an emphasis on the heart, arteries, and veins. Findings suggest that HNB devices produce fewer pollutants than cigarettes, but it is unclear if these reductions are reflected in health outcomes of users.

"While relatively new to the U.S., heat-not-burn products have become popular in other countries including Japan, Italy, and Korea," notes lead author Nicholas Fried, an MD/PhD student in Dr. Gardner's laboratory. "These products are often touted as a replacement for cigarettes, but the evidence does not necessarily support that. Almost all Korean users of heat-not-burn products are also current cigarette smokers; nearly half of Italian users had never even smoked a cigarette. These trends worryingly suggest that heat-not-burn may be a compliment or gateway to cigarette smoking, rather than a 'healthy' replacement. More troubling, nearly 2% of high school students in the U.S. are already using HNB tobacco products, and surveys show that 25% of students are susceptible to trying them. There is potential for these devices to become a significant public health issue."

Dr. Gardner adds, "Heat-not-burn devices are marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes for existing smokers. However, as we have learned from vaping and e-cigarettes, these products are very likely to be used by minors and never-smokers due to marketing, flavor options, and lack of social stigma that is found with traditional cigarettes."

The authors conclude, "Use of these products can lead to nicotine addiction and additional clinical, basic science, and epidemiological studies are needed to better understand the health effects of HNB products. This knowledge will assist consumers, physicians, lawmakers, and regulatory bodies in making informed decisions about these products."

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The authors are supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's flagship health sciences university, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine with branch campuses in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research in a number of areas in a worldwide arena, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO, or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.

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Biochar helps hold water, saves money

Rice study shows sandy soils benefit most by retaining water, cutting irrigation needs

RICE UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A MAP SHOWS LOW, MID-RANGE AND HIGH ESTIMATES FOR THEORETICAL WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY CHANGES IN SOIL WITH THE ADDITION OF BIOCHAR. A STUDY BY RICE UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS SHOWED HOW BIOCHAR CAN... view more 

CREDIT: MASIELLO LAB/RICE UNIVERSITY

HOUSTON - (Oct. 19, 2020) - The abstract benefits of biochar for long-term storage of carbon and nitrogen on American farms are clear, and now new research from Rice University shows a short-term, concrete bonus for farmers as well.

That would be money. To be precise, money not spent on irrigation.

In the best-case scenarios for some regions, extensive use of biochar could save farmers a little more than 50% of the water they now use to grow crops. That represents a significant immediate savings to go with the established environmental benefits of biochar.

The open-access study appears in the journal GCB-Bioenergy.

Biochar is basically charcoal produced through pyrolysis, the high-temperature decomposition of biomass, including straw, wood, shells, grass and other materials. It has been the subject of extensive study at Rice and elsewhere as the agriculture industry seeks ways to enhance productivity, sequester carbon and preserve soil.

The new model built by Rice researchers explores a different benefit, using less water.

"There's a lot of biochar research that focuses mostly on its carbon benefits, but there's fairly little on how it could help stakeholders on a more commercial level," said lead author and Rice alumna Jennifer Kroeger, now a fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. "It's still an emerging field."

The study co-led by Rice biogeochemist Caroline Masiello and economist Kenneth Medlock provides formulas to help farmers estimate irrigation cost savings from increased water-holding capacity (WHC) with biochar amendment.

The researchers used their formulas to reveal that regions of the country with sandy soils would see the most benefit, and thus the most potential irrigation savings, with biochar amendment, areas primarily in the southeast, far north, northeast and western United States.

The study analyzes the relationship between biochar properties, application rates and changes in WHC for various soils detailed in 16 existing studies to judge their ability to curtail irrigation.

The researchers defined WHC as the amount of water that remains after allowing saturated soil to drain for a set period, typically 30 minutes. Clay soils have a higher WHC than sandy soils, but sandy soils combined with biochar open more pore space for water, making them more efficient.

WHC is also determined by pore space in the biochar particles themselves, with the best results from grassy feedstocks, according to their analysis.

In one comprehensively studied plot of sandy soil operated by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Agricultural Water Management Network, Kroeger calculated a specific water savings of 37.9% for soil amended with biochar. Her figures included average rainfall and irrigation levels for the summer of 2019.

The researchers noted that lab experiments typically pack more biochar into a soil sample than would be used in the field, so farmers' results may vary. But they hope their formula will be a worthy guide to those looking to structure future research or maximize their use of biochar.

More comprehensive data for clay soils, along with better characterization of a range of biochar types, will help the researchers build models for use in other parts of the country, they wrote.

"This study draws attention to the value of biochar amendment especially in sandy soils, but it's important to note that the reason we are calling out sandy soils here is because of a lack of data on finer-textured soils," Masiello said. "It's possible that there are also significant financial benefits on other soil types as well; the data just weren't available to constrain our model under those conditions."

"Nature-based solutions are gaining traction at federal, state and international levels," Medlock added, noting the recently introduced Growing Climate Solutions Act as one example. "Biochar soil amendment can enhance soil carbon sequestration while providing significant co-benefits, such as nitrogen remediation, improved water retention and higher agricultural productivity. The suite of potential benefits raises the attractiveness for commercial action in the agriculture sector as well as supportive policy frameworks."

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Rice alumna Ghasideh Pourhashem, a nonresident faculty scholar at the Center for Energy Studies (CES) at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is co-author of the paper. Masiello is the W. Maurice Ewing Professor, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences and a faculty scholar at the CES. Medlock is the James A. Baker, III, and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics at the Baker Institute, senior director of the CES and an adjunct assistant professor of economics.

The Rice Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and the Rice Shell Center for Sustainability supported the research.

Read the study at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcbb.12765.

This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/10/19/biochar-helps-hold-water-saves-money/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Feds, states can help biochar live up to its soil-saving potential: http://news.rice.edu/2019/01/11/feds-states-can-help-biochar-live-up-to-its-soil-saving-potential-2/

Biochar could clear the air in more ways than one: http://news.rice.edu/2017/07/26/biochar-could-clear-the-air-in-more-ways-than-one/

Study: Biochar alters water flow to improve sand and clay: http://news.rice.edu/2014/09/24/study-biochar-alters-water-flow-to-improve-sand-and-clay/

Biochar quiets microbes, including some plant pathogens: http://news.rice.edu/2013/09/30/biochar-quiets-microbes-including-some-plant-pathogens/

Masiello Lab: https://www.masiellolab.org

Kenneth Medlock: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/kenneth-b-medlock-iii/

Rice Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences: https://earthscience.rice.edu

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu

Images for download:

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/10/1019_BIOCHAR-1-WEB.jpg

Biochar's benefits for the long-term sequestration of carbon and nitrogen on American farms are clear, but new research from Rice University shows it can help farmers save money on irrigation as well. The study showed that sandy soil, in particular, gains ability to retain more water when amended with biochar. (Credit: Masiello Lab/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/10/1019_BIOCHAR-2a-WEB.jpg

A map shows low, mid-range and high estimates for theoretical water-holding capacity changes in soil with the addition of biochar. A study by Rice University scientists showed how biochar can help curtail excess irrigation in agriculture, depending on the type of soil and biochar characteristics. (Credit: Masiello Lab/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/10/1019_BIOCHAR-3-WEB-1.jpg

Rice University alumna Jennifer Kroeger led a study that shows how America's farmers could save money on irrigation through the use of biochar. (Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Kroeger/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. 

LISTERIA

American Frozen Food Institute's international expert panel publishes new manuscript

AMERICAN FROZEN FOOD INSTITUTE

Research News

 

Arlington, VA - The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) announces the publication of a new manuscript, "Alternative Approaches to the Risk Management of Listeria monocytogenes in Low Risk Foods," now available online in Food Control, an international scientific journal for food safety and process control professionals.

The manuscript represents the proceedings and recommendations of AFFI's Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) International Expert Panel, comprised of eminent researchers in Listeria science, epidemiology, risk modeling, food microbiology, and regulatory and public health policy. AFFI assembled the expert panel in December 2018 as part of its efforts to merge available Lm research and data with the most recent scientific thinking on regulatory policies governing the prevalence of Lm in foods. The panel set out with the objective to develop a scientific basis and rationale for Lm regulatory policies.

"The frozen food industry is committed to advancing food safety practices to prevent and control Listeria monocytogenes," said AFFI President and CEO Alison Bodor. "We're grateful for the insights and guidance from the Lm International Expert Panel and believe their new recommendations should guide practical and sustained approaches to Listeria regulatory policy that improve public health."

Key elements of the manuscript include discussions on:

• The importance of using risk-based approaches to regulate the presence of Lm across the broad category of ready-to-eat foods.
• The benefits of policies that acknowledge the ubiquity of Lm and encourage finding and destroying, controlling cross contamination and preventing growth of the pathogen.
• A framework to facilitate further reduction of public health impact relative to Lm by expending limited resources (aLmost solely) on high-risk foods.
• Establishing a regulatory action level for low-risk foods, particularly where foods do not support growth of Lm.
• Alternate sampling and testing protocols to address Lm risk.
• Effective testing by industry of low-risk foods to better protect public health.

This latest publication furthers AFFI's commitment to raising the bar on food safety practices to help prevent and control Lm. AFFI has undertaken numerous efforts to advance understanding of Lm through scientific research, innovation, education and training, including launching the AFFI Food Safety Zone.

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About AFFI

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) is the member-driven national trade association that advances the interests of all segments of the frozen food and beverage industry. AFFI works to advance food safety and advocates before legislative and regulatory entities on the industry's behalf to create an environment where members' foods and beverages are proudly chosen to meet the needs of a changing world.

 

Natural disaster preparations may aid businesses' pandemic response

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST)

Research News

 

The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have battered small- and medium-sized enterprises, putting millions of jobs in the U.S. at risk. And a year rife with natural disasters has not done many struggling businesses any favors.

To learn about the strategies and experiences of businesses managing this double threat, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), surveyed small- and medium-sized enterprises across the country. In a new report of survey results, nearly a quarter of businesses felt natural disaster preparations helped them address COVID-19. They tended to find preparations of broad applicability during natural disasters, such as telework readiness, more useful than hazard-specific measures. The survey also identified areas of hardship for businesses, including uncertainty and a lack of guidance and resources.

"The survey results can help by drawing attention to how small- and medium-sized businesses are thriving or suffering and showing where natural disaster planning and preparation helped," said Ariela Zycherman, NOAA social scientist and co-author of the report. "The results will also help us identify places where there are needs and opportunities to build social and economic resilience to multiple types of disasters."

The NIST and NOAA researchers conducted the survey from July 8 to Aug. 8, reaching businesses with fewer than 10 to more than 100 employees from a wide array of industries, including construction, manufacturing and retail. With help from other entities, such as the Minority Business Development Agency and the Small Business Administration, the authors promoted the survey via email, newsletter and social media, obtaining more than 1,300 responses.

In the survey, the team asked businesses about challenges presented by COVID-19 and measures taken to manage them. The researchers also inquired about experiences with sudden, high-impact disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, as well as longer-lasting, slower-onset events, including droughts and winter storms.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they had experienced natural disasters since March 13, when the federal government declared the pandemic a national emergency. The researchers expect this figure would be much higher had the survey been distributed later, however, as events such as the wildfires along the West Coast surged after the survey closed.

Some 24% of survey respondents said experience preparing for natural disasters in the past helped them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the survey's open-ended responses, the researchers were able to glean insights into which types of preparation businesses found most beneficial.

Practices with broad applicability shone through over those specific to one kind of disaster. Two notable examples from the responses were having rainy-day funds for when income streams dry up and the ability to operate a business remotely, said Jennifer Helgeson, a NIST research economist and lead author of the report.

One respondent wrote, "We have dealt with many weather emergencies in the past as well [as] a bad flu pandemic, all of which prepared us for something like COVID-19, especially as it relates to teleworking. Our employees have been used to teleworking during emergencies."

Many businesses have not made a smooth transition, however. Smaller operations that rely on in-person customers, such as in the service industry, face a particularly grave threat in COVID-19, which has eaten away at customer bases for lengths of time these businesses were not prepared for.

The outlook for many of the surveyed businesses is currently worrisome, as 72% are concerned about heading into another distressing scenario on top of the pandemic. Almost a third of these businesses are wary of natural disasters specifically. A strong sense of uncertainty also looms over numerous businesses -- a sense that may be compounded by a lack of resources, a situation reported by 37% of respondents.

The researchers found that businesses are commonly struggling to obtain guidance on prioritizing their actions amid the strains of the pandemic, personal protective equipment, and training on how to receive support from financial institutions and lending personnel.

A large portion of businesses anticipate that they are in for the long haul before returning to pre-COVID operating capacity. While 39% said they believe recovery will take less than 18 months, 23% estimate the process will go on for longer. And nearly a fifth of respondents indicated full recovery as an unlikely outcome, no matter the time frame, with many indicating they are now considering early retirement.

The researchers plan to complement the data from this initial report by distributing another survey in the winter to both previously contacted and new businesses. With a second wave, the team plans to collect information about how businesses operating in a pandemic respond to events expected in the near future, including winter storms and the flu season, Helgeson said. Further study might also identify where and how businesses are currently receiving aid.

"I do think there will be more of a focus on understanding if there are certain attributes of the business, whether it be employee size or ownership demographics, that can correlate loosely with the kinds of support they've received or the places they're asking for support," Helgeson said. "Is it more about friends and family or is it more about small-business loans? And how might this change if they experience a natural disaster during the pandemic?"

For agencies and institutions committed to supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises for resilience planning and adaptation, the data from this and any subsequent reports could enhance strategies to reach vulnerable populations and deliver some certainty during a deeply uncertain time.

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View the report for more survey results. If you would like to participate in the second survey, please contact SMEResearch@nist.gov.

Food waste: cities can make the difference

CMCC FOUNDATION - EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CENTER ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Research News

 

IMAGE: APPLICATION OF THE FRAMEWORK TO THE ANALYSIS OF THE 40 EUROPEAN LEADING CITIES IN URBAN FOOD WASTE INITIATIVES. THE THREE HORIZONTAL AXES REPRESENT THE THREE PILLARS OF THE FRAMEWORK AND... view more 

CREDIT: THIS ARTICLE IS AN OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE DISTRIBUTED UNDER THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION (CC BY) LICENSE (HTTP://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/).

Food waste is one of the most important issues of current food systems: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that more than one third of food is either lost or wasted along the entire food supply chain causing significant economic, social and environmental impacts.

From an environmental point of view, food waste represents between 8% and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the annual water footprint of the agricultural phase of food waste is about 250 km3, five times the volume of Lake Garda and higher than any national food consumption water footprint. The IPCC Special Report Climate Change and Land (2018) estimates that 37% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to the food system considering its complete cycle, from agriculture and land use, storage, transport, packaging, processing, retail, consumption and waste. In the European Union (EU), 88 million tons of food waste are generated each year (i.e., 173 kg per capita) with significant economic, environmental and social impacts. It has been estimated that 15-16% of the total environmental impact of the food supply chain in Europe can be attributed to food waste.

Cities have emerged as crucial actors in the global food security geography: today they occupy approximately only 3% of the total land, but the number of people living in urban areas surpassed for the first time the number of people living in rural areas, and urban contexts are therefore the biggest source of post-consumption food waste, using between 70% and 80% of world's food.

However, cities have proved to be crucial actors in tackling food waste, launching effective policies and initiatives to address it.

By looking at 40 cities across 16 European countries, a study recently published on Resources - Special issue Food Loss and Waste: The Challenge of a Sustainable Management through a Circular Economy Perspective presented a new framework for assessing urban food waste policies and initiatives.

"Food loss and waste is recognized as one of the most challenging distortion of current food system", explains Marta Antonelli, senior scientist at the CMCC Foundation and Head of Research at Barilla Foundation. "We talk about distortion because we produce tons of edible food waste every year. Food loss occurs from farm up to and excluding retail, whilst food waste occurs at retail, food service and household level. Causes range from poor handling, inadequate transport or storage, lack of cold chain capacity, extreme weather conditions to cosmetic standards, and a lack of planning and cooking skills among consumers. This year we have witnessed an increase in food loss and waste as a result of movement and transport restrictions due to the pandemic. COVID-19 aside, each year about 14% of the world's food is lost before even reaching the market."

Reducing food lost or wasted means more food for all, less greenhouse gas emissions, less pressure on environment, especially on water and land resources, increased productivity and economic growth, and more sustainable societies.

"Food waste management is a very complex challenge" explains Marta Antonelli, "since it requires diversified but integrated actions that involve many public local authorities, such as cities, regions, metropolitan areas and provinces, and other actors including retailers, school canteens, hospitals, food markets, citizens and non-governmental organizations. All these actors and levels of governance need to work in a synergic way to ensure effective urban food waste policies.

Cities can have a crucial role acting on different sectors and levels of the urban food system. The City of Milan, for example, approved a waste tax deduction for actors that contribute to reducing food waste through donations. In particular, the City of Milan has explicitly declared its ambition to halve food waste by 2030 and its intention to adopt a food supply chain approach, in order to reduce food waste across all tiers of the chain from food production to final consumption."?The authors started from a review of the most recent literature on food waste policy assessment frameworks and on urban food waste initiatives to capture the specificities of urban contexts and identify the most interesting urban initiatives and policies implemented. Finally, they identified direct and indirect links with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), showing the role that cities can play in achieving the targets of the UN 2030 Agenda. The framework proposed identifies and sheds light on the links between the different types of policies launched (information based, market based, regulatory, nudging initiatives, etc), the main areas of interventions addressed, as well as the different actors intervening in urban food waste management.

The analysis highlighted that several urban food waste policies or initiatives (e.g. in Bari, Bologna, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Venice and Cremona, with public as well as and private initiatives) proved to be effective in tackling poverty and socio-economic exclusion through food donations and, also, through the creation of new job opportunities for some marginalised groups of the population.

"Tackling food waste can be a key component of wider initiatives based on integrated management of the urban challenges and that promote the collaboration and coordination of the urban ecosystem", Marta Antonelli adds. "If we look at urban food waste interventions, we have very few cases of integrated, multi-sectorial and multi-actorial management of food waste. Cities are currently promoting new models of governance, for instance launching new institutional settings like the Food Policy Councils, creating regional and global networks of mayors advocating for more sustainable food systems, and coordinating initiatives to address food waste-related challenges in an integrated manner, from food production to food distribution."

The study undermines the importance of providing city officials with effective tools to collect data on urban food waste levels, to understand the scope of the problem and design action. Gap in metrics and data are still many. Concrete metrics and publicly available quantification tools developed at city level are currently still missing.

"Moreover, it is essential that urban food waste policies and interventions are fully aligned with the targets of the Agenda 2030", Dr. Marta Antonelli concludes. "Only in four cases (Cremona, Liège, Milan and Montpellier), food waste interventions were explicitly put in relation with the SDGs. The research showed that cities seldom use the SDGs as a policy framework, thus limiting the evaluation of the impact of these interventions on the sustainability agenda.

Therefore, it is important to raise more awareness among local policy makers, public officials, the private sector, and citizens to fully monitor the link and the impact of food waste on the SDGs. Cities are implementing many urban food waste initiatives, but what it's still rare is an integrated vision in addressing these issues In this sense, the recently adopted 'Farm to Fork' Strategy, part of the broader objective of making the EU food system the global standard for sustainability, represents the first step of the European Commission to address food system-related challenges in an integrated manner, for example putting human health and sustainability on the same level."

The analysis could be easily expanded and replicated to other contexts, and in the future, the same framework could be valuable for other non-European cities that are starting to tackle food waste and are addressing similar challenges.

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Read the full paper:

Urban Food Waste: A Framework to Analyse Policies and Initiatives

Fattibene D., Recanati F., Dembska K., Antonelli M., 2020, Resources - Special Issue Food Loss and Waste: The Challenge of a Sustainable Management through a Circular Economy Perspective 9(9), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9090099

 Significant link found between air pollution and neurological disorders

Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias, in a large, long-term study of US adults

HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Research News

 

Boston, MA - Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias, in a long-term study of more than 63 million older U.S. adults, led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The study, conducted with colleagues at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, is the first nationwide analysis of the link between fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution and neurodegenerative diseases in the U.S. The researchers leveraged an unparalleled amount of data compared to any previous study of air pollution and neurological disorders.

The study will be published online October 19, 2020 in The Lancet Planetary Health.

"The 2020 report of the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care has added air pollution as one of the modifiable risk factors for these outcomes," said Xiao Wu, doctoral student in biostatistics at Harvard Chan School and co-lead author of the study. "Our study builds on the small but emerging evidence base indicating that long-term PM2.5 exposures are linked to an increased risk of neurological health deterioration, even at PM2.5 concentrations well below the current national standards."

Researchers looked at 17 years' worth (2000-2016) of hospital admissions data from 63,038,019 Medicare recipients in the U.S. and linked these with estimated PM2.5 concentrations by zip code. Taking into account potential confounding factors like socioeconomic status, they found that, for each 5 microgram per cubic meter of air (μg/m3) increase in annual PM2.5 concentrations, there was a 13% increased risk for first-time hospital admissions both for Parkinson's disease and for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This risk remained elevated even below supposedly safe levels of PM2.5 exposure, which, according to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, is an annual average of 12 μg/m3 or less.

Women, white people, and urban populations were particularly susceptible, the study found. The highest risk for first-time Parkinson's disease hospital admissions was among older adults in the northeastern U.S. For first-time Alzheimer's disease and related dementias hospital admissions, older adults in the Midwest faced the highest risk.

"Our U.S.-wide study shows that the current standards are not protecting the aging American population enough, highlighting the need for stricter standards and policies that help further reduce PM2.5 concentrations and improve air quality overall," said Antonella Zanobetti, principal research scientist in Harvard Chan School's Department of Environmental Health and co-senior author of the study.

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Liuhua Shi, research assistant professor at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health, was a co-lead author and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, assistant professor in environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, was a co-senior author.

Other Harvard Chan School authors included Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Danielle Braun, Yaguang Wei, Yun Wang, Joel Schwartz, and Francesca Dominici.

This study was supported by the Health Effects Institute (4953-RFA14-3/16-4), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS R01 ES024332, R01 ES028805, R21 ES028472, P30 ES009089, P30 ES000002), the National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH R01 AG066793-01, P50 AG025688), and the HERCULES Center (P30ES019776). Research described in this article was done under contract to the Health Effects Institute, an organization jointly funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (assistance award number R-83467701) and some motor vehicle and engine manufacturers.

"Long-term effects of PM2.5 on neurological disorders in the American Medicare population: a longitudinal cohort study," Liuhua Shi, Xiao Wu, Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Danielle Braun, Yara Abu Awad, Yaguang Wei, Pengfei Liu, Qian Di, Yun Wang, Joel Schwartz, Francesca Dominici, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Antonella Zanobetti, The Lancet Planetary Health, online October 19, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30227-8

Visit the Harvard Chan School website for the latest news, press releases, and multimedia offerings.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people's lives--not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America's oldest professional training program in public health.

 

Early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon take the brunt of sea lion predation

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Research News

 

IMAGE: A SEA LION DEVOURS A SALMON. view more 

CREDIT: LE BASKOW

The Columbia River is home to one of the West Coast's most important Chinook salmon runs. Through late spring and early summer, mature fish return from the sea and begin their arduous journey upriver to spawn. In recent years, these fish have faced an additional challenge: hungry California sea lions.

A new University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study found that sea lions have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River. The results of this study will publish Oct. 18 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

Opportunistic sea lions have learned that by swimming as far as 145 miles upriver, they can easily feast on migrating salmon, including those hindered by the Bonneville Dam.

"We investigated whether mortality rates varied depending on the specific threatened Chinook salmon population, determined by when they arrive in the river," said lead author Mark Sorel, a doctoral student at the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "We found that, based on their individual return timing and the abundance of sea lions in the river when they return, individual populations experience different levels of sea lion-associated mortality."

Researchers learned that the earliest arriving populations of Chinook salmon experienced an additional 20% mortality over previous years, and the later arriving populations experienced an additional 10%. This increase in mortality was associated with increased sea lion abundance at those times of year in the period of 2013 to 2015 compared to the period of 2010 to 2012.

The numbers of California sea lions are highest at the mouth of the Columbia in early spring, before they depart for their breeding grounds in southern California. The researchers also discovered that the earliest arriving salmon migrate through the lower Columbia River more slowly than those arriving later in the season, thereby increasing their exposure to predation.

"This information on how different populations are affected by sea-lion associated mortality is key because recovery of endangered Chinook salmon requires multiple of the individual populations to be healthy," said Sorel.

California sea lions have seen their numbers rebound along much of the U.S. West Coast since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which protects them from being killed, captured and harassed. The increased presence of sea lions is now at odds with the endangered salmon populations on which they feed, putting managers in a difficult position.

Researchers are concerned that something must be done quickly as these hunting behaviors are learned, and the problem could continue to grow exponentially. In August, the National Marine Fisheries Service granted approval for Washington, Idaho, Oregon and several Pacific Northwest tribes to capture and euthanize both problematic California and Steller sea lions within a larger area of the lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Previously, only California sea lions could be killed in these rivers if managers deemed them a threat to salmon.

This complicated decision was enacted after non-lethal methods, such relocation and hazing, to limit the impact sea lions have on salmon -- plus some targeted lethal removal -- were met with limited success.

"This is often a challenging management problem as both sea lions and salmon are of strong interest to the public, and both are protected under federal statutes," said Sorel. "Management must consider multiple social values and operate within existing legal frameworks."

Continued monitoring will help to reduce the remaining uncertainty about the effects of sea lions on salmon and the expected outcomes of alternative management actions.

###

Other co-authors are Richard Zabel and A. Michelle Wargo Rub of NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Devin Johnson of NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center; and Sarah Converse, leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and UW associate professor. This research was funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Protected Resource Division.

For more information, contact Sorel at marks6@uw.edu and Converse at sconver@uw.edu.

As Ottawa commits to protect treaty rights, Sipekne’katik chief says ‘actions speak louder than words

The chief of the First Nation that has launched its own self-regulated lobster fishery and been the victim of multiple violent attacks in return said on Monday that he welcomed the words from four federal ministers, but that more was necessary to ensure their treaty rights are being protected.

© Alexa MacLean/Global News 

Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack speaks with Global News on Sept. 20, 2020.

"Actions speak louder than words," said Chief Michael Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation on Monday.

At a joint press conference on Monday, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair condemned the violent attacks against Mi’kmaq lobster fishermen which culminated this weekend in a massive fire that burned a lobster compound to the ground.

“I want all Canadians to know we are taking these threats and the violence that has taken place very seriously,” said Blair.

“I know from experience when violence takes place, it can tear communities apart.”

Read more: Additional RCMP officers deployed in N.S

Blair also confirmed that he has approved a request from the province of Nova Scotia to call on RCMP officers from P.E.I. and New Brunswick in order to bolster the numbers able to respond to incidents of violence.

RCMP have been criticized for their officers appearing to stand by during confrontations between non-Indigenous fishers and the Mi'kmaq fishers, or only intervening when physical violence appeared imminent.

"It seems like the police officers standing there are just standing by. You're not there to protect anyone and that's stressful for our fishermen," said Sack at a press conference on Monday in Indian Brook, N.S.

It was a statement that echoed comments made by Miller only hours before.

“Indigenous people have been let down by the police,” Miller said at the press conference.

Sack has been critical of the RCMP's response to the violence. On Monday, Sack welcomed the news that more police officers could be deployed if necessary, although he said numbers have increased over the weekend.

"There is more police presence on the ground. We're grateful for that as well," said Sack.

His main concern at this point is the ability for his fishermen to exercise their treaty rights.

"If (commercial fishermen) come back to haul gear our people are exposed," said Sack, referring to the repeated sabotage of Indigenous-laid lobster traps and buoys.

Read more: Mobs are attacking Indigenous fisheries in Nova Scotia. Here’s what’s going on

He insisted that fisheries officers need to be on the water as at the moment "there's been no presence there at all," Sack said.

Video: Miller says 'space needs to be given for negotiations' among Indigenous communities after violent, tense Nova Scotia fishery incidents (Global News)

The chief said that although he was grateful for the condemnation of violence and the commitment to doing it better, it doesn't fix what's happened.

"You can't say sorry for something that already went down, you know what I mean? We could've lost people in that situation and 'sorry' doesn't save lives," Sack said.
Indigenous treaty rights

Both Miller and Jordan promised on Monday to uphold the right for Mi'kmaq to fish or hunt for a "moderate livelihood," a treaty right that was recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada's 1999 Marshall decision.

Although moderate livelihood was not formally defined by the court, a subsequent decision ruled that the government did have the authority to impose some regulations for the purposes of conservation, subject to nation-to-nation consultations.

With no clear definition in the 21 years since the Marshall decision, the Sipekne’katik First Nation launched its self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery in September.

Non-Indigenous commercial fishermen have opposed that decision, arguing that it is a fishery operating outside of the federally regulated lobster season which they abide by.

The opposition to the Indigenous fishery came to a head last week when two lobster facilities, one in New Edinburgh, N.S., and one Middle West Pubnico, N.S., were swarmed and vandalized by crowds estimated to number as many as 200 people.
Commercial fishermen protest at fisheries office

Approximately 300 non-Indigenous commercial fishermen and their supporters gathered at a Department of Fisheries and Oceans office in Barrington Passage, N.S., early on Monday.

Ruth Inniss, a fisheries advisor with the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said that her organization condemns all forms of violence and they want to be "at the table" during negotiations between the federal government and First Nations.

"We’re also trying to fight the fact that we’re being portrayed as racist and treating the First Nations people savagely," said Inniss in a video call on Monday.

She said that the non-Indigenous fishers want to have a fishery that is governed by one set of rules and "not two sets of conservation rules for two different communities."

Innis said that "this is not just a fisheries issue" and that fishermen respect the First Nation's treaty rights.

But it's those same rights that are enshrined in the Marhsall decision and which all four ministers committed to protecting on Monday.

Biologists have disputed that there should be conservation concerns over the moderate-livelihood fishery, which operates on a comparatively small scale to commercial fishermen.

On Monday, that assessment was echoed by the Fisheries Minister who said fishery stocks in the region are thriving.

Innis disputed that conservation isn't an issue, insisting that the reality on the ground is much different for those who live in the communities that rely on lobster fishing.

"There are seasons for a reason and that’s so fish can grow and you know multiply," she said.

"When you keep taking out the fish when that process is going on it’s a science issue."

READ MORE: Sipekne’katik Chief Michael Sack says his people receive threats ‘daily’

"(Minister Bernadette Jordan) said that the lobster stocks are strong. So, you know, that puts the conservation issue to rest."

With files from Global News' Amanda Connolly, Alicia Draus and Graeme Benjamin
Sack said he believes the concern raised by commercial fishermen over conservation is over.

Nova Scotia restaurants boycott lobster in response to violence against the Mi'kmaq

HALIFAX — Kourosh Rad, owner of Garden Food Bar and Lounge in Halifax, says he removed his popular lobster-based menu items in support of the province's Mi'kmaq fishers. 

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Mi'kmaq are in a dispute over fishing rights in southwestern Nova Scotia and have been targeted recently with violence and intimidation. Rad is among a few restaurant owners in the province who have responded to the conflict by boycotting lobster.

“The lobster that we are selling is at the center of the conflict that's ongoing in Nova Scotia,” Rad said in an interview Monday. “We felt like it's a very small gesture that we can make in support and solidarity of stopping the violence that’s taking place right now.”

The RCMP is investigating a fire over the weekend that destroyed a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico containing the lobster catch of Mi'kmaq fishers. For weeks, Indigenous fishers say they've been targeted with harassment, vandalism and violence from commercial harvesters.

Non-Indigenous fishers say they are angry the Mi'kmaq recently launched a self-regulated lobster fishery that harvests the animals outside the federally regulated fishing season. The Mi'kmaq are asserting their treaty right that they say allows them to fish when and where they want.

Rad said he faced some backlash after deciding on Oct. 17 to stop selling lobster, but said the response has been largely positive.

He said he never thought about who was harvesting the lobster he was serving his clients. But now, the owner said he's looking to buy lobster from Indigenous fishers.

“We ask for local foods as much as possible but now we are asking the question, 'where is the lobster from?' Until we figure out the source, we're not going put it back on the menu,” Rad said.

Video: Violent protests over Mi'kmaw fishery in Nova Scotia (Global News)

Matt Boyle, co-owner of Dear Friend bar in Dartmouth, N.S., removed lobster from his restaurant's menu last month.

“We wanted to remove the lobster roll as a sign of our solidarity but to also ... expedite conversations of peace or just spread some more awareness," Boyle said in an interview Monday.

But after he posted about the menu change on social media, the responses he received were less than peaceful.

“We had a lot of pretty aggressive forms of hate digitally,” which he said included angry direct messages to the restaurant’s social media accounts and to his personal account.

There was also a “targeted cyber bullying attack” in which people posted one-star reviews to Facebook and Google. Eventually, however, he said the support from his clients and the local bar community has been overwhelmingly positive.

Boyle said the influence of Nova Scotia's restaurant industry could impact the conflict.

“I think collectively our voice could be pretty loud," he said. "We buy a lot of fish, we buy a lot of lobster so we can make a difference."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.

- - -

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Danielle Edwards, The Canadian Press

Canada condemns attacks in indigenous fishing dispute
By Moira Warburton

© Reuters/JOHN MORRIS FILE PHOTO: 

Fire Destroys Nova Scotia lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico

TORONTO (Reuters) - Attacks against indigenous lobster fishermen over the weekend are "disgusting," a government minister said on Monday, as Ottawa provided more police resources to tamp down clashes over lobster fishing rights in eastern Canada.

© Reuters/TED PRITCHARD FILE PHOTO: 

Fishing boats from the Sipekne'katik band are seen tied up in Saulnierville

Tensions between local commercial fishermen and fishermen from the Mi'kmaq First Nation in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia have been escalating in recent days in a conflict over indigenous fishing rights.

Clashes over the weekend and earlier last week involved hundreds of people outside lobster pounds that handle indigenous-caught lobster.

"The acts of violence we have seen in the past days and weeks are disgusting, unacceptable, racist in nature," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 1999 that the Mi'kmaq First Nation had the right to hunt and fish for a "moderate livelihood" in their traditional territory.

But the ruling left many grey areas - including the practical definition of "moderate livelihood" - leading Mi'kmaq fishermen to begin catching lobster outside the federally-mandated fishing season and raising the ire of local commercial lobster fishers.

Protests in support of both sides resulted in clashes last week that at times turned violent, with one person being arrested after attacking Chief Michael Sack of the Sipekne'atik First Nation. Meanwhile, the head of the province's fishing union resigned, citing concerns for his personal safety.

A lobster pound where Indigenous fishermen stored their catch was set on fire, resulting in one person being admitted to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said on Sunday.

On Sunday, Sack said the military needed to be brought in to keep the peace. Indigenous nations have a fraught relationship with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the force responsible for policing in much of rural Canada.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair pushed back on the suggestion on Monday, as he called for an end to the violence.

"This isn't a military operation, it is a peacekeeping operation," he said. "We have taken steps necessary to ensure that (the RCMP has) adequate resources to do the job."

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto; Editing by Tom Brown)