scholarly journals Comparison of diffusion tube–measured nitrogen dioxide concentrations at child and adult breathing heights: who are we monitoring for?

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Alex Rowell ◽  
Michael E. Terry ◽  
Michael E. Deary

AbstractMany towns and cities use passive samplers (diffusion tubes) to monitor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration. However, literature studies have shown large horizontal and vertical concentration gradients for diffusion tubes placed over short distances, raising concerns over the representativeness of monitoring locations. This study examines variations in NO2 concentrations with height at two roadside locations along a busy urban road in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) over an 8-month period. NO2 concentrations were passively monitored at building facades (approximately 7.0 m from the roadside) at heights of 0.7 m, 1.7 m and 2.7 m to replicate child breathing height in prams and buggies, adult breathing height and the Newcastle City Council sampling height (for 2017), respectively. Paired t tests indicated that NO2 concentrations were significantly lower at 2.7 m (4.7% lower, n = 16, p = 0.001) and 1.7 m (7.1% lower, n = 14, p = 0.007) compared with those at 0.7 m. There was no statistically significant difference between NO2 concentrations measured at 2.7 m and 1.7 m, indicating that UK local authority practice of placing diffusion tubes at higher than adult breathing height does not result in underreporting of NO2 concentrations for regulatory purposes. The results have clear public health implications as they provide evidence that young children, in an urban setting and close to busy roadways, may be exposed to higher NO2 concentrations compared with adults in the same location. We have shown that such differences might not be adequately reflected in the monitoring data from municipal authorities.

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 227-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Pannullo ◽  
Duncan Lee ◽  
Eugene Waclawski ◽  
Alastair H. Leyland

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaibal Mukerjee ◽  
Luther Smith ◽  
Lucas Neas ◽  
Gary Norris

Spatial analysis studies have included the application of land use regression models (LURs) for health and air quality assessments. Recent LUR studies have collected nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using passive samplers at urban air monitoring networks in El Paso and Dallas, TX, Detroit, MI, and Cleveland, OH to assess spatial variability and source influences. LURs were successfully developed to estimate pollutant concentrations throughout the study areas. Comparisons of development and predictive capabilities of LURs from these four cities are presented to address this issue of uniform application of LURs across study areas. Traffic and other urban variables were important predictors in the LURs although city-specific influences (such as border crossings) were also important. In addition, transferability of variables or LURs from one city to another may be problematic due to intercity differences and data availability or comparability. Thus, developing common predictors in future LURs may be difficult.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-475
Author(s):  
Marcel Paredes ◽  
Dayana Auqui ◽  
David Idrovo ◽  
Rafaela Viteri

Riobamba has areas with high vehicular influence. For the determination of nitrogen dioxide concentrations, passive samplers were used, which were placed at points throughout the domain. The concentrations obtained in the field were interpolated with the information generated with the model traffic emissions software, estimating the relationship between vehicular traffic and the presence of gas. Allow to know the amount of pollutants that breathe about 250 pedestrians on average in the area.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Wir-Konas ◽  
Kyung Wook Seo

Between territories: Incremental changes to the domestic spatial interface between private and public domains. Agnieszka Wir-Konas¹, Kyung Wook Seo¹ ¹Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. Newcastle City Campus, 2 Ellison Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Keywords (3-5): building-street interface, incremental change, micro-morphology, private-public boundary, territory Conference topics and scale: Urban form and social use of space   In this paper we investigate incremental changes to the relationship between private and public territory on the micro-morphological scale of the residential building-street interface. The building-street interface lies on the edge between two distinctively different spatial domains, the house and the street, and provides a buffer which may be adjusted to aid the transition from private to public territory. The structure of the space impacts both domains: it provides a fit transition from the private dwelling to the public territory, creates a space for probabilistic encounters between inhabitants and strangers, and maintains the liveability of the public street. The aim of this paper is threefold: Firstly, we recognise morphological differences in the structure of the interfaces and the way the transition from private to public territory was envisioned and designed in different societal periods. Secondly, we study incremental changes to the interface, representing individual adjustments to the private-public boundary, in order to recognize common types of adaptations to the existing structure of the interface. The history of changes to each individual building and building-street interface was traced by analysing planning applications and enforcements publicly provided by the city council. Lastly, we compare the capacity of each building-street interface to accommodate incremental change to the public-private transition. We argue that studying the incremental change of the interface and the capacity of each interface to accommodate micro-scale transformations aids in the understanding of the complex social relationship between an individual and a collective in the urban environment.   References (180 words) Conzen, M. R. G. (1960). Alnwick, Northumberland: a study in town-plan analysis. Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers) 27, iii-122. Gehl, J. (1986) ‘Soft edges in residential streets’. Scandinavian Housing and Planning Research 3(2), 89-192 Gehl, J. (2013) Cities for People (Island Press, Washington DC). Habraken, N. J. and Teicher, J. (2000) The structure of the ordinary: form and control in the built environment (MIT press, Cambridge). Hillier, B. and Hanson, J. (1984) The Social Logic of Space (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). Jacobs, J. (1961) The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Middlesex: Penguin, Harmondsworth). Lawrence, R. J. (1987) Housing, dwellings and homes: Design theory, research and practice (John Wiley, Chichester). Palaiologou, G., Griffiths, S., and Vaughan, L. (2016), ‘Reclaiming the virtual community for spatial cultures: Functional generality and cultural specificity at the interface of building and street’. Journal of Space Syntax 7(1), 25-54. Whitehand, J. W. R. and Morton, N. J. and Carr, C. M. H. (1999) ‘Urban Morphogenesis at the Microscale: How Houses Change’, Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 26(4), 503-515.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-292
Author(s):  
Brian H. Cheung ◽  
Mary P. Mercer

AbstractIntroduction:Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, and efforts have been made to develop termination of resuscitation protocols utilizing clinical criteria predictive of successful resuscitation and survival to discharge. A termination of resuscitation protocol utilizing longer resuscitation time and end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) monitoring criteria for termination was implemented for Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers in an urban prehospital system in 2017. This study examines the effect the modified termination of resuscitation protocol had on rates of patient transport to a hospital, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and survival to discharge.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed utilizing data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) database. A total of 1,005 prehospital cardiac arrest patients 18 years and older from 2016 through 2017 were included in the analysis. Patients with traumatic cardiac arrest or had valid do-not-resuscitate orders were excluded. Unadjusted analysis using chi-square statistics was performed, including an analysis stratified by Utstein style reporting. Adjusted analysis was also performed using logistic regression with multiple imputation for missing values.Results:Unadjusted analysis showed a significant decrease in ROSC on emergency department (ED) arrival (30% versus 13%; P <.001) following the change in protocol. There was no significant difference in patient transport rate (62%) and a statistically non-significant decrease in overall survival (15% versus 11%). When stratified by Utstein style analysis, statistically significant decreases in ED arrival with ROSC were seen for unwitnessed asystolic, as well as bystander witnessed asystolic, pulseless electrical activity (PEA), and shockable OHCA. Adjusted analysis showed a decreased likelihood of ROSC with the protocol change (0.337; 95% CI, 0.235-0.482).Conclusion:The modification of termination of resuscitation protocol was not associated with a statistically significant change in transport rate or survival. A significant decrease in rate of arrivals to the ED with ROSC was seen, particularly for bystander witnessed OHCA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-109
Author(s):  
Deborah Swavely ◽  
David T. O’Gurek ◽  
Veronica Whyte ◽  
Alexandra Schieber ◽  
Daohai Yu ◽  
...  

This study examined a program focused on integrating mental health in a family medicine practice in an economically challenged urban setting. The program included using a behavioral health technology platform, a behavioral health collaborative composed of community mental health agencies, and a community health worker (CHW). Of the 202 patients screened, 196 were used for analysis; 56% were positive for anxiety, 38% had scores consistent with moderate to severe depression, and 34% were positive for post-traumatic stress disorder. There was a statistically significant difference in the diagnosis of depression when comparing the screened group to a control group. Only 27% of patients followed through with behavioral health referrals despite navigational assistance provided by a CHW and assured access to care through a community agency engaged with the Behavioral Health Alliance. Further qualitative analysis revealed that there were complex patient factors that affected patient decision making regarding follow-up with behavioral health care.


1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1177-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Glasius ◽  
Morten Funch Carlsen ◽  
Torben Stroyer Hansen ◽  
Christian Lohse

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