The Impact of PM10 Levels on Pedestrian Volume: Findings from Streets in Seoul, South Korea

Although many studies have revealed that both air quality and walking activity are dominant contributors to public health, little is known about the relationship between them. Moreover, previous studies on this subject have given little consideration to the day-to-day atmospheric conditions and floating populations of surrounding areas even though most pedestrian count surveys are not conducted on a single day. Against this backdrop, using the 2015 Pedestrian Volume Survey data and quasi-real-time weather, air quality, and transit ridership data in Seoul, this study investigates the relationship between particulate matter (PM)10 and pedestrian street volumes empirically. The regression results suggest that PM10 concentration determines people’s intention to walk and affects the volume of street-level pedestrians. The three regression models, which adopted different spatial aggregation units of air quality, demonstrated that PM10 elasticity of pedestrian volume is the largest in the borough-level (the smallest spatial unit of air quality alert) model. This means that people react to the most accurate information they can access, implying that air quality information should be provided in smaller spatial units for public health. Thus, strengthening air quality warning standards of PM is an effective measure for enhancing public health.

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Functional ANOVA approaches for detecting changes in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic

Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment ◽

10.1007/s00477-021-02071-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Acal ◽

Ana M. Aguilera ◽

Annalina Sarra ◽

Adelia Evangelista ◽

Tonio Di Battista ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Functional Data ◽

Central Italy ◽

Principal Component ◽

Functional Principal Component Analysis ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Pm 10 ◽

The Impact ◽

Monitoring Stations

AbstractFaced with novel coronavirus outbreak, the most hard-hit countries adopted a lockdown strategy to contrast the spread of virus. Many studies have already documented that the COVID-19 control actions have resulted in improved air quality locally and around the world. Following these lines of research, we focus on air quality changes in the urban territory of Chieti-Pescara (Central Italy), identified as an area of criticality in terms of air pollution. Concentrations of $$\hbox {NO}_{{2}}$$ NO 2 , $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 , $$\hbox {PM}_{2.5}$$ PM 2.5 and benzene are used to evaluate air pollution changes in this Region. Data were measured by several monitoring stations over two specific periods: from 1st February to 10 th March 2020 (before lockdown period) and from 11st March 2020 to 18 th April 2020 (during lockdown period). The impact of lockdown on air quality is assessed through functional data analysis. Our work makes an important contribution to the analysis of variance for functional data (FANOVA). Specifically, a novel approach based on multivariate functional principal component analysis is introduced to tackle the multivariate FANOVA problem for independent measures, which is reduced to test multivariate homogeneity on the vectors of the most explicative principal components scores. Results of the present study suggest that the level of each pollutant changed during the confinement. Additionally, the differences in the mean functions of all pollutants according to the location and type of monitoring stations (background vs traffic), are ascribable to the $$\hbox {PM}_{{10}}$$ PM 10 and benzene concentrations for pre-lockdown and during-lockdown tenure, respectively. FANOVA has proven to be beneficial to monitoring the evolution of air quality in both periods of time. This can help environmental protection agencies in drawing a more holistic picture of air quality status in the area of interest.

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Gender Differences in Association between Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in the Capital of the Green Lungs of Poland–Population-Based Study with 2,953,000 Person-Years of Follow-Up

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9082351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 2351

Author(s):

Łukasz Kuźma ◽

Krzysztof Struniawski ◽

Szymon Pogorzelski ◽

Hanna Bachórzewska-Gajewska ◽

Sławomir Dobrzycki

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Gender Differences ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

World Health ◽

The European Union ◽

Daily Mortality ◽

Male Population ◽

The Impact

(1) Introduction: air pollution is considered to be one of the main risk factors for public health. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 500,000 citizens of the European Union (EU), including almost 5000 inhabitants of Poland every year. (2) Purpose: to assess the gender differences in the impact of air pollution on the mortality in the population of the city of Bialystok—the capital of the Green Lungs of Poland. (3) Materials and Methods: based on the data from the Central Statistical Office, the number—and causes of death—of Białystok residents in the period 2008–2017 were analyzed. The study utilized the data recorded by the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection station and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management during the analysis period. Time series regression with Poisson distribution was used in statistical analysis. (4) Results: A total of 34,005 deaths had been recorded, in which women accounted for 47.5%. The proportion of cardiovascular-related deaths was 48% (n = 16,370). An increase of SO2 concentration by 1-µg/m3 (relative risk (RR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.12; p = 0.005) and a 10 °C decrease of temperature (RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05; p = 0.005) were related to an increase in the number of daily deaths. No gender differences in the impact of air pollution on mortality were observed. In the analysis of the subgroup of cardiovascular deaths, the main pollutant that was found to have an effect on daily mortality was particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5); the RR for 10-µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.12; p = 0.01), and this effect was noted only in the male population. (5) Conclusions: air quality and atmospheric conditions had an impact on the mortality of Bialystok residents. The main air pollutant that influenced the mortality rate was SO2, and there were no gender differences in the impact of this pollutant. In the male population, an increased exposure to PM2.5 concentration was associated with significantly higher cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that improving air quality, in particular, even with lower SO2 levels than currently allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, may benefit public health. Further studies on this topic are needed, but our results bring questions whether the recommendations concerning acceptable concentrations of air pollutants should be stricter, or is there a safe concentration of SO2 in the air at all.

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Can the Health-Care System Meet the Challenge of Pandemic Flu? Planning, Ethical, and Workforce Considerations

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/003335490712200503 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 122 (5) ◽

pp. 573-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Peter J. Levin ◽

Eric N. Gebbie ◽

Kristine Qureshi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Care Staff ◽

Health Care Staff ◽

Accurate Information ◽

The Public ◽

Health Care Delivery Systems ◽

The Impact

The federal pandemic influenza plan predicts that 30% of the population could be infected. The impact of this pandemic would quickly overwhelm the public health and health-care delivery systems in the U.S. and throughout the world. Surge capacity for staffing, availability of drugs and supplies, and alternate means to provide care must be included in detailed plans that are tested and drilled ahead of time. Accurate information on the disease must be made available to health-care staff and the public to reduce fear. Spokespersons must provide clear, consistent messages about the disease, including actions to be taken to contain its spread and treat the afflicted. Home care will be especially important, as hospitals will be quickly overwhelmed. Staff must be prepared ahead of time to assure their ability and willingness to report to work, and public health must plan ahead to adequately confront ethical issues that will arise concerning the availability of treatment resources. The entire community must work together to meet the challenges posed by an epidemic. Identification and resolution of these challenges and issues are essential to achieve adequate public health preparedness.

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The impact of air quality on its Baidu index: grey model analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-202216/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leping Tu ◽

Yan Chen

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Air Quality Index ◽

Grey Correlation ◽

Convolution Model ◽

Grey Correlation Analysis ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract To investigate the relationship between air quality and its Baidu index, we collect the annual Baidu index of air pollution hazards, causes and responses. Grey correlation analysis, particle swarm optimization and grey multivariate convolution model are used to simulate and forecast the comprehensive air quality index. The result shows that the excessive growth of the comprehensive air quality index will lead to an increase in the corresponding Baidu index. The number of search for the causes of air quality has the closest link with the comprehensive air quality index. Strengthening the awareness of public about air pollution is conducive to the improvement of air quality. The result provides a reference for relevant departments to prevent and control air pollution.

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Did people really drink bleach to prevent COVID-19? A tale of problematic respondents and a guide for measuring rare events in survey data

10.1101/2020.12.11.20246694 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Leib Litman ◽

Zohn Rosen ◽

Cheskie Rosenzweig ◽

Sarah L. Weinberger-Litman ◽

Aaron J. Moss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Best Practices ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Survey Research ◽

Iron Content ◽

Heart Attack ◽

Public Health Research ◽

Similar Rate ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

AbstractSociety is becoming increasingly dependent on survey research. However, surveys can be impacted by participants who are non-attentive, respond randomly to survey questions, and misrepresent who they are and their true attitudes. The impact that such respondents can have on public health research has rarely been systematically examined. In this study we examine whether Americans began to engage in dangerous cleaning practices to avoid Covid-19 infection. Prior findings reported by the CDC have suggested that people began to engage in highly dangerous cleaning practices during the Covid-19 pandemic, including ingesting household cleansers such as bleach. In a series of studies totaling close to 1400 respondents, we show that 80-90% of reports of household cleanser ingestion are made by problematic respondents. These respondents report impossible claims such as ‘recently having had a fatal heart attack’ and ‘eating concrete for its iron content’ at a similar rate to ingesting household cleaners. Additionally, respondents’ frequent misreading or misinterpreting the intent of questions accounted for the rest of such claims. Once inattentive, mischievous, and careless respondents are taken out of the analytic sample we find no evidence that people ingest cleansers to prevent Covid-19 infection. The relationship between dangerous cleaning practices and health outcomes also becomes non-significant once problematic respondents are taken out of the analytic sample. These results show that reported ingestion of household cleaners and other similar dangerous practices are an artifact of problematic respondent bias. The implications of these findings for public health and medical survey research, as well as best practices for avoiding problematic respondents in surveys are discussed.

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A psychophysical measurement on subjective well-being and air pollution

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-019-13459-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yuan Li ◽

Dabo Guan ◽

Yanni Yu ◽

Stephen Westland ◽

Daoping Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Quality Index ◽

Well Being ◽

Air Quality Index ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Atmospheric Conditions ◽

Survey Techniques ◽

Physical Effects ◽

The Impact

AbstractAlthough the physical effects of air pollution on humans are well documented, there may be even greater impacts on the emotional state and health. Surveys have traditionally been used to explore the impact of air pollution on people’s subjective well-being (SWB). However, the survey techniques usually take long periods to properly match the air pollution characteristics from monitoring stations to each respondent’s SWB at both disaggregated spatial and temporal levels. Here, we used air pollution data to simulate fixed-scene images and psychophysical process to examine the impact from only air pollution on SWB. Findings suggest that under the atmospheric conditions in Beijing, negative emotions occur when PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 µm) increases to approximately 150 AQI (air quality index). The British observers have a stronger negative response under severe air pollution compared with Chinese observers. People from different social groups appear to have different sensitivities to SWB when air quality index exceeds approximately 200 AQI.

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Evaluation of the impact of meteorological conditions on the amount of air pollution in Krakow

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201910802012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 108 ◽

pp. 02012

Author(s):

Małgorzata Piaskowska-Silarska ◽

Krzysztof Pytel ◽

Stanisław Gumuła ◽

Wiktor Hudy

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Measurement Data ◽

Ecological Monitoring ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Pollution Problem ◽

Air Quality Improvement ◽

Meteorological Elements ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. The publication presents an assessment of the impact of meteorological conditions on air quality in a given location. The subject matter of the work is related to problem-review issues in the field of environmental protection and energy management. The publication draws attention to the fact that despite several decades of ecological monitoring of air pollution, only in recent years attention has been paid to the scale of air pollution problem. The study examined the relationship between meteorological elements (wind velocity, relative humidity on the amount of air pollution immissions. Significant impact of precipitation, atmospheric pressure and thermal braking layer was indicated. The possibilities of air quality improvement were presented based on the measurement data concerning the immission of impurities.

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Measuring On-Road Vehicle Emissions with Multiple Instruments Including Remote Sensing

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10090516 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 516 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Robin Smit ◽

Phil Kingston

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Air Quality ◽

Capture Rate ◽

Quality Criteria ◽

Cold Start ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Diesel Vehicles ◽

Additional Equipment ◽

The Impact

The objective of this paper is to use remote sensing to measure on-road emissions and to examine the impact and usefulness of additional measurement devices at three sites. Supplementing remote sensing device (RSD) equipment with additional equipment increased the capture rate by almost 10%. Post-processing of raw data is essential to obtain useful and accurate information. A method is presented to identify vehicles with excessive emission levels (high emitters). First, an anomaly detection method is applied, followed by identification of cold start operating conditions using infrared vehicle profiles. Using this method, 0.6% of the vehicles in the full (enhanced) RSD data were identified as high emitters, of which 35% are likely in cold start mode where emissions typically stabilize to low hot running emission levels within a few minutes. Analysis of NOx RSD data confirms that poor real-world NOx performance of Euro 4/5 light-duty diesel vehicles observed around the world is also evident in Australian measurements. This research suggests that the continued dieselisation in Australia, in particular under the current Euro 5 emission standards and the more stringent NO2 air quality criteria expected in 2020 and 2025, could potentially result in local air quality issues near busy roads.

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Impact on Air Quality of the COVID-19 Lockdown in the Urban Area of Palermo (Italy)

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207375 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7375 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marcello Vultaggio ◽

Daniela Varrica ◽

Maria Grazia Alaimo

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Area ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Infected People ◽

National Crisis ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Pm 10 ◽

The Impact

At the end of 2019, the first cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in Wuhan, China. Thereafter, the number of infected people increased rapidly, and the outbreak turned into a national crisis, with infected individuals all over the country. The COVID-19 global pandemic produced extreme changes in human behavior that affected air quality. Human mobility and production activities decreased significantly, and many regions recorded significant reductions in air pollution. The goal of our investigation was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the concentrations of the main air pollutants in the urban area of Palermo (Italy). In this study, the trends in the average concentrations of CO, NO2, O3, and PM10 in the air from 1 January 2020 to 31 July 2020 were compared with the corresponding average values detected at the same monitoring stations in Palermo during the previous five years (2015–2019). During the lockdown period (10 March–30 April), we observed a decrease in the concentrations of CO, NO2, and particulate matter (PM)10, calculated to be about 51%, 50%, and 45%, respectively. This confirms that air pollution in an urban area is predominantly linked to vehicular traffic.

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Situating ‘careful surveillance’

International Journal of Cultural Studies ◽

10.1177/1367877921997450 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136787792199745

Author(s):

Mark Andrejevic ◽

Hugh Davies ◽

Ruth DeSouza ◽

Larissa Hjorth ◽

Ingrid Richardson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Space ◽

Social Care ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Health Measures ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

In this article we explore preliminary findings from the study COVIDSafe and Beyond: Perceptions and Practices conducted in Australia in 2020. The study involved a survey followed by interviews, and aimed to capture the dynamic ways in which members of the Australian public perceive the impact of Covid practices – especially public health measures like the introduction of physical and social distancing, compulsory mask wearing, and contact tracing. In the rescripting of public space, different notions of formal and informal surveillance, along with different textures of mediated and social care, appeared. In this article, we explore perceptions around divergent forms of surveillance across social, technological, governmental modes, and the relationship of surveillance to care in our media and cultural practices. What does it mean to care for self and others during a pandemic? How does care get enacted in, and through, media interfaces and public interaction?

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