A study of air pollution with formaldehyde along the highways in Kyiv city.

The problem of air pollution in the cities of Ukraine was described. The methodology of calculation of hydrocarbon emission on automobile overpasses and crossroads of Kyiv was suggested. By the number of bands, the number of cars was determined. The calculation has shown that at the same time near 300 cars can be on the overpass during peak hours. The average concentration of formaldehyde according to the calculations and observation data in 2016 was presented.

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Impact of COVID-19 on PM2.5 Pollution in Fastest-growing Megacity Dhaka, Bangladesh

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.131 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Showmitra Kumar Sarkar ◽

Md. Mehedi Hasan Khan

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Historical Data ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Observation Data ◽

Fine Particulate ◽

The Impact ◽

Absolute Decrease

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the research was to investigate and identify the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in Dhaka, Bangladesh by using ground-based observation data. Methods: The research assessed air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic for PM2.5 from 1 January 2017 to 1 August 2020. The research considered pollution in pre-COVID-19 (1 January-23 March), during COVID-19 (24 March-30 May), and post-COVID-19 (31 May-1 August) lockdown periods with current (2020) and historical (2017-2019) data. Results: PM2.5 pollution followed a similar yearly trend in year 2017-2020. The average concentration for PM2.5 was found 87.47 μg/m3 in the study period. Significant PM2.5 declines were observed in the current COVID-19 lockdown period compared to historical data: 11.31% reduction with an absolute decrease of 7.15 μg/m3. Conclusion: The findings of the research provide an overview of how the COVID-19 pandemic affects air pollution. The results will provide initial evidence regarding human behavioral changes and emission controls. This research will also suggest avenues for further study to link the findings with health outcomes.

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Spatio-Temporal Variations of the PM2.5/PM10 Ratios and Its Application to Air Pollution Type Classification in China

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.692440 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Hao Fan ◽

Chuanfeng Zhao ◽

Yikun Yang ◽

Xingchuan Yang

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Southern China ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Mainland China ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Environmental Research ◽

Observation Data ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Hu Line

Particulate Matter (PM) is an important indicator of the degree of air pollution. The PM type and the ratio of coarse and fine PM particles determine the ability to affect human health and atmospheric processes. Using the observation data across the country from 2015 to 2018, this study investigates the distribution and proportion of PM2.5 and PM10 at different temporal and spatial scales in mainland China; clarifies the PM2.5, PM10 and PM2.5/PM10 ratios interrelation; and classifies the dust, mixed, and anthropogenic type aerosol. It shows that the annual average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 decreased by 10.55 and 8.78 μg m−3 in 4 years. PM2.5, PM10, and PM2.5/PM10 ratios show obvious while different seasonal variations. PM2.5 is high in winter and low in summer, while PM10 is high in winter and spring, and low in summer and autumn. Differently, the PM2.5/PM10 ratios are the highest in winter, and the lowest in spring. PM2.5/PM10 ratios show strong independence on PM2.5 and PM10, implying that it can provide extra information about the aerosol pollution such as aerosol type. A classification method about air pollution types is then further proposed based on probability distribution function (PDF) morphology of PM2.5/PM10 ratios. The results show that dust type mainly lies in the west of Hu-Line, mixed type pollution distributes near Hu-Line, and the anthropogenic type dominates over North China Plain and cities in southern China. The results provide insights into China’s future clean air policy making and environmental research.

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A global association between Covid-19 cases and airborne particulate matter at regional level

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85751-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Angelo Solimini ◽

F. Filipponi ◽

D. Alunni Fegatelli ◽

B. Caputo ◽

C. M. De Marco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Particulate Matter ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Regional Level ◽

Pollution Level ◽

Observation Data ◽

Cumulative Number ◽

Mixed Effect

AbstractEvidences of an association between air pollution and Covid-19 infections are mixed and inconclusive. We conducted an ecological analysis at regional scale of long-term exposure to air-borne particle matter and spread of Covid-19 cases during the first wave of epidemics. Global air pollution and climate data were calculated from satellite earth observation data assimilated into numerical models at 10 km resolution. Main outcome was defined as the cumulative number of cases of Covid-19 in the 14 days following the date when > 10 cumulative cases were reported. Negative binomial mixed effect models were applied to estimate the associations between the outcome and long-term exposure to air pollution at the regional level (PM10, PM2.5), after adjusting for relevant regional and country level covariates and spatial correlation. In total we collected 237,749 Covid-19 cases from 730 regions, 63 countries and 5 continents at May 30, 2020. A 10 μg/m3 increase of pollution level was associated with 8.1% (95% CI 5.4%, 10.5%) and 11.5% (95% CI 7.8%, 14.9%) increases in the number of cases in a 14 days window, for PM2.5 and PM10 respectively. We found an association between Covid-19 cases and air pollution suggestive of a possible causal link among particulate matter levels and incidence of COVID-19.

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Outdoor air pollution and diminished ovarian reserve among infertile Korean women

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12199-021-00942-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Kim ◽

Seung-Ah Choe ◽

Ok-Jin Kim ◽

Sun-Young Kim ◽

Seulgi Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Ovarian Reserve ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Total Population ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Reproductive Potential ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Korean Women

AbstractBackgroundMounting evidence implicates an association between ambient air pollution and impaired reproductive potential of human. Our study aimed to assess the association between air pollution and ovarian reserve in young, infertile women.MethodsOur study included 2276 Korean women who attended a single fertility center in 2016–2018. Women’s exposure to air pollution was assessed using concentrations of particulate matter (PM10and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) that had been collected at 269 air quality monitoring sites. Exposure estimates were computed for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months prior to the ovarian reserve tests. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) ratio (defined as an observed-to-expected AMH based on age) and low AMH (defined as < 0.5 ng/mL) were employed as indicators of ovarian reserve. We included a clustering effect of 177 districts in generalized estimating equations approach. A secondary analysis was conducted restricting the analyses to Seoul residents to examine the association in highly urbanized setting.ResultsThe mean age was 36.6 ± 4.2 years and AMH level was 3.3 ± 3.1 ng/mL in the study population. Average AMH ratio was 0.8 ± 0.7 and low AMH was observed in 10.3% of women (n=235). The average concentration of six air pollutants was not different between the normal ovarian reserve and low AMH groups for all averaging periods. In multivariable models, an interquartile range (IQR)-increase in 1 month-average PM10was associated with decrease in AMH ratio among total population (β= −0.06, 95% confidence interval: −0.11, 0.00). When we restrict our analysis to those living in Seoul, IQR-increases in 1 and 12 month-average PM2.5were associated with 3% (95% CI: −0.07, 0.00) and 10% (95% CI: −0.18, −0.01) decrease in AMH ratio. The ORs per IQR increase in the six air pollutants were close to null in total population and Seoul residents.ConclusionsIn a cohort of infertile Korean women, there was a suggestive evidence of the negative association between ambient PM concentration and ovarian reserve, highlighting the potential adverse impact of air pollution on women’s fertility.

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Efficiency and Eco-Costs of Air Purifiers in Terms of Improving Microbiological Indoor Air Quality in Dwellings—A Case Study

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10120742 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 742 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ewa Brągoszewska ◽

Magdalena Bogacka ◽

Krzysztof Pikoń

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Pollution Prevention ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Environmental Cost ◽

Bacterial Aerosol ◽

The Impact ◽

Ecological Cost

Air pollution, a by-product of economic growth, generates an enormous environmental cost in Poland. The issue of healthy living spaces and indoor air quality (IAQ) is a global concern because people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. An increasingly popular method to improve IAQ is to use air purifiers (APs). Indoor air is often polluted by bioaerosols (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi), which are a major concern for public health. This work presents research on culturable bacterial aerosol (CBA) samples collected from dwellings with or without active APs during the 2019 summer season. The CBA samples were collected using a six-stage Andersen cascade impactor (ACI). The CBA concentrations were expressed as Colony Forming Units (CFU) per cubic metre of air. The average concentration of CBA in dwellings when the AP was active was 450–570 CFU/m3, whereas the average concentration when the AP was not active was 920–1000 CFU/m3. IAQ, when the APs were active, was on average almost 50% better than in cases where there were no procedures to decrease the concentration of air pollutants. Moreover, the obtained results of the particle size distribution (PSD) of CBA indicate that the use of APs reduced the proportion of the respirable fraction (the particles < 3.3 µm) by about 16%. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to assess the ecological cost of air purification. Our conceptual approach addresses the impact of indoor air pollution on human health and estimates the ecological cost of APs and air pollution prevention policies.

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Monthly-Term Associations Between Air Pollutants and Respiratory Morbidity in South Brazil 2013–2016: A Multi-City, Time-Series Analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16203787 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (20) ◽

pp. 3787 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dayana Milena Agudelo-Castañeda ◽

Elba Calesso Teixeira ◽

Larissa Alves ◽

Julián Alfredo Fernández-Niño ◽

Laura Andrea Rodríguez-Villamizar

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Time Series ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Age Groups ◽

Information Service ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Respiratory Morbidity ◽

Maximum Effect ◽

South Brazil

Most air pollution research conducted in Brazil has focused on assessing the daily-term effects of pollutants, but little is known about the health effects of air pollutants at an intermediate time term. The objective of this study was to determine the monthly-term association between air pollution and respiratory morbidity in five cities in South Brazil. An ecological time-series study was performed using the municipality as the unit of observation in five cities in South Brazil (Gravataí, Triunfo, Esteio, Canoas, and Charqueadas) between 2013 and 2016. Data for hospital admissions was obtained from the records of the Hospital Information Service. Air pollution data, including PM10, SO2, CO, NO2, and O3 (µg/m3) were obtained from the environmental government agency in Rio Grande do Sul State. Panel multivariable Poisson regression models were adjusted for monthly counts of respiratory hospitalizations. An increase of 10 μg/m3 in the monthly average concentration of PM10 was associated with an increase of respiratory hospitalizations in all age groups, with the maximum effect on the population aged between 16 and 59 years (IRR: Incidence rate ratio 2.04 (95% CI: Confidence interval = 1.97–2.12)). For NO2 and SO2, stronger intermediate-term effects were found in children aged between 6 and 15 years, while for O3 higher effects were found in children under 1 year. This is the first multi-city study conducted in South Brazil to account for intermediate-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory health.

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Association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity

Internal and Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1007/s11739-021-02834-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karolina Semczuk-Kaczmarek ◽

Anna Rys-Czaporowska ◽

Janusz Sierdzinski ◽

Lukasz Dominik Kaczmarek ◽

Filip Marcin Szymanski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Respiratory Diseases ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Cumulative Number ◽

Annual Average ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Annual Average Concentration ◽

Official Data

AbstractCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the world unevenly. One of the highest numbers of cases were recorded in the most polluted regions worldwide. The risk factors for severe COVID-19 include diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. It has been known that the same disease might be worsened by chronic exposure to air pollution. The study aimed to determine whether long-term average exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Poland. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each voivodeship (the main administrative level of jurisdictions) in Poland were collected from March 4, 2020, to May 15, 2020. Based on the official data published by Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection voivodeship-level long-term exposure to main air pollution: PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3 (averaged from 2013 to 2018) was established. There were statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) and annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.367, p = 0.016), PM10 (R2 = 0.415, p = 0.009), SO2 (R2 = 0.489, p = 0.003), and O3 (R2 = 0.537, p = 0.0018). Moreover, COVID-19 deaths (per 100,000 population) were associated with annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.290, p = 0.038), NO2 (R2 = 0.319, p = 0.028), O3 (R2 = 0.452, p = 0.006). The long-term exposure to air pollution, especially PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3 seems to play an essential role in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality. Long-term exposure to air pollution might increase the susceptibility to the infection, exacerbates the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and worsens the patients’ prognosis. The study provides generalized and possible universal trends. Detailed analyzes of the phenomenon dedicated to a given region require taking into account data on comorbidities and socioeconomic variables as well as information about the long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 cases and deaths at smaller administrative level of jurisdictions (community or at least district level).

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How does air pollution affect urban settlement of the floating population in China? New evidence from a push-pull migration analysis

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11711-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhihao Zhao ◽

Xin Lao ◽

Hengyu Gu ◽

Hanchen Yu ◽

Ping Lei

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Population Based ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Floating Population ◽

Urban Settlement ◽

Individual Level ◽

Development Levels ◽

Settlement Intentions

Abstract Background Severe air pollution in China threatens human health, and its negative impact decreases the urban settlement intentions of migrants in destination cities. We establish a comprehensive framework based on the push-pull migration model to investigate this phenomenon. Methods We employ a logistic model to analyze air pollution’s impact on the settlement intentions of the floating population based on the CMDS 2017 in China, combining the city-level socioeconomic variables with the individual-level variables. Results Our results show that the annual average concentration of PM2.5 increases by 1 unit and that the probability of migrants’ settlement intentions will decrease by 8.7%. Using a heterogeneity analysis, we find that the following migrant groups are more sensitive to air pollution: males, people over 30 years old, less educated people, and migrants with nonagricultural hukou. With every 1 unit increase in PM2.5, each group’s settlement intentions decrease by 13.2, 16.7, 16.9, and 12.6%, respectively. Conclusions Our results are consistent with existing studies. This study discovers that both external environment and internal factors influence migrants’ settlement intentions. Specifically, the differences in population sizes, economic development levels, public services, infrastructure conditions, and environmental regulations between cities play a significant role in migration decisions. We also confirm heterogeneous sensitivities to air pollution of different migrant subgroups in terms of individual characteristics, family factors, migration features, social and economic attributes.

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Measured and modelled air quality trends in Italy over the period 2003–2010

10.5194/acp-2020-1058 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ilaria D'Elia ◽

Gino Briganti ◽

Lina Vitali ◽

Antonio Piersanti ◽

Gaia Righini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Transport Model ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Chemical Transport Model ◽

Spatial Coverage ◽

Significant Downward Trend ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Air pollution harms human health and the environment. Several regulatory efforts and different actions have been taken in the last decades by authorities. Air quality trend analysis represents a valid tool in assessing the impact of these actions taken both at national and local levels. This paper presents for the first time the capability of the Italian national chemical transport model, AMS-MINNI, in capturing the observed concentration trends of three air pollutants, NO2, inhalable particles having diameter less than 10 micrometres (PM10) and O3, in Italy over the period 2003–2010. We firstly analyse the model performance finding it in line with the state of the art of regional models applications. The modelled trends result in a general significant downward trend for the three pollutants and, in comparison with observations, the values of the simulated slopes show the same magnitude for NO2 (in the range −3.0 ÷ −0.5 ug m−3 yr−1), while a smaller variability is detected for PM10 (−1.5 ÷ −0.5 ug m−3 yr−1) and O3-maximum daily 8-hour average concentration (−2.0 ÷ −0.5 ug m−3 yr−1). As a general result, we find a good agreement between modelled and observed trends; moreover, the model allowed to extend both the spatial coverage and the statistical significance of pollutants' concentrations trends with respect to observations, in particular for NO2. We also conduct a qualitative attempt to correlate the temporal concentration trends to meteorological and emission variability. Since no clear tendency in yearly meteorological anomalies (temperature, precipitation, geopotential height) was observed for the period investigated, we focus the discussion of concentrations trends on emissions variations. We point out that, due to the complex links between precursors emissions and air pollutants concentrations, emission reductions do not always result in a corresponding decrease in atmospheric concentrations, especially for those pollutants that are formed in the atmosphere such as O3 and the major fraction of PM10. These complex phenomena are still uncertain and their understanding is of the utmost importance in planning future policies for reducing air pollution and its impacts on health and ecosystems.

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Effectiveness and Eco-Costs of Air Cleaners in Terms of Improving Fungal Air Pollution in Dwellings Located in Southern Poland—A Preliminary Study

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11111255 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1255

Author(s):

Ewa Brągoszewska ◽

Magdalena Bogacka ◽

Krzysztof Pikoń

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Economic Cost ◽

Airborne Fungi ◽

Average Concentration ◽

Indoor Environments ◽

Air Cleaners ◽

Indoor Air Pollutants

Epidemiological evidence shows that air pollution is responsible for several million premature deaths per year. By virtue of being responsible for these deaths, economic evidence shows that air pollution also imposes a so-called economic cost to society of several trillion dollars per year. The diseases caused by biological air pollutants are of primary global concern for both social and economic reasons, and given that people may spend more than 90% of their time in enclosed spaces, the investigation into methods to remove indoor air pollutants is of paramount importance. One of the methods to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) is to use air cleaners (ACLs) with high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) that remove biological indoor air pollutants from indoor environments. This work presents the results of a study of fungal aerosol samples collected during the summer season from inside two dwellings (DG1 and DG2) before and after starting the use of ACLs. The fungal aerosol samples collected from each of the six stages of the sampler were incubated on agar plates at 26 °C, and the colony forming units (CFU) were manually counted and statistically corrected. The concentration of living airborne fungi was expressed as the CFU in the volume of air (CFU·m−3). The average concentration of fungal aerosol decreased the most when the ACLs were active for 24 min. The reduction was from 474 CFU·m−3 to 306 CFU·m−3, and from 582 CFU·m−3 to 338 CFU·m−3 in DG1 and DG2, respectively. The use of ACLs was assessed by the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. This study highlights the benefits of controlling biological air pollutants in order to keep occupants of buildings happy and healthy.

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