School of Public Health

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1633

The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Environmental Health

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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Influence of weekdays, weekends, bandhas and weather conditions on particulate matter (PM10) concentrations in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal
    (2011) Fransen, Michelle Julia; Sapkota, Amir; Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Particulate matter (PM) exposure has been associated with a variety of adverse health effects. Quantifying the relative source contribution of PM is important as it provides policymakers critical information needed to formulate successful pollution reduction programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of bandhas (general strikes) and meteorological parameters on PM10 concentrations in the Kathmandu Valley. Within station seasonal differences in PM10 concentrations were compared using t-tests. Linear mixed effects regression models were used to examine the effects of weekends or bandh days on PM10 concentrations. Results showed significant (p<0.001) seasonal variability across all stations. In the urban high traffic (UHT) and urban residential (UR) areas, there were statistically significant (p<0.05) lower PM10 concentrations on weekends. In the UHT, PM10 concentrations were significantly lower on bandh days (p<0.05). These results suggest that a reduction in vehicular emissions may alleviate the PM10 pollution problem in the valley.
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    Autism Spectrum Disorder and Hazardous Air Pollutants in the U.S. and Maryland
    (2010) Trousdale, Kristie; Dabney, Betty J; Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses in the United States has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, fueling investigations into possible environmental triggers for the disorder. Exposures to pesticides, persistent pollutants, prescription medications, and heavy metals through various routes have been examined, but very few studies have examined the potential role of chronic inhalation of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the etiology of ASD. This thesis was designed to examine possible relationships between HAPs and ASD prevalence on a statewide level for the U.S., with sub-analyses on a finer, countywide level within the state of Maryland. Findings suggest consistent, positive associations between ASD prevalence and HAPs at the statewide level for the U.S. The findings do not persist at the county level in the Maryland sub-analyses. These results reinforce the concept of ASD as a spectrum of phenotypes best explained through multifactorial etiological models.
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    EVALUATION OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA IN TERTIARY TREATED WASTEWATER, RECLAIMED WASTEWATER USED FOR SPRAY IRRIGATION, AND RESULTING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES
    (2010) Goldstein, Rachel Elizabeth Rosenberg; Sapkota, Amy R; Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Occupational exposures to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in reclaimed wastewater used for spray irrigation were evaluated. In 2009, wastewater was collected from a tertiary-treatment facility, and reclaimed wastewater, nasal and dermal swab samples from an irrigation site. Samples were evaluated for MRSA and VRE using standard methods, PCR, and susceptibility testing. MRSA and VRE were isolated from all wastewater samples except effluent. While wastewater MRSA isolates were multidrug resistant (98%), no MRSA was isolated in irrigation water or swabs. VRE was isolated in one irrigation water sample. Fewer irrigation workers were colonized with S. aureus (31%) compared to controls (46%), but they harbored more multidrug resistant S. aureus. This is the first study to 1) evaluate antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in U.S. reclaimed wastewater and resulting occupational exposures, and 2) detect MRSA in U.S. wastewater. The findings suggested that tertiary wastewater treatment effectively reduced MRSA and VRE.