scholarly journals Vpliv omejitve gibanja med epidemijo Covid-19 na obremenjevanje ozračja v Sloveniji

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Senegačnik ◽  
Davorin Žnidarič ◽  
Drago Vuk
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Virus Spread ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Entire World ◽  
Source Of Pollution

In 2020 the entire world was severely affected by COVID -19 epidemics. Because of preventing of the SARS Cov 2 virus spread there was necessary to introduce considerable restrictions of movement of citizens. This resulted in various negative effects in the field of economy. However, as road traffic is an important source of pollution – particularly of emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases it could be expected that these mobility restrictions result in certain positive effects on the environment. The paper will try to estimate the air quality during the period of epidemics when mobility was severely restricted (second half of March and April 2020, second half of October, November and December 2020). The review will be limited to those kinds of pollutants which are particularly related to road traffic (nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, ozone) as well as to carbon dioxide as the most important greenhouse gas.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Environmental Air Quality and Its Relationship with Seasonal Climatic Conditions in Eastern China during 2015–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4524
Author(s):  
Zhiyuan Wang ◽  
Xiaoyi Shi ◽  
Chunhua Pan ◽  
Sisi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Uniform Structure ◽  
Concentration Limit ◽  
Environmental Air

Exploring the relationship between environmental air quality (EAQ) and climatic conditions on a large scale can help better understand the main distribution characteristics and the mechanisms of EAQ in China, which is significant for the implementation of policies of joint prevention and control of regional air pollution. In this study, we used the concentrations of six conventional air pollutants, i.e., carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), and ozone (O3), derived from about 1300 monitoring sites in eastern China (EC) from January 2015 to December 2018. Exploiting the grading concentration limit (GB3095-2012) of various pollutants in China, we also calculated the monthly average air quality index (AQI) in EC. The results show that, generally, the EAQ has improved in all seasons in EC from 2015 to 2018. In particular, the concentrations of conventional air pollutants, such as CO, SO2, and NO2, have been decreasing year by year. However, the concentrations of particulate matter, such as PM2.5 and PM10, have changed little, and the O3 concentration increased from 2015 to 2018. Empirical mode decomposition (EOF) was used to analyze the major patterns of AQI in EC. The first mode (EOF1) was characterized by a uniform structure in AQI over EC. These phenomena are due to the precipitation variability associated with the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), referred to as the “summer–winter” pattern. The second EOF mode (EOF2) showed that the AQI over EC is a north–south dipole pattern, which is bound by the Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River (about 35° N). The EOF2 is mainly caused by seasonal variations of the mixed concentration of PM2.5 and O3. Associated with EOF2, the Mongolia–Siberian High influences the AQI variation over northern EC by dominating the low-level winds (10 m and 850 hPa) in autumn and winter, and precipitation affects the AQI variation over southern EC in spring and summer.

Vertical profiling of atmospheric air pollutants in rural India: A case study on particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5/PM1), carbon dioxide, and formaldehyde

Measurement ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 185 ◽  
pp. 110061
Author(s):  
Sneha Gautam ◽  
Cyril Sammuel ◽  
Aniket Bhardwaj ◽  
Zahra Shams Esfandabadi ◽  
M. Santosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Atmospheric Air ◽  
Vertical Profiling

scholarly journals Occupational exposure to particles and air pollutants in a car paint workshop

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Ferreira ◽  
António Loureiro ◽  
Silvia Seco ◽  
João Paulo Figueiredo ◽  
Susana Paixão ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
Inhalable Particles ◽  
The Government

Abstract Background In auto paint workshops there are several chemical, physical and biological agents that are harmful to health, making it essential to guarantee the well-being and safety of workers. In this sense, the assessment of the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of these places, in an associated context of occupational health, proves to be important. Methods The present study had as main objective to evaluate the occupational exposure of workers in an automobile painting workshop to particles and air pollutants. The data collection consisted of the evaluation of air quality, using for this purpose, the assessment of atmospheric pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), formaldehyde (CH2O), carbon dioxide sulfur (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, breathable and inhalable particles) and the meteorological variables temperature and relative humidity. The collected data was processed using the statistical software IBM SPSS version 27.0. The interpretation of the statistical tests was performed with a 95% confidence level for a maximum random error up to 5%. Results We found that the concentrations of inhalable particles recorded in some workstations exceeded the legally established exposure limit value. Conclusions IAQ should be a priority concern for the government and for all professionals working in the area of Occupational Health and Safety having in mind the implementation of measures that promote the continuous improvement of the IAQ of the facilities, thus guaranteeing a good assessment and monitoring of workstations, preventing atmospheric pollutants from reaching concentrations that could put workers' health at risk.

scholarly journals Shipping emissions in the Iberian Peninsula and the impacts on air quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 9473-9489
Author(s):  
Rafael A. O. Nunes ◽  
Maria C. M. Alvim-Ferraz ◽  
Fernando G. Martins ◽  
Fátima Calderay-Cayetano ◽  
Vanessa Durán-Grados ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Quality Guidelines ◽  
Marine Traffic ◽  
Shipping Traffic ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10 ◽  
Air Quality Guidelines

Abstract. Marine traffic has been identified as a relevant source of pollutants, which cause known negative effects on air quality. The Iberian Peninsula is a central point in the connection of shipping traffic between the Americas, Africa, and the rest of Europe. To estimate the effects of shipping emissions inland and around the Iberian Peninsula, the EMEP/MSC-W model was run considering and not considering shipping emissions (obtained with STEAM3). Total estimated emissions of CO, CO2, SOx, NOx, and particulate matter (subdivided into elementary carbon – EC, organic carbon – OC, sulfate, and ash) for the study domain in 2015 were respectively 49, 30 000, 360, 710, 4.5, 11, 32, and 3.3 kt yr−1. Shipping emissions increased SO2 and NO2 concentrations, especially near port areas, and also increased the O3, sulfate, and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations over the entire Iberian Peninsula coastline (especially in the south coastal region). Shipping emissions were responsible for exceedances of WHO air quality guidelines for PM2.5 in areas far from the coastline, which confirms that shipping emissions can contribute negatively to air quality, both in coastal and inland areas.

scholarly journals Improving local air quality in cities by reducing nitrogen dioxide pollution from road traffic

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 05002
Author(s):  
Spiru Paraschiv
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Station ◽  
Daily Minimum

Trucks and buses play a major role in our lives, transporting goods and thousands of people to cities every day. But these vehicles, although in a much smaller number than the car generates a significant amount of air pollutants. The daily NO2 concentrations measured by a traffic monitoring station over a period of two years are used to identify the temporal variation of NO2 pollution as a result of measures to ban the circulation of trucks that do not meet the EURO 6 standard on Stresemannstrase Street in Hamburg. The data shows a decrease in NO2 concentration due to the measure taken so that in January 2017 the maximum daily NO2 concentration was 86 µg/m3 compared to 63 µg/m3 in 2019. There was also a difference between the daily minimum concentrations during the same period, being approximately 28 µg/m3 in 2017 and 10 µg/m3 in 2019. The daily NO2 observations show a significant decrease in concentration since May 2018 when the non-EURO 6 trucks were banned. The largest decrease in daily concentrations was recorded in March 2019 compared with levels in March 2018, with a lower concentration for 28 days. A different situation was observed in October 2018, when compared to October 2017, showed an increase in concentration for 23 days.

Air Quality in Riga and Its Improvement Options

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (-1) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
Janis Kleperis ◽  
Gunars Bajars ◽  
Ingrida Bremere ◽  
Martins Menniks ◽  
Arturs Viksna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Particle Pollution ◽  
The City

Air Quality in Riga and Its Improvement Options Air quality in the city of Riga is evaluated from direct monitoring results and from accounting registered air pollutants in the city. It is concluded that from all air polluting substances listed in the European Commission directives, only nitrogen dioxide NO2 and particulate matter PM10 exceed the limits. In assessing the projected measures to improve air quality in Riga, it can be concluded that the implementation of cleaner fuels and improvements in energy efficiency of household and industrial sectors will decrease particle pollution, but measures in the transport sector will also contribute to reducing air pollution from nitrogen oxides.

scholarly journals The representation of dust transport and missing urban sources as major issues for the simulation of PM episodes in a Mediterranean area

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 15295-15325 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Flaounas ◽  
I. Coll ◽  
A. Armengaud ◽  
C. Schmechtig
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Diurnal Variability ◽  
Dust Transport

Abstract. Due to its adverse effects on human health, atmospheric particulate matter (PM) constitutes a growing challenge for air quality management. It is also a complex subject of study. The understanding of its atmospheric evolution is indeed made difficult by the wide number of sources and the numerous processes that govern its evolution in the troposphere. As a consequence, the representation of particulate matter in chemistry-transport models needs to be permanently evaluated and enhanced in order to refine our comprehension of PM pollution events and to propose consistent environmental policies. The study presented here focuses on a summer particulate pollution episode that occurred on the French Mediterranean coast. It aims at identifying the constitutive elements of this episode and to discuss its representation within a eulerian model. We first highlight the major role of dust transport from western Africa in the formation of a multi-day PM event. This result shows that dust import has to be regarded as a potentially major participant to PM events in Europe, even when considering moderate peak values. In parallel we focus on a lack of diurnal variability in the model, which is attributed to missing urban sources in standard emission inventories, and notably the resuspension of particles by urban road traffic. Through a sensitivity study based on PM and NOx measurements, we could assess the amplitude of this lack as well as the need to reconsider road traffic PM sources. In parallel, by coupling the CHIMERE-DUST model outputs to our simulation, we could show that the representation of transcontinental dust transport is a necessity for a better simulation of atmospheric particles in Southern Europe, and – in the frame of air quality management – for the quantification of the anthropogenic part of particulate matter pollution.

scholarly journals Impact of pollutant emission from motor vehicles on air quality in a city agglomeration

2019 ◽  
Vol 177 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  
Zdzisław CHŁOPEK ◽  
Jakub LASOCKI ◽  
Katarzyna STRZAŁKOWSKA ◽  
Dagna ZAKRZEWSKA
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Pollutant Emission ◽  
Emission Data

In the large urban areas, in middle latitudes, as in case of Poland, the cause of poor air quality is immission: in winter particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, in summer – ozone and nitrogen oxides (or nitrogen dioxide). In the whole country, road transport is significantly responsible for the emission of nitrogen oxides (30%), carbon monoxide (20%) and less for emission of particulate matter (a few percent). In the case of other pollutants, the emission of non-metallic organic compounds is less than 10% (including polycyclic organic compounds – just over 0.5%), and sulfur oxides – only 0.03%! To analyze impact of automotive industry on air quality, pollutant emission data from two stations in Krakow were selected. These stations are known for poor air quality – the stations are: Dietla Street – with a high level of traffic and Kurdwanów – place located far from traffic routes. It was found that other objects than automotive vehicles are the dominant source of dust. These are industrial sources and – above all – energy sources, especially individual heating installations. Particularly large dust pollution occurs in winter and it is not always in areas with intense traffic. There was a strong dependence between immission of pollutants and road traffic, however, this dependence is not dominant in assessing the risk of air quality in urban agglomerations.

scholarly journals LIFE MONZA: project description and actions’ updating

Noise Mapping ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Bartalucci ◽  
Francesco Borchi ◽  
Monica Carfagni ◽  
Rocco Furferi ◽  
Lapo Governi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Project Description ◽  
Air Quality Improvement ◽  
The City

Abstract The introduction of Low Emission Zones, urban areas subject to road traffic restrictions in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values set by the European Directive on ambient air quality (2008/50/EC), is a common and well-established action in the administrative government of cities. The impacts on air quality improvement are widely analysed, whereas the effects and benefits concerning the noise have not been addressed in a comprehensive manner. As a consequence, the definition, the criteria for the analysis and the management methods of a Noise Low Emission Zone are not clearly expressed and shared yet. The LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management - LIFE15 ENV/IT/000586) addresses these issues. The first objective of the project, co-funded by the European Commission, is to introduce an easy-replicable method for the identification and the management of the Noise Low Emission Zone, an urban area subject to traffic restrictions, whose impacts and benefits regarding noise issues will be analyzed and tested in the pilot area of the city of Monza, located in Northern Italy. Background conditions, structure, objectives of the project and actions’ progress will be discussed in this article.

scholarly journals A Review of Air Quality and Concentrations of Air Pollutants in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-379
Author(s):  
I.B. Abaje ◽  
Y. Bello ◽  
S.A. Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Fine Fraction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Waste Dumps

This study generally classifies air pollutants on the basis of: primary or secondary, natural or anthropogenic, chemical composition, physical state, and the space scales of their effects. Air pollutants that affect air quality in Nigeria were discussed based on natural and anthropogenic sources. The natural sources include: sand dust, sea spray, volcanic activities, smoke and carbon monoxide from wildfires among others, while the anthropogenic sources include: vehicular emissions, mining activities, industries such as cement companies and quarry factories, agricultural practices and solid waste dumps among others. Some of the atmospheric pollutants that posed greatest threat to human health were equally examined. They include: Sulphur dioxide (SO2) which can react with water vapor (H2O) in the atmosphere to form sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and thus acid rain; particulate matter (PM) with less than 10 μm, particularly fine particles (PM2.5 ) and particles in the fine fraction that are smaller than 0.1 μm (ultrafine particles), can carry toxic chemicals which are linked to cancer; carbon monoxide (CO), even in very small concentrations, can prevent oxygen from being delivered through the body major organs; ozone which is a highly reactive gas causes oxidation of a number of macromolecules within a biological system and produces free radicals that can damage DNA molecules and cause carcinogenesis. Based on the aforementioned, this study recommends that priority should be given to the establishment of air monitoring stations in all urban centers of the country in order to provide accurate and continuous information on air quality. Keywords: anthropogenic pollutants, atmosphere, particulate matter, pollution

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