Modeling of carbonaceous aerosols for air pollution health impact studies in Europe
AbstractAir pollution from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with various health implications that can lead to increased morbidity and excess mortality. Epidemiological and toxicological studies have shown that carbonaceous particles (black carbon and organic aerosols) may be more hazardous to human health than inorganic ones. Health impact studies and emission reduction policies are based on total PM2.5 concentration without differentiating the more harmful components. In such assessments, PM2.5 and their sub-component concentrations are usually modeled with air quality models. Organic aerosols have been...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 16, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Health, environment, and sustainable development: evidence from panel data from ASEAN countries
This study uses a health expenditure approach and data from a panel of seven ASEAN countries from 1995 to 2020 within the health production function framework. The method of fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) is implemented to estimate the long-run parameters and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin (Econ Model 29:1450 –1460, 2012) test for the direction of causality. The empirical results reveal that high CO2 emissions raise health expenditure as do inflation and unemployment rate. While rising income makes higher healthcare costs affordable, this fact might persuade policymakers to adopt measures to cut CO2 to improve huma...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 15, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
How do emission reductions of individual national and local measures impact street-level air quality in a neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain?
AbstractThis paper aims to assess the impact of individual measures for NOx emission reduction on NO2 concentrations at very high spatial resolution in an urban district of Madrid City (Spain). A methodology based on a set of Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations for 16 meteorological scenarios combined with the CHIMERE model for background pollution is used to obtain annual NO2 concentration maps. Two scenarios included in the Spanish National Air Pollution Control Programme are investigated: NOx emission reductions from the installation of more efficient boilers for domestic heating (ECOBOIL) and from the partly subst...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 14, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Revisiting dry deposition modelling of particulate matter on vegetation at the microscale
This study presents dry deposition experiments on real grownHedera helix in a wind tunnel setup with wind speeds from 1 to 4 m s\(^{-1}\) and PM consisting of a mixture of soot (0.02 - 0.2\(\upmu \)m) and dust particles (0.3 - 10\(\upmu \)m). Significant factors determining the collection efficiency (%) were particle diameter and wind speed, but relative air humidity and the type of PM (soot or dust) did not have a significant influence. Zhang ’s model outperformed Petroff’s model for particles< 0.3\(\upmu \)m, however the inclusion of turbulent impaction in Petroff ’s model resulted in better agreement with the m...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 14, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Exploring nanoparticle emissions and size distributions during incense burning and filtration in an indoor space
AbstractIndoor air pollution is a critical health issue. We studied particle emissions, concentration changes and size distribution mechanisms using an indoor space with air quality monitors, incense stick burning, and ventilation. Temporal changes in the concentrations of particles with sizes of 10 nm to 10 µm were monitored. Our findings show that particles affecting particle number concentration (PNC) were mainly in the Aitken mode (50–100 nm) and accumulation mode I (100–200 nm). Particle surface area concentration (PAC) was primarily in the 100–300 nm range, while particle vol ume concentration (PVC) was ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 13, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Aerosol characterization in a Central-West site of Brazil: influence of farming activities and toxicity
AbstractThe Central-West region of Brazil presents three important and large ecosystems: the Amazon, theCerrado, and thePantanal biomes. Different anthropogenic activities (e.g., biomass burning and land use) affect this area, emitting particulate matter (PM) that can be transported to urban sites, adding to the local vehicular sources. Sampling of atmospheric particulate material with a size less than and equal to 10 μm (PM10) was carried out in the medium-sized city of Cuiab á (Brazil), between 2008 and 2014. The maximum concentrations of PM10 were found in the dry season, surpassing the recommended levels by the World...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 13, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of fine particulate matter (PM2.5): a polluted city experiencing Middle East dust events
In this study, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of water-soluble and organic fraction of ambient air PM2.5 of Isfahan city, Iran, were evaluated using the MTT and comet assay, respectively. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as important toxic agents of organic fraction of particles were also determined. The results showed that both fraction of PM2.5 especially organic fraction induce cytotoxic and genotoxic effects at tested concentrations. Analysis of PAHs showed a concentration of 1.5 –18.6 ng/m3 of total PAHs and 0.99 –11.2 ng/m3 for carcinogenic PAHs, respectively, with an important role on...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 13, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Traffic influenced respiratory deposition of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over Dhaka, Bangladesh: regional transport, source apportionment, and risk assessment
In this study, we investigated the airway deposition of PM2.5- and PM10-bound 16 USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) designated priority PAHs, their potential sources, and associated health risk. The samples were collected over seven high-traffic congestion areas in Dhaka during the monsoon (June –September 2021) and winter (December–February 2022) seasons and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The winter season exhibited 2.7 and 2.3 times more PM2.5- and PM10-bound PAHs than the monsoon. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) identified vehicular emissions as the primary PA...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 8, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Impact of dust transport events on PM10 concentrations on the western coasts of Turkey: a case of April 2022
This study aims to reveal the impact of dust transport events on PM10 concentrations on the western coast of Turkey (26 –28 E, 37–41 N) during April 2022. Another purpose of this study is to suggest a proper location for the monitoring station to observe dust transport. Daily measurements of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor onboard Terra and Aqua sa tellites were examined for dust transport from the Sahara Desert. Three dust events (AOD > 0.5) were detected on the 1st, 5th, and 22nd days of April 2022 according to Terra MODIS data. The impact of t...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 8, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Non-negligible contribution of high-level volatile sulphur compounds to ozone photochemical formation in an industry zone in the North China Plain
This study presents direct evidence that high concentrations of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) accelerate the photochemical production of O3. We analysed three high O3 cases (Cases I, II, and III) in which the O3 concentrations were high but the compositions of O3 precursors differed. An analysis of the O3 precursors and the magnitudes of the associated ROx (ROx = ·OH + ·HO2 + ·RO2) reactivities amongst three cases revealed that VSCs may play an important role in O3 production. Case I showed high loadings of VSCs, mainly dimethyl sulphide (DMS), and the simulated diurnal average concentration of radicals...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - December 8, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Characteristics of air pollution variation and potential source contributions of typical megacities in the Sichuan Basin, Southwest China
This study excavated the pollution variation of PM2.5 and O3 from 2014 to 2020 through statistical analysis in the megacity-Chengdu. Then, based on backward trajectory calculation and trajectory clustering, the long-term air mass transport pathways were explored, and the Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) model and Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT) analysis method were combined to further quantitatively identify the potential source areas affecting PM2.5 and O3 from an annual perspective. Finally, suggestions and measures for synergistic control of O3 and PM2.5 are put forward. The results showed that the ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - November 30, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Drivers of divergent trends in tropospheric ozone hotspots in Spain, 2008 –2019
This study aimed to investigate the causes of contrasting ozone (O3) trends in Spanish O3 hotspots between 2008 and 2019, as documented in recent studies. The analysis involved data on key O3 precursors, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), among other species, along with meteorological parameters associated with O3. The dataset comprised ground-level and satellite observations, emissions inventory estimates, and meteorological reanalysis.The results suggest that the increasing O3 trends observed in the Madrid area were mostly due to major decreases in NOx emissions from the road transport...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - November 28, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Heavy metal pollution in indoor dust of residential, commercial, and industrial areas: a review of evolutionary trends
This study ’s exploration of HMs in indoor dust provides explicit content and trends, offering valuable insights for researchers delving into this field. It not only suggests remedial measures but also contributes to the development of forecasting models. (Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health)
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - November 28, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs, and halogenated-PAHs in Shanxi, China
AbstractEmerging pollutants, nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs), and halogenated PAHs (HPAHs), in atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in four cities (Taiyuan, Yangquan, Changzhi, and Jincheng) during the non-heating and heating periods of Shanxi province, China, in 2020, were monitored to investigate their pollution characteristics and potential health risk. The exposure levels of PM2.5-bound ∑16PAHs, ∑13NPAHs, ∑6ClPAHs, and ∑7BrPAHs during the heating period ascended compared to the non-heating period. 2N-Nap, 1N-Nap, 2N-Fle, and 9N-Phe were primary monomers in NPAHs with higher concentrations,...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - November 25, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
GIS-based analysis of the spatial distribution of CO2 emissions and slow steaming effectiveness in coastal shipping
In this study, the Greek Coastal Shipping Network (GCSN) is considered, with its emissions estimated using a top-down method, creating a spatia l emission inventory used for further spatial analysis for accurate identification of highly polluted areas. Results indicate that ship emissions do not spread homogeneously throughout the GCSN and that targeted interventions are necessary in several areas of the network. The effectiveness of spatia lly related slow steaming implementations is evaluated and compared with their implementation on the whole network. The study highlights the need for additional future emission mitigati...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - November 24, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
