scholarly journals Quantification of fine particulate matter in ambient air, chemical characterization and the geographical origin of the air masses passing through Thohoyandou, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
Novela R ◽  
Gitari M ◽  
Chikoore H ◽  
Wichmann J
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Shin ◽  
Jongmin Oh ◽  
In Sook Kang ◽  
Eunhee Ha ◽  
Wook Bum Pyun

Background/Aim: Previous studies have suggested that the short-term ambient air pollution and temperature are associated with myocardial infarction. In this study, we aimed to conduct a time-series analysis to assess the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and temperature on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among adults over 20 years of age in Korea by using the data from the Korean National Health Information Database (KNHID). Methods: The daily data of 192,567 AMI cases in Seoul were collected from the nationwide, population-based KNHID from 2005 to 2014. The monitoring data of ambient PM2.5 from the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment were also collected. A generalized additive model (GAM) that allowed for a quasi-Poisson distribution was used to analyze the effects of PM2.5 and temperature on the incidence of AMI. Results: The models with PM2.5 lag structures of lag 0 and 2-day averages of lag 0 and 1 (lag 01) showed significant associations with AMI (Relative risk [RR]: 1.011, CI: 1.003–1.020 for lag 0, RR: 1.010, CI: 1.000–1.020 for lag 01) after adjusting the covariates. Stratification analysis conducted in the cold season (October–April) and the warm season (May–September) showed a significant lag 0 effect for AMI cases in the cold season only. Conclusions: In conclusion, acute exposure to PM2.5 was significantly associated with AMI morbidity at lag 0 in Seoul, Korea. This increased risk was also observed at low temperatures.


Author(s):  
Busisiwe Shezi ◽  
Angela Mathee ◽  
Nokulunga Cele ◽  
Sipho Ndabandaba ◽  
Renee A. Street

(1) Exposure of informal artisanal cookware makers to fine particles has not yet been characterized. The aim of this study was to characterize occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM4 and PM2.5) levels and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) elemental components; (2) Artisanal cookware makers were recruited from five cookware making sites. Exposure to fine particulate matter was measured for 17 male participants. SidePak personal aerosol monitors (AM520) were used to measure personal exposure to PM4, while a DustTrak monitor and an E-sampler were used to assess indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels, respectively. A questionnaire was administered to capture information on demographic characteristics. The chemical characterization of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 filter mass was conducted using Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence. Time series record of 15-min averages for indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels were assessed; (3) The median (range) was 124 µg/m3 (23−100,000), 64 µg/m3 (1−6097) and 12 µg/m3 (4−1178), respectively, for personal PM4, indoor and outdoor PM2.5. The highest levels for many of the elemental components of PM2.5 were found in the outdoor PM2.5 filter mass and (4). The information generated during this study may assist in extending occupational health and safety strategies to artisanal cookware makers and developing targeted prevention initiatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 9287-9308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. McDuffie ◽  
Caroline C. Womack ◽  
Dorothy L. Fibiger ◽  
William P. Dube ◽  
Alessandro Franchin ◽  
...  

Abstract. Mountain basins in Northern Utah, including the Salt Lake Valley (SLV), suffer from wintertime air pollution events associated with stagnant atmospheric conditions. During these events, fine particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5) can exceed national ambient air quality standards. Previous studies in the SLV have found that PM2.5 is primarily composed of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), formed from the condensation of gas-phase ammonia (NH3) and nitric acid (HNO3). Additional studies in several western basins, including the SLV, have suggested that production of HNO3 from nocturnal heterogeneous N2O5 uptake is the dominant source of NH4NO3 during winter. The rate of this process, however, remains poorly quantified, in part due to limited vertical measurements above the surface, where this chemistry is most active. The 2017 Utah Winter Fine Particulate Study (UWFPS) provided the first aircraft measurements of detailed chemical composition during wintertime pollution events in the SLV. Coupled with ground-based observations, analyses of day- and nighttime research flights confirm that PM2.5 during wintertime pollution events is principally composed of NH4NO3, limited by HNO3. Here, observations and box model analyses assess the contribution of N2O5 uptake to nitrate aerosol during pollution events using the NO3- production rate, N2O5 heterogeneous uptake coefficient (γ(N2O5)), and production yield of ClNO2 (φ(ClNO2)), which had medians of 1.6 µg m−3 h−1, 0.076, and 0.220, respectively. While fit values of γ(N2O5) may be biased high by a potential under-measurement in aerosol surface area, other fit quantities are unaffected. Lastly, additional model simulations suggest nocturnal N2O5 uptake produces between 2.4 and 3.9 µg m−3 of nitrate per day when considering the possible effects of dilution. This nocturnal production is sufficient to account for 52 %–85 % of the daily observed surface-level buildup of aerosol nitrate, though accurate quantification is dependent on modeled dilution, mixing processes, and photochemistry.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Godłowska ◽  
Monika J. Hajto ◽  
A. Monika Tomaszewska

Abstract The paper presents a method of identifying distant emission sources of fine particulate matter PM2.5 affecting significantly PM2.5 concentrations at a given location. The method involves spatial analysis of aggregate information about PM2.5 concentrations measured at the location and air masses backward trajectories calculated by HYSPLIT model. The method was examined for three locations of PM2.5 measurement stations (Diabla Góra, Gdańsk, and Katowice) which represented different environmental conditions. The backward trajectories were calculated starting from different heights (30, 50, 100 and 150 m a. g. l.). All points of a single backward trajectory were assigned to the PM2.5 concentration corresponding to the date and the site of the beginning of trajectory calculation. Daily average concentrations of PM2.5 were used, and in the case of Gdańsk also hourly ones. It enabled to assess the effectiveness of the presented method using daily averages if hourly ones were not available. Locations of distant sources of fine particulate matter emission were determined by assigning to each grid node a mean value of PM2.5 concentrations associated with the trajectories points located within the so-called search ellipse. Nearby sources of fine particulate matter emission were eliminated by filtering the trajectories points located close to each other (so-called duplicates). The analyses covered the period of January-March 2010. The results indicated the different origin of air masses in the northern and southern Poland. In Diabla Góra and Gdańsk the distant sources of fine particulate matter emission are identified in Belarus and Russia. In Katowice the impact of the Belarusian PM2.5 emission sources was also noted but as the most important fine particulate matter emission sources were considered those located in the area of Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine.


Author(s):  
Sachchida Tripathi ◽  
Vipul Lalchandani ◽  
Varun Kumar ◽  
Anna Tobler ◽  
Navaneeth Thamban ◽  
...  

<p>Atmospheric particulate matter has adverse effects on human health, and causes over 4 million deaths per year globally. New Delhi was ranked as world’s most polluted megacity with annual average PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentration of ~140 ug.m<sup>-3</sup>. Thus, real time chemical characterization of fine particulate matter and identification of its sources is important for developing cost effective mitigation policies.</p><p>Highly time resolved real-time chemical composition of PM<sub>2.5</sub> was measured using Long-Time of Flight-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (L-ToF-AMS) at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Time of Flight-Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ToF-ACSM) at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Delhi, and PM<sub>1 </sub>using High Resolution-Time of Flight-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) at Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad, Haryana located ~40 km downwind of Delhi during Jan-March, 2018. Black carbon concentration was measured using Aethalometer at all three sites. Unit mass resolution (UMR) and high resolution (HR) data analysis were performed on AMS and ACSM mass spectra to calculate organics, nitrate, sulfate and chloride concentrations. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) (Paatero and Tapper, 1994) of organic mass spectra was performed by applying multilinear engine (ME-2) algorithm using Sofi (Source finder) for identifying sources of OA.</p>


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