Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

AbstractAs largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all populations. The survey participants located in India and Italy perceived the largest drop in the air pollution concentration; conversely, the smallest variation was perceived among Chinese and Norwegian respondents. Among all the demographic indicators considered, only gender proved to be statistically significant.

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An Environmental Justice Analysis of British Air Quality

Environment and Planning A Economy and Space ◽

10.1068/a35240 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 909-929 ◽

Cited By ~ 138

Author(s):

Gordon Mitchell ◽

Danny Dorling

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Environmental Justice ◽

The Elderly ◽

Local Communities ◽

Car Ownership ◽

National Study ◽

Environmental Injustice ◽

The Usa ◽

History Of

This paper presents the results of the first national study of air quality in Britain to consider the implications of its distribution across over ten thousand local communities in terms of potential environmental injustice. We consider the recent history of the environmental justice debate in Britain, Europe, and the USA and, in the light of this, estimate how one aspect of air pollution, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, affects different population groups differentially across Britain. We also estimate the extent to which people living in each community in Britain contribute towards this pollution, with the aid of information on the characteristics of the vehicles they own. We find that, although community NO x emission and ambient NO2 concentration are strongly related, the communities that have access to fewest cars tend to suffer from the highest levels of air pollution, whereas those in which car ownership is greatest enjoy the cleanest air. Pollution is most concentrated in areas where young children and their parents are more likely to live and least concentrated in areas to which the elderly tend to migrate. Those communities that are most polluted and which also emit the least pollution tend to be amongst the poorest in Britain. There is therefore evidence of environmental injustice in the distribution and production of poor air quality in Britain. However, the spatial distribution of those who produce and receive most of that pollution have to be considered simultaneously to see this injustice clearly.

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Contribution of Local and Transboundary Air Pollution to the Urban Air Quality of Fukuoka, Japan

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12040431 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 431

Author(s):

Ayako Yoshino ◽

Akinori Takami ◽

Keiichiro Hara ◽

Chiharu Nishita-Hara ◽

Masahiko Hayashi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Gaseous Species ◽

Transboundary Air Pollution ◽

Local Air Pollution ◽

The City

Transboundary air pollution (TAP) and local air pollution (LAP) influence the air quality of urban areas. Fukuoka, located on the west side of Japan and affected by TAP from the Asian continent, is a unique example for understanding the contribution of LAP and TAP. Gaseous species and particulate matter (PM) were measured for approximately three weeks in Fukuoka in the winter of 2018. We classified two distinctive periods, LAP and TAP, based on wind speed. The classification was supported by variations in the concentration of gaseous species and by backward trajectories. Most air pollutants, including NOx and PM, were high in the LAP period and low in the TAP period. However, ozone was the exception. Therefore, our findings suggest that reducing local emissions is necessary. Ozone was higher in the TAP period, and the variation in ozone concentration was relatively small, indicating that ozone was produced outside of the city and transported to Fukuoka. Thus, air pollutants must also be reduced at a regional scale, including in China.

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Residents’ preferred measures and willingness-to-pay for improving urban air quality: A case study of Hanoi city, Vietnam

Journal of Economics and Development ◽

10.1108/jed-03-2021-0036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Thanh Cong Nguyen ◽

Hang Dieu Nguyen ◽

Hoa Thu Le ◽

Shinji Kaneko

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Urban Air Quality ◽

Multivariate Probit ◽

Urban Air ◽

Content Type ◽

Public Opinions

PurposeThis purpose of this paper is to understand residents’ choice of preferred measures and their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the measures to improve the air quality of Hanoi city.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire surveys were conducted to collect the opinions of 212 household representatives living in Hanoi City. The survey tools were tested and adjusted through an online survey with 191 responses. Multivariate probit and linear regression models were used to identify determinants of respondents’ choices of measures and their WTP.FindingsRespondents expressed their strong preferences for three measures for air quality improvements, including: (1) increase of green spaces; (2) use of less polluting fuels; (3) expansion of public transportation. The mean WTP for the implementation of those measures was estimated at about 148,000–282,000 Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 0.09–0.16% of household income. The respondents’ choices appear to be consistent with their characteristics and needs, such as financial affordability, time on roads and their perceived impacts of air pollution. The WTP estimates increase with perception of air pollution impacts, time on roads, education and income; but are lower for older people.Originality/valueTo gain a better understanding of public opinions, we applied multivariate probit models to check whether respondents’ choices were consistent with their characteristics and perceptions. This appears to be the first attempt to test the validity of public opinions on choices of measures for improving urban air quality in Vietnam. Our WTP estimates also contribute to the database on the values of improved air quality in the developing world.

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Pre-monsoon air quality over Lumbini, a world heritage site along the Himalayan foothills

10.5194/acp-2016-430 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dipesh Rupakheti ◽

Bhupesh Adhikary ◽

Puppala S. Praveen ◽

Maheswar Rupakheti ◽

Shichang Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Forest Fires ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Transport Model ◽

World Heritage ◽

World Heritage Site ◽

Pollution Level ◽

Pollution Transport ◽

Heritage Site

Abstract. Lumbini, in southern Nepal, is a UNESCO world heritage site of universal value as the birthplace of Buddha. Poor air quality in Lumbini and surrounding regions is a great concern for public health as well as for preservation, protection and promotion of Buddhist heritage and culture. We present here results from measurements of ambient concentrations of key air pollutants (PM, BC, CO, O3) in Lumbini, first of its kind for Lumbini, conducted during an intensive measurement period of three months (April–June 2013) in the pre-monsoon season. The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign; SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley – Atmospheric Brown Clouds). The ranges of hourly average concentrations were: PM10: 10.5–604.0 µg m−3, PM2.5: 6.1–272.2 µg m−3; BC: 0.3–30.0 µg m−3; CO: 125.0–1430.0 ppbv; and O3: 1.0–118.1 ppbv. These levels are comparable to other very heavily polluted sites throughout South Asia. The 24-h average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded the WHO guideline very frequently (94 % and 85 % of the sampled period, respectively), which implies significant health risks for the residents and visitors in the region. These air pollutants exhibited clear diurnal cycles with high values in the morning and evening. During the study period, the worst air pollution episodes were mainly due to agro-residue burning and regional forest fires combined with meteorological conditions conducive of pollution transport to Lumbini. Fossil fuel combustion also contributed significantly, accounting for more than half of the ambient BC concentration according to aerosol spectral light absorption coefficients obtained in Lumbini. WRF-STEM, a regional chemical transport model, was used to simulate the meteorology and the concentrations of pollutants. The model was able to reproduce the variation in the pollutant concentrations well; however, estimated values were 1.5 to 5 times lower than the observed concentrations for CO and PM10 respectively. Regionally tagged CO tracers showed the majority of CO came from the upwind region of Ganges valley. The model was also used to examine the chemical composition of the aerosol mixture, indicating that organic carbon was the main constituent of fine mode PM2.5, followed by mineral dust. Given the high pollution level, there is a clear and urgent need for setting up a network of long-term air quality monitoring stations in the greater Lumbini region.

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Sensitivity of local air quality to the interplay between small- and large-scale circulations: a large-eddy simulation study

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-7261-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. 7261-7276 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tobias Wolf-Grosse ◽

Igor Esau ◽

Joachim Reuder

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Large Eddy Simulation ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Large Scale ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Street Level ◽

Eddy Simulation ◽

Large Eddy ◽

Air Pockets

Abstract. Street-level urban air pollution is a challenging concern for modern urban societies. Pollution dispersion models assume that the concentrations decrease monotonically with raising wind speed. This convenient assumption breaks down when applied to flows with local recirculations such as those found in topographically complex coastal areas. This study looks at a practically important and sufficiently common case of air pollution in a coastal valley city. Here, the observed concentrations are determined by the interaction between large-scale topographically forced and local-scale breeze-like recirculations. Analysis of a long observational dataset in Bergen, Norway, revealed that the most extreme cases of recurring wintertime air pollution episodes were accompanied by increased large-scale wind speeds above the valley. Contrary to the theoretical assumption and intuitive expectations, the maximum NO2 concentrations were not found for the lowest 10 m ERA-Interim wind speeds but in situations with wind speeds of 3 m s−1. To explain this phenomenon, we investigated empirical relationships between the large-scale forcing and the local wind and air quality parameters. We conducted 16 large-eddy simulation (LES) experiments with the Parallelised Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) for atmospheric and oceanic flows. The LES accounted for the realistic relief and coastal configuration as well as for the large-scale forcing and local surface condition heterogeneity in Bergen. They revealed that emerging local breeze-like circulations strongly enhance the urban ventilation and dispersion of the air pollutants in situations with weak large-scale winds. Slightly stronger large-scale winds, however, can counteract these local recirculations, leading to enhanced surface air stagnation. Furthermore, this study looks at the concrete impact of the relative configuration of warmer water bodies in the city and the major transport corridor. We found that a relatively small local water body acted as a barrier for the horizontal transport of air pollutants from the largest street in the valley and along the valley bottom, transporting them vertically instead and hence diluting them. We found that the stable stratification accumulates the street-level pollution from the transport corridor in shallow air pockets near the surface. The polluted air pockets are transported by the local recirculations to other less polluted areas with only slow dilution. This combination of relatively long distance and complex transport paths together with weak dispersion is not sufficiently resolved in classical air pollution models. The findings have important implications for the air quality predictions over urban areas. Any prediction not resolving these, or similar local dynamic features, might not be able to correctly simulate the dispersion of pollutants in cities.

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Impacts of emission changes in China from 2010 to 2017 on domestic and intercontinental air quality and health effect

10.5194/acp-2021-385 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuqiang Zhang ◽

Drew Shindell ◽

Karl Seltzer ◽

Lu Shen ◽

Jean-Francois Lamarque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Transport Model ◽

Surface Ozone ◽

Health Effect ◽

Premature Deaths ◽

Concentration Changes ◽

Emission Changes ◽

Related Mortality

Abstract. China has seen dramatic emission changes from 2010, especially after the implementation of Clean Air Action in 2013, with significant air quality and human health benefits observed. Air pollutants, such as PM2.5 and surface ozone, as well as their precursors, have long enough lifetime in the troposphere which can be easily transported downwind. So emission changes in China will not only change the regional air quality domestically, but also affect the air quality in downwind regions. In this study, we use a global chemistry transport model to simulate the influence on both domestic and foreign air quality from the emission change from 2010 to 2017 in China. By applying the health impact functions derived from epidemiology studies, we then quantify the changes in air pollution-related (including both PM2.5 and O3) mortality burdens at regional and global scales. The majority of air pollutants in China reach their peak values around 2012 and 2013. Compared with the year 2010, the population-weighted annual PM2.5 in China increases till 2011 (94.1 μg m−3), and then begins to decrease. In 2017, the population-weighted annual PM2.5 decreases by 17.6 %, compared with the values in 2010 (84.7 μg m−3). The estimated national PM2.5 concentration changes in China are comparable with previous studies using fine-resolution regional models, though our model tends to overestimate PM2.5 from 2013 to 2017 when evaluated with surface observation in China during the same periods. The emission changes in China increased the global PM2.5-related mortality burdens from 2010 to 2013, by 27,700 (95 %CI: 23,900–31, 400) deaths yr−1 in 2011, and 13, 300 (11,400–15,100) deaths yr−1 in 2013, among which at least 93 % occurred in China. The sharp emission decreases after 2013 bring significant benefits for reduced avoided premature mortality in 2017, reaching 108, 800 (92,800–124,800) deaths yr−1 globally, among which 92 % happening in China. Different trend as PM2.5, the annual maximum daily 8-hr ozone in China increased, and also the ozone-related premature deaths, ranging from 3,600 (2,700–4,300) deaths yr−1 in 2011 (75 % of global total increased premature deaths), and 8,500 (6,500–9,900) deaths yr−1 in 2017 (143 % of the global total). Downwind regions, such as South Korea, Japan, and U.S. generally see a decreased O3-related mortality burden after 2013 as a combination of increased export of ozone and decreased export of ozone precursors. In general, we conclude that the sharp emission reductions in China after 2013 bring benefits of improved air quality and reduced premature deaths associated with air pollution at global scale. The benefits are dominated by the PM2.5 decreases since the ozone is shown to actually increase with the emission decrease.

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Changes of air pollutants’ concentrations in selected Romanian cities during the pandemic year 2020

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1800 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriela Iorga ◽

George-Bogdan Burghelea

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

European Commission ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Meteorological Parameters ◽

Dust Particles ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽

Pollution Level ◽

Data Set ◽

Air Mass

Present research contributes to scientific knowledge concerning spatial and temporal variation of major air pollutants with high resolution at the country scale bringing statistical information on concentrations of NOx, O3, CO, SO2 and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter below 10&#160;&#956;m (PM10) and below 2.5&#160;&#956;m (PM2.5) during the pandemic year 2020 using an observational data set from the Romanian National Air Quality Network in seven selected cities spread out over the country. These cities have different level of development, play regional roles, might have potential influence at European scale and they are expected to be impacted by different pollution sources. Among them, three cities (Bucharest, Bra&#537;ov, Ia&#537;i) appear frequently on the list of the European Commission with reference to the infringement procedure that the European Commission launched against Romania in the period 2007-2020 regarding air quality.Air pollutant data was complemented with local meteorological parameters at each site (atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, global solar radiation, wind speed and direction). Statistics of air pollutants provide us with an overview of air pollution in main Romanian cities.&#160; Correlations between meteorological parameters and ambient pollutant levels were analyzed. Lowest air pollution levels were measured during the lockdown period in spring, as main traffic and non-essential activities were severely restricted. Among exceptions were the construction activities that were not interrupted. During 2020, some of selected cities experienced few pollution episodes which were due to dust transport from Sahara desert. However, in Bucharest metropolitan area, some cases with high pollution level were found correlated with local anthropogenic activity namely, waste incinerations. Air mass origins were investigated for 72 hours back by computing the air mass backward trajectories using the HYSPLIT model. Dust load and spatial distribution of the aerosol optical depth with BSC-DREAM8b v2.0 and NMBM/BSC-Dust models showed the area with dust particles transport during the dust events.The obtained results are important for investigations of sources of air pollution and for modeling of air quality.&#160;Acknowledgment:The research leading to these results has received funding from the NO Grants 2014-2021, under Project contract no. 31/2020, EEA-RO-NO-2019-0423 project. NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for HYSPLIT transport model, available at READY website https://www.ready.noaa.gov &#160;and the Barcelona dust forecast center for BSC-DREAM8b and NMBM/BSC-Dust models, available at: &#160;https://ess.bsc.es/bsc-dust-daily-forecast are also acknowledged. The data regarding ground-based air pollution and meteorology by site was extracted from the public available Romanian National Air Quality Database, www.calitateaer.ro.

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LEGAL REGULATION OF AIR POLLUTION IN UKRAINE AND THE EUROPIAN UNION

International scientific journal Internauka Series Juridical Sciences ◽

10.25313/2520-2308-2021-10-7629 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ivan Sukhorukov ◽

◽

Anastasiia Chelpanova ◽

Olena Malokhlib ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

European Union ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Legal Regulation ◽

Positive Experience ◽

The European Union ◽

Domestic Legislation ◽

Swiss Confederation ◽

Practical Recommendations

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Ukrainian legislation in the field of air protection, as well as the development of practical recommendations for its improvement by comparing it with the legislation of the European Union. Given the need for Ukraine to borrow the positive experience of the European Union in the field of air protection, the article analyzes the legislation to ensure air quality in countries such as Germany, the French Republic, the Swiss Confederation. The main types of air pollutants are identified. The problem of inaccuracy of information on air quality is highlighted. The authors suggest ways to improve domestic legislation in the field of air protection.

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Poor Air Quality and Its Association with Mortality in Ho Chi Minh City: Case Study

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11070750 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 750

Author(s):

Hoang Ngoc Khue Vu ◽

Quang Phuc Ha ◽

Duc Hiep Nguyen ◽

Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen ◽

Thoai Tam Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Air Quality Modeling ◽

World Health ◽

Ho Chi Minh City ◽

Annual Average ◽

Quality Modeling ◽

Concentration Of Air Pollutants

Along with its rapid urban development, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in recent years has suffered a high concentration of air pollutants, especially fine particulate matters or PM2.5. A comprehensive study is required to evaluate the air quality conditions and their health impact in this city. Given the lack of adequate air quality monitoring data over a large area of the size of HCMC, an air quality modeling methodology is adopted to address the requirement. Here, by utilizing a corresponding emission inventory in combination with The Air Pollution Model-Chemical Transport Model (TAPM-CTM), the predicted concentration of air pollutants is first obtained for PM2.5, NOx, and SO2. Then by associating the pollutants exposed with the mortality rate from three causes, namely Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer, the impact of air pollution on human health is obtained for this purpose. Spatial distribution has shown a high amount of pollutants concentrated in the central city with a high density of combustion vehicles (motorcycles and automobiles). In addition, a significant amount of emissions can be observed from stevedoring and harbor activities, including ferries and cargo handling equipment located along the river. Other sources such as household activities also contribute to an even distribution of emission across the city. The results of air quality modeling showed that the annual average concentrations of NO2 were higher than the standard of Vietnam National Technical Regulation on Ambient Air Quality (QCVN 05: 2013 40 µg/m3) and World Health Organization (WHO) (40 µg/m3). The annual average concentrations of PM2.5 were 23 µg/m3 and were also much higher than the WHO (10 µg/m3) standard by about 2.3 times. In terms of public health impacts, PM2.5 was found to be responsible for about 1136 deaths, while the number of mortalities from exposure to NO2 and SO2 was 172 and 89 deaths, respectively. These figures demand some stringent measures from the authorities to potentially remedy the alarming situation of air pollution in HCM City.

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The Air Quality Perception of Residents in the Metropolitan Zone of Acapulco Who Live Around Intersections with Intense Traffic

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments7030021 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 21

Author(s):

Alfredo Ricardo Zárate Valencia ◽

Maximino Reyes Umaña ◽

Hilda Janet Arellano Wences ◽

Antonio Alfonso Rodríguez Rosales ◽

Columba Rodríguez Alviso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Area ◽

Environmental Problem ◽

Pollutant Concentration ◽

Degree Of Contamination ◽

Quality Perception ◽

Global Environmental ◽

Grouping Method ◽

Metropolitan Zone

Air pollution is a global environmental problem that affects the population. This work demonstrates the perception of air quality by the population of the urban area of the municipality of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. To meet the objective, a survey of 36 questions was applied to a sample of 382 people living in the main crossing points of vehicles, where there is more traffic and more severe pollutant concentration problems. We decided to apply the grouping method within a radius of 500 m around the selected intersections, where 95% of the respondents are aware that the air they breathe has a certain degree of contamination.

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