ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1177-4733
Current Organisations
UNSW
,
University of Sydney
,
University of Sydney School of Public Health
,
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
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Publications
Blending multiple nitrogen dioxide data sources for neighborhood estimates of long-term exposure for health research
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 10-10-2017
Abstract: Exposure to traffic related nitrogen dioxide (NO
Completely scoobied: the confusing world of temperature and pollution effects on sleep apnoea
Publisher: European Respiratory Society (ERS)
Date: 31-10-2015
Respiratory health before and after the opening of a road traffic tunnel
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-11-2012
Damp housing, gas stoves, and the burden of childhood asthma in Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.5694/MJA17.00469
Abstract: To determine the proportion of the national childhood asthma burden associated with exposure to d ness and gas stoves in Australian homes. Comparative risk assessment modelling study. Setting, participants: Australian children aged 14 years or less, 2011. The population attributable fractions (PAFs) and number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for childhood asthma associated with exposure to d housing and gas stoves. 26.1% of Australian homes have d ness problems and 38.2% have natural gas as the main energy source for cooktop stoves. The PAF for childhood asthma attributable to d housing was 7.9% (95% CI, 3.2-12.6%), causing 1760 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs 95% CI, 416-3104 DALYs), or 42 DALYs/100 000 children. The PAF associated with gas stoves was 12.3% (95% CI, 8.9-15.8%), corresponding to 2756 DALYs (95% CI, 1271-4242), or 67 DALYs/100 000 children. If all homes with gas stoves were fitted with high efficiency range hoods to vent gas combustion products outdoors, the PAF and burden estimates were reduced to 3.4% (95% CI, 2.2-4.6%) and 761 DALYs (95% CI, 322-1199). Exposure to d housing and gas stoves is common in Australia, and is associated with a considerable proportion of the childhood asthma burden. Strategies for reducing exposure to indoor d ness and gas combustion products should be communicated to parents of children with or at risk of asthma.
Breeding, Management and Environmental Issues at Peri-Urban Dairy Farms
Publisher: InTech
Date: 26-09-2012
DOI: 10.5772/47904
A new approach for modeling researcher community based on scientific article metadata using natural language processing
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 04-2017
Redistribution of Traffic Related Air Pollution Associated with a New Road Tunnel
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 22-02-2012
DOI: 10.1021/ES202686R
Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a new road tunnel on the concentration and distribution of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), specifically nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and particulate matter (PM), and to determine its relationship to change in traffic flow. We used continuously recorded data from four monitoring stations at nonroadside locations within the study area and three regional monitors outside the area. The four monitors in the study area were in background locations where smaller pollutant changes were expected compared with changes near the bypassed main road. We also deployed passive s lers to assess finer spatial variability in NO(2) including application of a land use regression model (LUR). The study was conducted from 2006 to 2008. Analysis of the continuously recorded data showed that the tunnel intervention did not lead to consistent reductions in NO(2) or PM over the wider study area. However, there were significant decreases in NO(2), NO(x), and PM(10) in the eastern section of the study area. Analysis of passive s ler data indicated that the greatest reductions in NO(2) concentrations occurred within 100 m of the bypassed main road. The LUR model also demonstrated that changes in NO(2) were most marked adjacent to the bypassed main road. These findings support the use of methods that highlight fine spatial variability in TRAP and demonstrate the utility of traffic interventions in reducing air pollution exposures for populations living close to main roads.
Scoping review to understand the potential for public health impacts of transitioning to lower carbon emission technologies and policies
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 20-05-2020
Long-term exposure to low concentrations of air pollutants and hospitalisation for respiratory diseases: A prospective cohort study in Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2018.08.050
Abstract: Short- and long-term spatiotemporal variation in exposure to air pollution is associated with respiratory morbidity in areas with moderate-to-high level of air pollution, but very few studies have examined whether these associations also exist in areas with low level exposure. We assessed the association between spatial variation in long-term exposure to PM We recorded data on hospitalisations for 100,084 participants, who were aged >45 years at entry in 2006-2009 until June 2014. Annual NO NO We found weak positive associations of exposure to air pollution with hospitalisation for asthma while there was no evidence of an association for all respiratory diseases.
Carotid extramedial thickness is associated with local arterial stiffness in children
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 2016
Particulate air pollution and cardiovascular disease - It is time to take it seriously
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Date: 2014
Policy Implications for Protecting Health from the Hazards of Fire Smoke. A Panel Discussion Report from the Workshop Landscape Fire Smoke: Protecting Health in an Era of Escalating Fire Risk
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 26-05-2021
Abstract: Globally, and nationally in Australia, bushfires are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. To date, protection of human health from fire smoke has largely relied on in idual-level actions. Recent bushfires experienced during the Australian summer of 2019–2020 occurred over a prolonged period and encompassed far larger geographical areas than previously experienced, resulting in extreme levels of smoke for extended periods of time. This particular bushfire season resulted in highly challenging conditions, where many people were unable to protect themselves from smoke exposures. The Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), an Australian research centre, hosted a two-day symposium, Landscape Fire Smoke: Protecting health in an era of escalating fire risk, on 8 and 9 October 2020. One component of the symposium was a dedicated panel discussion where invited experts were asked to examine alternative policy settings for protecting health from fire smoke hazards with specific reference to interventions to minimise exposure, protection of outdoor workers, and current systems for communicating health risk. This paper documents the proceedings of the expert panel and participant discussion held during the workshop.
Colon and rectal cancer incidence and water trihalomethane concentrations in New South Wales, Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-06-2014
A Comparison of the Health Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter Air Pollution from Five Emission Sources
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-06-2018
Differential inflammatory and toxic effects in-vitro of wood smoke and traffic-related particulate matter from Sydney, Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Satellite-Based Land-Use Regression for Continental-Scale Long-Term Ambient PM 2.5 Exposure Assessment in Australia
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 02-10-2018
Abstract: Australia has relatively erse sources and low concentrations of ambient fine particulate matter (<2.5 μm, PM
All-cause mortality and long-term exposure to low level air pollution in the ‘45 and up study’ cohort, Sydney, Australia, 2006–2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2019.02.044
Abstract: Epidemiological studies show that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution reduces life expectancy. Most studies have been in environments with relatively high concentrations such as North America, Europe and Asia. Associations at the lower end of the concentration-response function are not well defined. We assessed associations between all-cause mortality and exposure to annual average particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM The '45 and Up Study' comprises a prospective longitudinal cohort from the state of New South Wales, Australia with 266,969 participants linked to death registry data. We analyzed data for the participants who resided in Sydney at baseline questionnaire (n = 75,268). Exposures to long-term pollution were estimated using annual averages from a chemical transport model (PM In our cohort mean annual PM We found evidence that low-level air pollution exposure was associated with increased risk of mortality in this cohort of adults aged 45 years and over, even at the relatively low concentrations seen in Sydney. However, a clear determination of the association with mortality is difficult because the results were sensitive to some covariates. Our findings are supportive of emerging evidence that exposure to low levels of air pollution reduces life expectancy.
Disinfection by-products in drinking water and colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-02-2010
DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYP371
Abstract: There is inconclusive evidence from observational studies that disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water are associated with colorectal cancer. A literature search, without language or time limits, was performed to identify relevant case-control and cohort studies. Separate risk estimates for colon and rectal cancer were extracted from studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Relative risks (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) comparing the highest exposure category with the lowest were pooled using random effects methods. A total of 13 studies (3 cohort and 10 case-control) were analysed. For colon cancer, the pooled RR estimates were 1.11 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-1.70] for cohort studies, 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12-1.57) for case-control studies and 1.27 (95% CI: 1.08-1.50) combining both study types. For rectal cancer, the corresponding RR estimates were 0.88 (0.57-1.35), 1.40 (1.15-1.70) and 1.30 (1.06-1.59). Sensitivity analysis showed these results were not importantly influenced by any single study. Publication bias was not evident for the colon cancer analysis but may have been a minor issue for the rectal cancer analysis. The results for rectal cancer may have been influenced by the quality of the studies. The study findings provide limited evidence of a positive association between colorectal cancer and exposure to DBPs in drinking water. The small number of studies and limitations in study quality prevent causal inference.
Neighbourhood walkability, road density and socio-economic status in Sydney, Australia
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-04-2016
Waste-to-Energy processes: what is the impact on air pollutants and health?
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 19-04-2019
Effects of tap water processing on the concentration of disinfection by-products
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 26-04-2011
DOI: 10.2166/WH.2011.155
Abstract: Aim: This study examined the effects on disinfection by-product (DBP) concentrations of common household methods for processing drinking water. Methods: We investigated the effects of refrigerator storage, jug filtering, boiling in an electric kettle, and supply from an instant boiling water unit, with or without filtering, on four species of trihalomethanes (THMs) and nine species of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in water ready for consumption in Sydney, Australia. Water s les were processed in such a way as to simulate real life conditions for drinking filtered water or hot water drinks prepared from tap water drawn from public water supply systems. Results: There was a large reduction in total THMs in kettle-boiled water, instant boiled water, jug-filtered water and instant boiled-filtered water (reductions of 85.8, 93.5, 92.6 and 87.8% of their concentration in tap water respectively). Refrigerator storage did not appear to have a consequential effect on THMs or HAAs. Jug-filtering and instant boiling and filtering resulted in large decreases (77–94%) in all species of HAAs in tap water. Conclusion: This study suggests that different methods of processing tap water can change DBP concentration to an extent that would have a meaningful impact on exposure assessment in epidemiological studies.
Comparison of model estimates from an intra-city land use regression model with a national satellite-LUR and a regional Bayesian Maximum Entropy model, in estimating NO2 for a birth cohort in Sydney,
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2019.03.068
Abstract: Methods for estimating air pollutant exposures for epidemiological studies are becoming more complex in an effort to minimise exposure error and its associated bias. While land use regression (LUR) modelling is now an established method, there has been little comparison between LUR and other recent, more complex estimation methods. Our aim was to develop a LUR model to estimate intra-city exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO Satellite-based LUR and BME estimates were obtained using existing models. We used methods consistent with the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) methodology to develop LUR models for NO The NO Our LUR models explained a high degree of spatial variability in annual mean NO
Associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and Parkinson's disease prevalence: A cross-sectional study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUINT.2019.104615
Abstract: Epidemiological studies have reported contradictory results regarding the effects of ambient air pollution on Parkinson's disease (PD). This study investigated the associations between long-term exposure to particulate matter <2.5 μm in diameter (PM We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of long-term exposure to PM Among the 236,390 participants with complete data, 1,428 (0.6%) reported physician-diagnosed PD. Annual mean PM Overall, we found limited evidence of associations between long-term exposure to NO
Weighted Road Density and Allergic Disease in Children at High Risk of Developing Asthma
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-06-2014
Validation of a Spatiotemporal Land Use Regression Model Incorporating Fixed Site Monitors
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 06-12-2010
DOI: 10.1021/ES100683T
Abstract: Land use regression (LUR) has been widely adopted as a method of describing spatial variation in air pollutants however, traditional LUR methods are not suitable for characterizing short-term or time-variable exposures. Our aim was to develop and validate a spatiotemporal LUR model for use in epidemiological studies examining health effects attributable to time-variable air pollution exposures. A network of 42 NO(2) passive s lers was deployed for 12 two week periods over three years. A mixed effects model was tested using a combination of spatial predictors, and readings from fixed site continuous monitors, in order to predict NO(2) values for any two week period over three years in the defined study area. The final model, including terms based on traffic density at 50 and 150 m, population density within 500 m, commercial land use area within 750 m, and NO(2) concentrations at a central fixed site monitor, explained over 80% of the overall variation in NO(2) concentrations. We suggest that such a model can be used to study the association between variable air pollutant exposures and health effects in epidemiological studies.
A randomised cross-over cohort study of exposure to emissions from a road tunnel ventilation stack
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 2012
Independent Validation of National Satellite-Based Land-Use Regression Models for Nitrogen Dioxide Using Passive Samplers
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 04-11-2016
Abstract: Including satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO
Childhood fish oil supplementation modifies associations between traffic related air pollution and allergic sensitisation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-03-2018
Spatio-temporal variation in trihalomethanes in New South Wales
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2011.08.045
Abstract: This paper describes the spatio-temporal variation of trihalomethanes in drinking water in New South Wales, Australia from 1997 to 2007 We obtained data on trihalomethanes (THMs) from two metropolitan and 13 rural water utilities and conducted a descriptive analysis of the spatial and temporal trends in THMs and the influence of season and drought. Concetrations of monthly THMs in the two metropolitan water utilities of Sydney/Illawarra (mean 66.8 μg/L) and Hunter (mean 62.7 μg/L) were similar compared to the considerable variation between rural water utilities (range in mean THMs: 14.5-330.7 μg/L). Chloroform was the predominate THM in two-thirds of the rural water utilities. Higher concentrations of THMs were found in chlorinated water distribution systems compared to chloraminated systems, and in distribution systems sourced from surface water compared to ground water or mixed surface and ground water. Ground water sourced supplies had a greater proportion of brominated THMs than surface water sourced supplies. There was substantial variation in concentration of THMs between seasons and between periods of drought or no drought. There was a moderate correlation between heavy rainfall and elevated concentrations of THMs. There is considerable spatial and temporal variation in THMs amongst New South Wales water utilities and these variations are likely related to water source, treatment processes, catchments, drought and seasonal factors.
Cohort profile
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 25-05-2018
DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYY078
Understanding fatal older road user crash circumstances and risk factors
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-02-2018
DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2018.1426911
Abstract: This study used medicolegal data to investigate fatal older road user (ORU) crash circumstances and risk factors relating to four key components of the Safe System approach (e.g., roads and roadsides, vehicles, road users, and speeds) to identify areas of priority for targeted prevention activity. The Coroners Court of Victoria's Surveillance Database was searched to identify coronial records with at least one deceased ORU in the state of Victoria, Australia, for 2013-2014. Information relating to the ORU, crash characteristics and circumstances, and risk factors was extracted and analyzed. The average rate of fatal ORU crashes per 100,000 population was 8.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.0-10.2), which was more than double the average rate of fatal middle-aged road user crashes (3.6, 95% CI 2.5-4.6). There was a significant relationship between age group and deceased road user type (χ Road user error was the most significant risk factor identified in fatal ORU crashes, which suggests that there is a limited capacity of the Victorian road system to fully accommodate road user errors. Initiatives related to safer roads and roadsides, vehicles, and speed zones, as well as behavioral approaches, are key areas of priority for targeted activity to prevent fatal older road user crashes in the future.
Weighted road density: A simple way of assigning traffic-related air pollution exposure
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2009
A Clean Air Plan for Sydney: An Overview of the Special Issue on Air Quality in New South Wales
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-12-2019
Abstract: This paper presents a summary of the key findings of the special issue of Atmosphere on Air Quality in New South Wales and discusses the implications of the work for policy makers and in iduals. This special edition presents new air quality research in Australia undertaken by (or in association with) the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes hub, which is funded by the National Environmental Science Program on behalf of the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Energy. Air pollution in Australian cities is generally low, with typical concentrations of key pollutants at much lower levels than experienced in comparable cities in many other parts of the world. Australian cities do experience occasional exceedances in ozone and PM2.5 (above air pollution guidelines), as well as extreme pollution events, often as a result of bushfires, dust storms, or heatwaves. Even in the absence of extreme events, natural emissions play a significant role in influencing the Australian urban environment, due to the remoteness from large regional anthropogenic emission sources. By studying air quality in Australia, we can gain a greater understanding of the underlying atmospheric chemistry and health risks in less polluted atmospheric environments, and the health benefits of continued reduction in air pollution. These conditions may be representative of future air quality scenarios for parts of the Northern Hemisphere, as legislation and cleaner technologies reduce anthropogenic air pollution in European, American, and Asian cities. However, in many instances, current legislation regarding emissions in Australia is significantly more lax than in other developed countries, making Australia vulnerable to worsening air pollution in association with future population growth. The need to avoid complacency is highlighted by recent epidemiological research, reporting associations between air pollution and adverse health outcomes even at air pollutant concentrations that are lower than Australia’s national air quality standards. Improving air quality is expected to improve health outcomes at any pollution level, with specific benefits projected for reductions in long-term exposure to average PM2.5 concentrations.
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Related Funding Activities
No related grants have been discovered for Christine Cowie.