Role of air pollutant for deterioration of Taj Mahal by identifying corrosion products on surface of metals

The adverse effects of air pollutants on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are unquestionable. However, in recent years, indications of effects beyond these organ systems have become more evident. Traffic-related air pollution has been linked with neurological diseases, exacerbated cognitive dysfunction, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the exact air pollutant compositions and exposure scenarios leading to these adverse health effects are not known. Although several components of air pollution may be at play, recent experimental studies point to a key role of ultrafine particles (UFPs). While the importance of UFPs has been recognized, almost nothing is known about the smallest fraction of UFPs, and only >23 nm emissions are regulated in the EU. Moreover, the role of the semivolatile fraction of the emissions has been neglected. The Transport-Derived Ultrafines and the Brain Effects (TUBE) project will increase knowledge on harmful ultrafine air pollutants, as well as semivolatile compounds related to adverse health effects. By including all the major current combustion and emission control technologies, the TUBE project aims to provide new information on the adverse health effects of current traffic, as well as information for decision makers to develop more effective emission legislation. Most importantly, the TUBE project will include adverse health effects beyond the respiratory system; TUBE will assess how air pollution affects the brain and how air pollution particles might be removed from the brain. The purpose of this report is to describe the TUBE project, its background, and its goals.

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Ozone-Induced Oxidative Stress, Neutrophilic Airway Inflammation, and Glucocorticoid Resistance in Asthma

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.631092 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Chioma Enweasor ◽

Cameron H. Flayer ◽

Angela Haczku

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Airway Inflammation ◽

Γδ T Cells ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Glucocorticoid Resistance ◽

Primary Data ◽

Alveolar Type ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

The Impact

Despite recent advances in using biologicals that target Th2 pathways, glucocorticoids form the mainstay of asthma treatment. Asthma morbidity and mortality remain high due to the wide variability of treatment responsiveness and complex clinical phenotypes driven by distinct underlying mechanisms. Emerging evidence suggests that inhalation of the toxic air pollutant, ozone, worsens asthma by impairing glucocorticoid responsiveness. This review discusses the role of oxidative stress in glucocorticoid resistance in asthma. The underlying mechanisms point to a central role of oxidative stress pathways. The primary data source for this review consisted of peer-reviewed publications on the impact of ozone on airway inflammation and glucocorticoid responsiveness indexed in PubMed. Our main search strategy focused on cross-referencing “asthma and glucocorticoid resistance” against “ozone, oxidative stress, alarmins, innate lymphoid, NK and γδ T cells, dendritic cells and alveolar type II epithelial cells, glucocorticoid receptor and transcription factors”. Recent work was placed in the context from articles in the last 10 years and older seminal research papers and comprehensive reviews. We excluded papers that did not focus on respiratory injury in the setting of oxidative stress. The pathways discussed here have however wide clinical implications to pathologies associated with inflammation and oxidative stress and in which glucocorticoid treatment is essential.

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The role of surface wax in susceptibility of plants to air pollutant injury

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b82-043 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 316-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Tedmund J. Swiecki ◽

Anton G. Endress ◽

O. C. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Epicuticular Wax ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Plant Sensitivity ◽

Surface Wax ◽

Chamber Temperature ◽

Hcl Gas ◽

Study Support ◽

Hcl Concentration ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between quantity of epicuticular wax and plant sensitivity to hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas was investigated using 8-, 12-, and 16-day-old Phaseolus vulgaris L. plants exposed for 20 min to 27.6 ± 3.9 mg HCl∙m−3. Twelve-day-old plants were more sensitive than 8- or 16-day-old plants and possessed the lowest mean surface wax quantity. Multiple regression analysis showed that surface wax quantity was negatively linearly related to percent of leaves glazed. Necrotic injury was also negatively correlated with surface wax quantity, but to a lesser degree than glazing. Chamber temperature also affected the amount of necrotic injury incurred. Plant age and HCl concentration did not contribute to the observed variation in any of the injury variables in the regression analysis.The results of this study support the hypothesis that cuticular resistance, which is influenced by the amount of epicuticular wax, is a major factor influencing leaf glazing due to gaseous HCl. Since necrotic injury was affected by both surface wax quantity and chamber temperature, the incidence and severity of necrotic injury may be controlled by both cuticular and stomatal resistances.

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The role of meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies in reducing air pollution in Beijing during APEC 2014 and Victory Parade 2015

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-13921-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 13921-13940 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Pengfei Liang ◽

Tong Zhu ◽

Yanhua Fang ◽

Yingruo Li ◽

Yiqun Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Meteorological Parameters ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Air Pollutant Concentrations

Abstract. To control severe air pollution in China, comprehensive pollution control strategies have been implemented throughout the country in recent years. To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, the influence of meteorological conditions on levels of air pollution needs to be determined. Using the intensive air pollution control strategies implemented during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in 2014 (APEC 2014) and the 2015 China Victory Day Parade (Victory Parade 2015) as examples, we estimated the role of meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies in reducing air pollution levels in Beijing. Atmospheric particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter  ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) samples were collected and gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO, NOx, and O3) were measured online at a site in Peking University (PKU). To determine the influence of meteorological conditions on the levels of air pollution, we first compared the air pollutant concentrations during days with stable meteorological conditions. However, there were few days with stable meteorological conditions during the Victory Parade. As such, we were unable to estimate the level of emission reduction efforts during this period. Finally, a generalized linear regression model (GLM) based only on meteorological parameters was built to predict air pollutant concentrations, which could explain more than 70 % of the variation in air pollutant concentration levels, after incorporating the nonlinear relationships between certain meteorological parameters and the concentrations of air pollutants. Evaluation of the GLM performance revealed that the GLM, even based only on meteorological parameters, could be satisfactory to estimate the contribution of meteorological conditions in reducing air pollution and, hence, the contribution of control strategies in reducing air pollution. Using the GLM, we found that the meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies contributed 30 and 28 % to the reduction of the PM2.5 concentration during APEC and 38 and 25 % during the Victory Parade, respectively, based on the assumption that the concentrations of air pollutants are only determined by meteorological conditions and emission intensities. We also estimated the contribution of meteorological conditions and control strategies in reducing the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and PM2.5 components with the GLMs, revealing the effective control of anthropogenic emissions.

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