Journal of Environmental Systems and Sustainability - Articles
Browse published articles from Journal of Environmental Systems and Sustainability
Banerjee, R., Nakamura, M.
Understanding peatland restoration is of central importance, yet existing approaches rely on restrictive assumptions. In contrast to earlier studies, our approach accounts for heterogeneity and avoids the usual simplifying assumptions. We find that restoration effects emerged only after the first decade. We find that land use explained more variance than climate. The analysis uses a combination of rigorous arguments and extensive numerical or empirical checks. We discuss limitations of the present study and outline how the methods can be extended.
Climate adaptation and peatland restoration
Banerjee, R., Nakamura, M.
Understanding peatland restoration is of central importance, yet existing approaches rely on restrictive assumptions. In contrast to earlier studies, our approach accounts for heterogeneity and avoids the usual simplifying assumptions. We find that restoration effects emerged only after the first decade. We find that land use explained more variance than climate. The analysis uses a combination of rigorous arguments and extensive numerical or empirical checks. We discuss limitations of the present study and outline how the methods can be extended.
Patel, O., Edwards, J., Kucharska-Newton, A., Whitsel, E., Christenbury, K., Jackson II, W., Lawrence, K., Stewart, P., Stenzel, M., Engel, L., Sandler, D.
Background While several studies have found positive associations between exposure to oil spill cleanup-related chemicals and hypertension, no study has examined these associations longitudinally. Objective This study examined associations of oil spill-related benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and n-hexane (BTEX-H) exposures, individually and as both the aggregate sum (total) of BTEX-H and the BTEX-H mixture with incident hypertension among Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) Study participants. Methods Participants were 18,619 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill cleanup and response workers who enrolled in the GuLF Study (2011–2013). Cumulative exposures to each BTEX-H chemical were estimated with a job-exposure matrix linking detailed self-reported DWH participant work histories to exposure group estimates developed from air monitoring data. We defined incident hypertension as the first self-reported physician diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure after each worker’s last date of cleanup work, as reported at enrollment or a follow-up interview (2013–2016 or 2017–2021). We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We used quantile g-computation to estimate the joint effect of the BTEX-H mixture. Results Approximately 20% (n = 3,779) of workers reported an incident hypertension diagnosis. Exposures to the individual BTEX-H chemicals were highly correlated (r = 0.87–0.95). The HRs comparing the highest to lowest quartiles of individual BTEX-H and total BTEX-H exposures ranged from 1.27 to 1.35. We found evidence of exposure-response trends across increasing quartiles of exposure. Each one quartile increase in the BTEX-H mixture was positively associated with incident hypertension (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.14). Discussion Oil spill cleanup work-related BTEX-H exposures were associated with the risk of incident hypertension, extending prior findings of cross-sectional associations. Since BTEX-H exposures are common in occupational and population settings, these findings may have broader public health implications. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12940-025-01253-9.
Association of oil spill cleanup-related hydrocarbon exposure with incident hypertension up to 11 years after exposure in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study
Patel, O., Edwards, J., Kucharska-Newton, A., Whitsel, E., Christenbury, K., Jackson II, W., Lawrence, K., Stewart, P., Stenzel, M., Engel, L., Sandler, D.
Background While several studies have found positive associations between exposure to oil spill cleanup-related chemicals and hypertension, no study has examined these associations longitudinally. Objective This study examined associations of oil spill-related benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and n-hexane (BTEX-H) exposures, individually and as both the aggregate sum (total) of BTEX-H and the BTEX-H mixture with incident hypertension among Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) Study participants. Methods Participants were 18,619 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill cleanup and response workers who enrolled in the GuLF Study (2011–2013). Cumulative exposures to each BTEX-H chemical were estimated with a job-exposure matrix linking detailed self-reported DWH participant work histories to exposure group estimates developed from air monitoring data. We defined incident hypertension as the first self-reported physician diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure after each worker’s last date of cleanup work, as reported at enrollment or a follow-up interview (2013–2016 or 2017–2021). We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We used quantile g-computation to estimate the joint effect of the BTEX-H mixture. Results Approximately 20% (n = 3,779) of workers reported an incident hypertension diagnosis. Exposures to the individual BTEX-H chemicals were highly correlated (r = 0.87–0.95). The HRs comparing the highest to lowest quartiles of individual BTEX-H and total BTEX-H exposures ranged from 1.27 to 1.35. We found evidence of exposure-response trends across increasing quartiles of exposure. Each one quartile increase in the BTEX-H mixture was positively associated with incident hypertension (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.14). Discussion Oil spill cleanup work-related BTEX-H exposures were associated with the risk of incident hypertension, extending prior findings of cross-sectional associations. Since BTEX-H exposures are common in occupational and population settings, these findings may have broader public health implications. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12940-025-01253-9.