Assessment of changes in concentrations of selected criteria pollutants in the Vaal and Highveld Priority Areas

Ambient air pollution has important impacts on a variety of environmental issues, particularly on human health and ecosystem processes. A key tool for understanding the impacts of atmospheric pollution is through the long term measurement of the ambient concentrations of criteria atmospheric pollutants. Monitoring of ambient pollution concentrations has been conducted in the National Air Quality Priority areas since 2009. During this time period, significant changes in the management of air pollution have occurred, including the adoption of the ambient air quality standards, and the implementation of section 21 emission standards. This paper examines the long term evolution of ambient concentrations for PM, SO2 in the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area 2007-2017 and Highveld Priority Area. These trends will be evaluated against the implementation of management interventions and highlight the variation in the measured concentrations and emerging areas of concern.

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Assessment of ambient air pollution in the Waterberg Priority Area 2012-2015

Clean Air Journal ◽

10.17159/2410-972x/2016/v26n1a9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 21-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

G.T. Feig ◽

S. Naidoo ◽

N. Ncgukana

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Local Source ◽

Ambient Air Quality ◽

Priority Area ◽

Hourly Data ◽

Ambient Concentrations ◽

Monitoring Stations

The Waterberg Priority Area ambient air quality monitoring network was established in 2012 to monitor the ambient air quality in the Waterberg Air Quality Priority Area. Three monitoring stations were established in Lephalale, Thabazimbi and Mokopane. The monitoring stations measure the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CO, O3, BTEX and meteorological parameters. Hourly data for a 31 month period (October 2012-April 2015) was obtained from the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) and analysed to assess patterns in atmospheric concentrations, including seasonal and diurnal patterns of the ambient concentrations and to assess the impacts that such reported pollution concentration may have. Local source regions for SO2, PM10, PM2.5 and O3 were identified and trends in the recorded concentrations are discussed.

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Dietary antioxidants and environmental stress

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1079/pns2004388 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 579-585 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Frank J. Kelly

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Atmospheric Pollutants ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Political Agenda ◽

Antioxidant Defences ◽

The 1960S

Air is one of our most important natural resources; however, it is also in the front line for receiving environmental pollution. Air quality decreased markedly following the industrial revolution, but it was not until the great London Smog in 1952 that air quality made it onto the political agenda. The introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956 led to dramatic decreases in black smoke and SO2 concentrations over the next two decades, as domestic and industrial coal-burning activities ceased. However, as these improvements progressed, a new threat to public health was being released into the air in ever-increasing quantities. Rapid motorisation of society from the 1960s onwards has led to the increased release of atmospheric pollutants such as tiny particles (particulate matter of &10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and oxides of N, and the generation of the secondary pollutant O3. These primary and secondary traffic-related pollutants have all proved to be major risks factors to public health. Recently, oxidative stress has been identified as a unifying feature underlying the toxic actions of these pollutants. Fortunately, the surface of the lung is covered with a thin layer of fluid containing a range of antioxidants that appear to provide the first line of defence against oxidant pollutants. As diet is the only source of antioxidant micronutrients, a plausible link now exists between the sensitivity to air pollution and the quality of the food eaten. However, many questions remain unanswered in relation to inter-individual sensitivity to ambient air pollution, and extent to which this sensitivity is modified by airway antioxidant defences.

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APExpose_DE, an air quality exposure dataset for Germany 2010–2019

Scientific Data ◽

10.1038/s41597-021-01068-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alexandre Caseiro ◽

Erika von Schneidemesser

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Time Resolution ◽

Respiratory Diseases ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Major Influence ◽

Resolution Level

AbstractExposure to poor air quality is considered a major influence on the occurrence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Air pollution has also been linked to the severity of the effects of epidemics such as COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Epidemiological studies require datasets of the long-term exposure to air pollution. We present the APExpose_DE dataset, a long-term (2010–2019) dataset providing ambient air pollution metrics at yearly time resolution for NO2, NO, O3, PM10 and PM2.5 at the NUTS-3 spatial resolution level for Germany (corresponding to the Landkreis or Kreisfreie Stadt in Germany, 402 in total).

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Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution on Brain Cortical Thinning Among Elderly Individuals Without Neurological Diseases

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3402016 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jaelim Cho ◽

Young Noh ◽

Sun Young Kim ◽

Jungwoo Sohn ◽

Juhwan Noh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Elderly Individuals ◽

Cortical Thinning

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Systemic Inflammation (C-Reactive Protein) in Older Chinese Adults Is Associated with Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18063258 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3258

Author(s):

Mona Elbarbary ◽

Artem Oganesyan ◽

Trenton Honda ◽

Geoffrey Morgan ◽

Yuming Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Systemic Inflammation ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Hs Crp ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

There is an established association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is likely to be mediated by systemic inflammation. The present study evaluated links between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) in an older Chinese adult cohort (n = 7915) enrolled in the World Health Organization (WHO) study on global aging and adult health (SAGE) China Wave 1 in 2008–2010. Multilevel linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on log-transformed hs-CRP levels and odds ratios of CVD risk derived from CRP levels adjusted for confounders. A satellite-based spatial statistical model was applied to estimate the average community exposure to outdoor air pollutants (PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10), 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), and 1 μm or less (PM1) and NO2) for each participant of the study. hs-CRP levels were drawn from dried blood spots of each participant. Each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and NO2 was associated with 12.8% (95% confidence interval; (CI): 9.1, 16.6), 15.7% (95% CI: 10.9, 20.8), 10.2% (95% CI: 7.3, 13.2), and 11.8% (95% CI: 7.9, 15.8) higher serum levels of hs-CRP, respectively. Our findings suggest that air pollution may be an important factor in increasing systemic inflammation in older Chinese adults.

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Association between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-14903-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wu Wei ◽

Bing-Jie Wu ◽

Yue Wu ◽

Zhu-Ting Tong ◽

Fei Zhong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Air Pollution Exposure ◽

Pollution Exposure

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Air Quality Assessment in the State of Kuwait during 2012 to 2017

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12060678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 678

Author(s):

Adeeba Al-Hurban ◽

Sawsan Khader ◽

Ahmad Alsaber ◽

Jiazhu Pan

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Meteorological Factors ◽

Ambient Air ◽

The State ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Northeast Monsoon ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Industrial Areas ◽

The State Of Kuwait

This study aimed to examine the trend of ambient air pollution (i.e., ozone (O3), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6H6) and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 microns (PM10), and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) at 10 monitoring stations located in the main residential and industrial areas in the State of Kuwait over 6 years (2012–2017). We found that the SO2 level in industrial areas (0.065 ppm) exceeded the allowable range of SO2 in residential areas (0.030 ppm). Air pollution variables were defined by the Environmental Public Authority of Kuwait (K-EPA). In this study, integrated statistical analysis was performed to compare an established air pollution database to Kuwait Ambient Air Quality Guidelines and to determine the association between pollutants and meteorological factors. All pollutants were positively correlated, with the exception of most pollutants and PM10 and O3. Meteorological factors, i.e., the ambient temperature, wind speed and humidity, were also significantly associated with the above pollutants. Spatial distribution mapping indicated that the PM10 level remained high during the southwest monsoon (the hot and dry season), while the CO level was high during the northeast monsoon (the wet season). The NO2 and O3 levels were high during the first intermonsoon season.

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