A review on atmospheric volatile halogenated hydrocarbons in China: ambient levels, trends and human health risks
AbstractStrict control measures on atmospheric volatile halogenated hydrocarbons (VHCs) have been taken in China over the past decades to protect the ozone layer, combat climate change, and protect human health and natural ecosystem. It is necessary to obtain overall understanding of the atmospheric dispersion characteristics and human health risks of VHCs in order to provide scientific support for further effective control in China. This paper investigated the reasons for the variations of VHCs in the urban areas in China from 2001 to 2020 based on literature review and collation, and also evaluated the human health risk ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 17, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Toluene removal by pine cone/compost biofilter: determination of kinetic/operational parameters and substrate inhibitory effect
In this study, biodegradation kinetic parameters and substrate inhibitory effect of toluene in pine cone/compost biofilter were investigated. The experiments were carried out at different flow rates (6.66, 9.6, and 12.5 L/min) and various concentrations of toluene (20, 70, 130, 180, 220, and 250 ppm). The removal efficiency in all phases reached 100% in the final port. As the concentration of toluene was increased to 250 ppm, the pressure drop was non-linearly increased. A maximum elimination capacity of 24.875 gm−3h−1 was achieved. The biofilm thickness was theoretically calculated to be 80 μm. The experimental resul...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 17, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
The sensitivity of health impact assessments of PM2.5 from South African coal-fired power stations
AbstractUnabated emissions of precursor gases from coal-fired power stations in South Africa greatly contribute to ambient PM2.5 concentration in the region, but estimates of the number of associated premature mortalities vary vastly. The application of the exposure-response function is one of the reasons for the differences in estimates of premature mortalities; since the relationship between mortality and PM2.5 exposure flattens out at higher PM2.5 concentrations, a smaller number of premature mortalities is calculated if a reduction in PM2.5 concentration occurs at the actual ambient concentration ( “avoidable deathsâ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 17, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Is poor air quality in day-care centres ’ affecting our children’s health? A study of indoor air quality in childcare facilities located in Perth, Western Australia
AbstractPoor indoor air quality (IAQ) can adversely affect children ’s health; however, limited studies have quantified indoor air pollutants in day-care centres (DCCs) where infants and young children are increasingly spending more time from a younger age. The aim of this study was to investigate seasonal IAQ in Western Australian childcare facilities at both hea vy traffic and low traffic locations. In 22 centres, total volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, particulate matter (PM) measured in six size fractions (total PM, PM10, PM4, PM2.5, PM1, ultrafine partic...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 16, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Factors driving changes in surface ozone in 44 coastal cities in China
AbstractSurface ozone (O3) pollution is an important environmental problem in China. We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the influence of meteorological factors and emissions on O3 concentrations in 44 coastal cities in China. A Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter was used to decompose the maximum daily average 8-h O3 concentrations (MDA8 O3) into components on different timescales in the coastal cities. It revealed that O3 concentrations in 44 coastal cities increased from 2015 to 2019 and decreased by 4.0% in 2020. The short-term (O3ST), seasonal (O3SN), and long-term components (O3LT) of MDA8 O3 contributed 28...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 16, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Assessments of the WRF model in simulating 2021 extreme rainfall episode in Malaysia
AbstractAn episode of extreme monsoonal flood event has severely affected the East and West coast of Peninsular Malaysia from 16th to 18th December 2021. The extreme rainfall was documented to be associated to Tropical Depression 29 and Typhoon Rai. In addition, biomass burning aerosols were suspected to be capable of intensifying the precipitation. Thus, the main causes of this extreme event are studied with model evaluation being carried out with biomass burning as one of the possible reasons and variables. From the sensitivity analysis on the PBL scheme for the model physics, QNSE scheme is tested to be the best scheme ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 14, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Environmental regulatory competition and haze pollution: beggar thy neighbor or benefit thy neighbor?
AbstractEffective implementation of environmental regulation is of great significance for China to comprehensively win the battle against pollution. Accordingly, based on the panel data of 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2017 to 2019, this paper constructs a two-regime spatial Durbin model to test the form of environmental regulatory competition between local governments. Furthermore, a spatial lag of the X (SLX) model is constructed to discuss the influence of environmental regulatory competition on haze pollution from the perspective of local and neighborhood effects. The findings indicate that there are asymme...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 6, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Long-range transport and microscopy analysis of Sangay volcanic ashes in Ecuador
This study aims to conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of the long-range transportation of volcanic ashes that originates from the eruption of the Sangay volcano and reached Guayaquil during the months of June 2020; September 2020; and April 2021. The particulate matter data (PM2.5) was obtained using a low-cost air quality sensor. During the wet season of 2020 (Jan –May), PM2.5 average concentrations were 6 ± 2 μg m−3 while during the dry season of 2020 (July –Nov), PM2.5 average concentrations were 16 ± 3 μg m−3 in Guayaquil. The most prominent plumes occurred on September 20th of 2020, a month with no rain but...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 4, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
An investigation of nighttime variability in air quality of Naples (Italy) using wavelet coherence
AbstractThere exists a huge gape in the accurate assessment of nighttime air quality of metropolitan cities. So, in this article, we used Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) data from May 16, 2016, to April 30, 2023, to access the nighttime variability of air quality over Naples (Italy). Maximum value (0.26) of aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed during June is because of relative increase in temperature that causes the scattering of pollutants. High value (1.47) of Angstrom exponent (AE) during January indicates the dominance of fine mode particles. Maximum value of precipitable wat...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - October 4, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Black carbon concentrations, sources, and health risks at six cities in Mississippi, USA
AbstractBlack carbon (BC) in ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was measured for 15  months (Sept 2013–Dec 2014) at six locations throughout the state of Mississippi, USA, to investigate the distribution, temporal variations, potential sources, and health risks of BC. Sampling sites were divided into two groups based on population: large cities (Gulfport, Hattiesburg, and Jackso n) and small cities (Grenada, Hernando, and Pascagoula). The mean concentration of BC was higher in large cities compared to small (mean ranges of 1.55 to 2.04 µg m−3 in large cities and 1.01 to 1.73  µg m−3 in small cities) and a...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 30, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Investigation of indoor air quality and pulmonary function status among power loom industry workers in Tamil Nadu, South India
AbstractThe present study aimed to evaluate the effect of particulate matters and gaseous pollutant present in the power loom textile industry which causes the respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, and its associated factors among power loom workers in Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 159 (97 exposed and 62 unexposed) respondents were included in this study. A modified British Medical Research Council questionnaire and spirometry were employed to assess the occupational-related respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function. Odd ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) andp values ≤ 0.05 were used to identify the var...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 30, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Evaluating emission sources of ambient PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their potential health risks for residents at an urban location in Northern Taiwan
In this study, ambient PM2.5-bound PAHs were quantified using an in-injection port thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) system, and diagnostic ratios (DR) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were applied to identify the local potential emission sources of PAHs during the good air quality season at an urban site in northern Taiwan. The concentrations of PM2.5 and total PAHs were 9.3  ± 3.4 µg/m3 and 0.6086  ± 0.2901 ng/m3, respectively. Results obtained from the DR analysis and PMF model indicated the main emission sources of the PM2.5-bound PAHs included traffic emissions (47....
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 29, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Atmospheric quality through analysis of dry and wet deposition at selected locations in Kandy and Gampaha districts of Sri Lanka
The objective of the study was to quantitatively determine rainwater quality parameters, using standard procedures, in selected areas of Sri Lanka. Analysis of weekly sampling of bulk deposition in three sampling sites in Divulapitiya, Kandy, and University of Peradeniya (UOP) of Sri Lanka performed for a period of 24  weeks from 08th of February 2022 to 19th of July 2022 indicated that the three sites had 16.7%, 8.7%, and 8.3% dry-only depositions, respectively; with rainfall levels of 30.2 ± 37.4 mm, 30.6 ± 32.6 mm, and 33.7 ± 39.8 mm; and volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH values of 6.23, 6.29, a nd 6.47, ...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 29, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Risk assessment and estimation of controlling safe distance for exposure to particulate matter from outdoor secondhand tobacco smoke
In this study, we investigated the emission and diffusion of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), along with black carbon, from smoking different kinds of cigarettes, including conventional cigarettes, heating e-cigarettes, and liquid e-cigarettes, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The results were used to evaluate the risk of passive exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 at different distances from the smoker for the general population and 6 –10-year-old children. Results of the risk analysis were compared by considering the accumulated mortality ratio caused by cancer, and circulatory and respiratory systems diso...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 28, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
Spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of air quality based on EWM-LSTM model: A case study of Sichuan Province, China
In this study, air quality data from Sichuan Province, China were collected from March 2015 to March 2020. EWM algorithm was used to determine the weights of factors that affect air quality such as PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, NO2, O3, monthly average precipitation, and relative humidity. EWM-BP, EWM-RNN, EWM-GRU and EWM-LSTM air quality information entropy prediction models were constructed based on the data from Sichuan Province. The accuracy of the models was evaluated using RMSE, MAE, MAPE and r (correlation coefficient) as the parameters. The spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of Sichuan air quality information entrop...
Source: Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health - September 28, 2023 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research
