Ministry of Environmental Protection

Exposure to air pollution is considered the most significant environmental risk factor to human health. Updates in epidemiological studies in recent years provided the scientific evidence for the World Health Organization (WHO)’s air quality guidelines in 2021, allowing an update to the quantitative calculation of premature death (PD) from air pollution. This study examines the impact of air pollution on public health in Israel, focusing on PD and years of life lost (YLL) associated with exposure to PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) and compares them to findings from 41 European countries. Applying the latest WHO air quality guidelines and incorporating census tract level demographic with age and gender separation, the study reveals the significant burden of air pollution in Israel. Between 2015 and 2023, a total of 4,461–6,166 PD per year are calculated from ambient exposure to the three pollutants, and the number of YLL ranges between 46,216 − 65,289 per year. PD and YLL are higher for males compared to females for most age groups except for 85 and over and infants under 1 year. An increase in PD and YLL is seen with age, except for infants under 1 year having the highest YLL. Israel experiences lower rates of PD and YLL compared to European nations with similar pollutant concentrations. This difference is largely attributed to Israel’s younger population. The findings underscore the importance of continued air quality improvements to protect public health in Israel.

A biowaiver generally refers to the request to waive an in vivo bioequivalence study. A biowaiver may be granted not only based on the Biopharmaceutics Classifications System (BCS) but also for many immediate-release dosage forms based on pre-defined criteria. The current paper summarises the results from a survey of the biowaiver requirements for cutaneous/topical products (topical solutions, gels, suspensions, ointments, and creams), ear/otic and ophthalmic solutions and suspensions, enemas in solution and suspension, and vaginal solid dosage forms and suppositories defined by the participants of the Bioequivalence Working Group for Generics (BEWGG) of the International Pharmaceutical Regulators Programme (IPRP). A review of the results from the survey indicates that there is a trend towards convergence when the dosage forms are less complex; however, the most common approach used by each of the participants was a case-by-case approach given that most participants do not have well-defined guidelines to support all possible scenarios. Notwithstanding the differences, disseminating information is the first step towards regulatory convergence regarding biowaivers for certain dosage forms and will be useful for pharmaceutical companies currently developing generic medicinal products for countries represented by IPRP participants.

In volatile, conflict-affected regions, rapidly mapping asbestos-cement rooftops is critical to mitigate health risks from airborne fibres. Over a 4-month field campaign (Nov 2023–Apr 2024), we partnered with the Israel Space Agency and Ministry of Environmental Protection to acquire disturbance-free field spectra at multiple Kibbutzim, Moshavim and cities, using an ASD FieldSpec 4 High-Res with both the SoilPro® apparatus and contact probe to build a comprehensive spectral library (Sup Figs. 5–14). Leveraging EnMAP Level 2A hyperspectral imagery (17 May 2024), we applied MNF noise reduction, precise co-registration, and cloud/shadow masking before executing eight supervised classifiers; Linear Spectral Unmixing, Support Vector Machine, Spectral Angle Mapper, Adaptive Coherence Estimator, Mahalanobis Distance, Maximum Likelihood, Spectral Information Divergence, and Matched Filtering, in an iterative filtering cascade. Exhaustive ground-truth surveys across villages and cities achieved an 86% positive match rate despite urban complexity and security-driven coordinate restrictions. This integrative workflow combining rigorous field calibration, multi-algorithm spectral filtering, and exhaustive validation, demonstrates that orbit-based hyperspectral data can reliably map asbestos hazards at scale, guiding timely emergency response and long-term remediation in high-risk settings.

We aim to assess the modification effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels on relationships between long-term air pollutants exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk. A total of 82,706 nonsmokers were finally included in the UK Biobank. The concentrations of circulating omega-3 PUFA (including total omega-3 and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) were measured by using a targeted high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics platform. Land-use regression models were used to estimate concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) for each individual. Additionally, systemic inflammation levels were assessed using the low-grade inflammation score (INFLA-score) to elucidate the potential mechanism. We noted that the observed effects could be modified by circulating omega-3 PUFA levels (P-interaction < 0.05). Specifically, the significant pollutants-COPD associations were mainly observed in the lower circulating omega-3 PUFA groups. In contrast, there was no statistical evidence for increased COPD risk associated with air pollutants in subjects with higher circulating omega-3 PUFA. Mediation analysis further indicated that circulating omega-3 PUFA modified the air pollution-associated COPD risk might partly by reducing systemic inflammation. In summary, circulating omega-3 PUFA may provide protection against the COPD risk caused by long-term exposure to air pollutants.

Over 40% of amphibian species are threatened, urbanization being a major threat to their survival. Conservation efforts to sustain viable amphibian populations within urban spaces may play a meaningful part in protecting amphibian species. To explore

Atribacteria play an important role in global carbon cycling. Little is known, however, about the Atribacteria communities found inalpine lakes. The presence and diversity of Atribacteria in the sediment core of alpine Sayram lake in China were investigated usingIllumina MiSeq sequencing in this study. According to the findings, Atribacteria affiliated with JS1 were dominant in the sediment coreof Sayram Lake, with a relative abundance of 0.19 to 10% (average 3.75%) of all bacterial sequences. Furthermore, the relativeabundance of Atribacteria associated with JS1 increased with sediment depth. As a result, this study significantly contributes to ourunderstanding of Atribacteria community habitat.

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