scholarly journals Assessing Effect of Targeting Reduction of PM2.5 Concentration on Human Exposure and Health Burden in Hong Kong Using Satellite Observation

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changqing Lin ◽  
Alexis Lau ◽  
Xingcheng Lu ◽  
Jimmy Fung ◽  
Zhiyuan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Health Burden ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

Targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration lessens population exposure level and health burden more effectively than uniform reduction does. Quantitative assessment of effect of the targeting reduction is limited because of the lack of spatially explicit PM2.5 data. This study aimed to investigate extent of exposure and health benefits resulting from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration. We took advantage of satellite observations to characterize spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration at a resolution of 1 km. Using Hong Kong of China as the study region (804 satellite’s pixels covering its residential areas), human exposure level (cρ) and premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 (Mort) for 2015 were estimated to be 25.9 μg/m3 and 4112 people per year, respectively. We then performed 804 diagnostic tests that reduced PM2.5 concentrations by −1 μg/m3 in different areas and a reference test that uniformly spread the −1 μg/m3. We used a benefit rate from targeting reduction (BRT), which represented a ratio of declines in cρ (or Mort) with and without the targeting reduction, to quantify the extent of benefits. The diagnostic tests estimated the BRT levels for both human exposure and premature mortality to be 4.3 over Hong Kong. It indicates that the declines in human exposure and premature mortality quadrupled with a targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration over Hong Kong. The BRT values for districts of Hong Kong could be as high as 5.6 and they were positively correlated to their spatial variabilities in population density. Our results underscore the substantial exposure and health benefits from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration. To better protect public health in Hong Kong, super-regional and regional cooperation are essential. Meanwhile, local environmental policy is suggested to aim at reducing anthropogenic emissions from mobile and area (e.g., residential) sources in central and northwestern areas.

scholarly journals Decrease in Ambient Fine Particulate Matter during COVID-19 Crisis and Corresponding Health Benefits in Seoul, Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 5279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changwoo Han ◽  
Yun-Chul Hong
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Pm2.5 Exposure ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

Both domestic emissions and transported pollutants from neighboring countries affect the ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration of Seoul, Korea. Diverse measures to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), such as social distancing and increased telecommuting in Korea and the stringent lockdown measures of China, may reduce domestic emissions and levels of transported pollutants, respectively. In addition, wearing a particulate-filtering respirator may have decreased the absolute PM2.5 exposure level for individuals. Therefore, this study estimated the acute health benefits of PM2.5 reduction and changes in public behavior during the COVID-19 crisis in Seoul, Korea. To calculate the mortality burden attributable to PM2.5, we obtained residents’ registration data, mortality data, and air pollution monitoring data for Seoul from publicly available databases. Relative risks were derived from previous time-series studies. We used the attributable fraction to estimate the number of excessive deaths attributable to acute PM2.5 exposure during January to April, yearly, from 2016 to 2020, and the number of mortalities avoided from PM2.5 reduction and respirator use observed in 2020. The average PM2.5 concentration from January to April in 2020 (25.6 μg/m3) was the lowest in the last 5 years. At least −4.1 μg/m3 (95% CI: −7.2, −0.9) change in ambient PM2.5 in Seoul was observed in 2020 compared to the previous 4 years. Overall, 37.6 (95% CI: 32.6, 42.5) non-accidental; 7.0 (95% CI: 5.7, 8.4) cardiovascular; and 4.7 (95% CI: 3.4, 6.1) respiratory mortalities were avoided due to PM2.5 reduction in 2020. By considering the effects of particulate respirator, decreases of 102.5 (95% CI: 89.0, 115.9) non-accidental; 19.1 (95% CI: 15.6, 22.9) cardiovascular; and 12.9 (95% CI: 9.2, 16.5) respiratory mortalities were estimated. We estimated that 37 lives were saved due to the PM2.5 reduction related to COVID-19 in Seoul, Korea. The health benefit may be greater due to the popular use of particulate-filtering respirators during the COVID-19 crisis. Future studies with daily mortality data are needed to verify our study estimates.

scholarly journals The rationality of PM2.5 monitoring sites’ locations based on exposure level across eastern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Yan ◽  
Guangming Shi ◽  
Fumo Yang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Exposure Levels ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration ◽  
Monitoring Stations

Abstract Due to the heterogeneity of PM2.5 and population distribution, the representativeness of existing monitoring sites is questionable when the monitored data were used to assess the population exposure. By comparing the PM2.5 concentration from a satellite-based dataset named the China High Air Pollutants (CHAP), population and exposure level in urban areas with monitoring stations (UWS) and without monitoring stations (UNS), we discussed the rationality of the current spatial coverage of monitoring stations in eastern China. Through an analysis of air pollution in all urban areas of 256 prefectural-level municipalities in eastern China, we found that the average PM2.5 concentration in UNS in 2015 and 2018 were 52.26 μg/m3 and 41.32 μg/m3, respectively, which were slightly lower than that in UWS (52.98 μg/m3 and 41.48 μg/m3). About 12.1% of the prefectural-level municipalities had higher exposure levels in certain UNS than those in UWS. With the faster growth of UNS population, the gap between exposure levels of UNS and UWS were narrowing. Hence, currently prevalent administration-based principle of site location selection might have higher risk of missing the non-capital urban areas with relatively higher PM2.5 exposure level in the future.

scholarly journals Decomposing the Long-term Variation in Population Exposure to Outdoor PM2.5 in the Greater Bay Area of China Using Satellite Observations

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 2646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changqing Lin ◽  
Alexis K. H. Lau ◽  
Jimmy C. H. Fung ◽  
Qianshan He ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
City Planning ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Exposure Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China is experiencing a high level of exposure to outdoor PM2.5 pollution. The variations in the exposure level are determined by spatiotemporal variations in the PM2.5 concentration and population. To better guide public policies that aim to reduce the population exposure level, it is essential to explicitly decompose and assess the impacts of different factors. This study took advantage of high-resolution satellite observations to characterize the long-term variations in population exposure to outdoor PM2.5 for cities in the GBA region during the three most-recent Five-Year Plan (FYP) periods (2001–2015). A new decomposition method was then used to assess the impact of PM2.5 variations and demographic changes on the exposure variation. Within the decomposition framework, an index of pollution-population-coincidence–induced PM2.5 exposure (PPCE) was introduced to characterize the interaction of PM2.5 and the population distribution. The results showed that the 15-year average PPCE levels in all cities were positive (e.g., 6 µg/m3 in Guangzhou), suggesting that unfavorable city planning had led to people dwelling in polluted areas. An analyses of the spatial differences in PM2.5 changes showed that urban areas experienced a greater decrease in PM2.5 concentration than did rural areas in most cities during the 11th (2006–2010) and 12th (2011–2015) FYP periods. These spatial differences in PM2.5 changes reduced the PPCE levels of these cities and thus reduced the exposure levels (by as much as -0.58 µg/m3/year). The population migration resulting from rapid urbanization, however, increased the PPCE and exposure levels (by as much as 0.18 µg/m3/year) in most cities during the three FYP periods considered. Dongguan was a special case in that the demographic change reduced the exposure level because of its rapid development of residential areas in cleaner regions adjacent to Shenzhen. The exposure levels in all cities remained high because of the high mean PM2.5 concentrations and their positive PPCE. To better protect public health, control efforts should target densely populated areas and city planning should locate more people in cleaner areas.

scholarly journals The Early Days of Personal Solar Ultraviolet Dosimetry

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Diffey
Keyword(s):  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Uv Exposure ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Atmospheric Ozone ◽  
Quantitative Understanding ◽  
Solar Uv ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Solar Ultraviolet

In the early 1970s, environmental conservationists were becoming concerned that a reduction in the thickness of the atmospheric ozone layer would lead to increased levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation at ground level, resulting in higher population exposure to UV and subsequent harm, especially a rise in skin cancer. At the time, no measurements had been reported on the normal levels of solar UV radiation which populations received in their usual environment, so this lack of data, coupled with increasing concerns about the impact to human health, led to the development of simple devices that monitored personal UV exposure. The first and most widely used UV dosimeter was the polymer film, polysulphone, and this review describes its properties and some of the pioneering studies using the dosimeter that led to a quantitative understanding of human exposure to sunlight in a variety of behavioral, occupational, and geographical settings.

scholarly journals The influence of spatiality on shipping emissions, air quality and potential human exposure in Yangtze River Delta/Shanghai, China

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junlan Feng ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Jingbo Mao ◽  
Allison P. Patton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Yangtze River Delta ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Inland Water ◽  
The Yrd ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the megacity of Shanghai are host to one of the busiest port clusters in the world, the region also suffers from high levels of air pollution. The goal of this study was to estimate the contributions of shipping to emissions, air quality, and population exposure and characterize their dependence on the geographic spatiality of ship lanes from the regional scale to city scale for 2015. The WRF-CMAQ model was used to simulate the influence of coastal and inland-water shipping, in port emissions, shipping-related cargo transport on air quality and, population-weighted concentrations, a measure of human exposure. Our results showed that the impact of shipping on air quality in the YRD was attributable primarily to shipping emissions within 12 NM of shore, but emissions coming from the coastal area of 24 to 96 NM still contributed substantially to ship-related PM2.5 concentrations in YRD. The overall contribution of ships to PM2.5 concentration in YRD could reach to 4.62 μg/m3 in summer when monsoon winds transport shipping emissions onshore. In Shanghai city, inland-water going ships were major contributors (40–80 %) to the shipping impact on urban air quality. Given the proximity of inland-water ships to urban populations of Shanghai, the emissions of inland-water ships contributed more to population-weighted concentrations. These research results provide scientific evidence to inform policies for controlling future shipping emissions; in particular, stricter standards could be considered for the ships on inland rivers and other waterways close to residential regions.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Health Burden Misclassification from the Use of Different PM2.5 Exposure Tier Models: A Case Study of London

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1099
Author(s):  
Vasilis Kazakos ◽  
Zhiwen Luo ◽  
Ian Ewart
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Exposure Concentration ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Health Burden ◽  
Mortality Burden ◽  
London Underground

Exposure to PM2.5 has been associated with increased mortality in urban areas. Hence, reducing the uncertainty in human exposure assessments is essential for more accurate health burden estimates. Here, we quantified the misclassification that occurred when using different exposure approaches to predict the mortality burden of a population using London as a case study. We developed a framework for quantifying the misclassification of the total mortality burden attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in four major microenvironments (MEs) (dwellings, aboveground transportation, London Underground (LU) and outdoors) in the Greater London Area (GLA), in 2017. We demonstrated that differences exist between five different exposure Tier-models with incrementally increasing complexity, moving from static to more dynamic approaches. BenMap-CE, the open source software developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was used as a tool to achieve spatial distribution of the ambient concentration by interpolating the monitoring data to the unmonitored areas and ultimately estimating the change in mortality on a fine resolution. Indoor exposure to PM2.5 is the largest contributor to total population exposure concentration, accounting for 83% of total predicted population exposure, followed by the London Underground, which contributes approximately 15%, despite the average time spent there by Londoners being only 0.4%. After incorporating housing stock and time-activity data, moving from static to most dynamic metric, Inner London showed the highest reduction in exposure concentration (i.e., approximately 37%) and as a result the largest change in mortality (i.e., health burden/mortality misclassification) was observed in central GLA. Overall, our findings showed that using outdoor concentration as a surrogate for total population exposure but ignoring different exposure concentration that occur indoors and time spent in transit, led to a misclassification of 1174–1541 mean predicted mortalities in GLA. We generally confirm that increasing the complexity and incorporating important microenvironments, such as the highly polluted LU, could significantly reduce the misclassification of health burden assessments.

scholarly journals Eravacycline Pharmacokinetics and Challenges in Defining Humanized ExposureIn Vivo

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 5072-5075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar K. Thabit ◽  
Marguerite L. Monogue ◽  
David P. Nicolau
Keyword(s):  
Human Exposure ◽  
Drug Exposure ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Profile ◽  
Free Drug ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Exposure Level ◽  
Time Curve ◽  
Unbound Fraction ◽  
Binding Profile ◽  
Concentration Time

ABSTRACTWe assessed the pharmacokinetic profile of eravacycline, a novel antibiotic of the tetracycline class, and determined the dose in an immunocompetent murine thigh infection model that would provide free-drug exposure similar to that observed in humans after the administration of 1 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.) every 12 h (q12h). Eravacycline demonstrated a nonlinear protein-binding profile. The 2.5-mg/kg i.v. q12h dose in mice resulted in an area under the concentration-time curve for the free, unbound fraction of the drug of 1.64 mg · h/liter, which closely resembles the human exposure level.

Estimating Human Exposure to Air Pollution in High Rise Cities: The Hong Kong D3D Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Barratt ◽  
Robert Tang ◽  
Martha Lee ◽  
Paulina Wong ◽  
Ryan Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
High Rise

scholarly journals Study on the Spatial Pattern of Innovation Output and Influencing Factors in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongliang Yang ◽  
Chunfeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Level Of Economic Development ◽  
Innovation Output ◽  
Countermeasures And Suggestions ◽  
The Impact

The advantageous location, port clusters, strong economic strength, developed financial system, rational and orderly urban division of labor and modern industrial system of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao greater bay area provide sustainable driving force for innovation activities in this region. This paper selected the Gini-coefficient, first degree index and concentration index to measure the spatial pattern characteristics of innovation output in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao greater bay area. The results show that the innovation output presented a spatial pattern of center-periphery in the study region with Shenzhen and Guangzhou as the dual centers and engines of innovation and Dongguan and Foshan as the main innovative areas. Further empirical analysis of the impact of various factors on innovation output in the study region found that R&D expenditure, the number of R&D personnel, the level of economic development and industrial structure all have significant promoting effects on innovation output. Accordingly, this paper put forward countermeasures and suggestions to promote the innovative development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao greater bay area and build a world-class scientific and technological innovation bay area.

scholarly journals Toward an Early Warning System for Health Issues Related to Particulate Matter Exposure in Brazil: The Feasibility of Using Global PM2.5 Concentration Forecast Products

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4074
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Roux ◽  
Eliane Ignotti ◽  
Nelson Bègue ◽  
Hassan Bencherif ◽  
Thibault Catry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
The South ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

PM2.5 severely affects human health. Remotely sensed (RS) data can be used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations and population exposure, and therefore to explain acute respiratory disorders. However, available global PM2.5 concentration forecast products derived from models assimilating RS data have not yet been exploited to generate early alerts for respiratory problems in Brazil. We investigated the feasibility of building such an early warning system. For this, PM2.5 concentrations on a 4-day horizon forecast were provided by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and compared with the number of severe acute respiratory disease (SARD) cases. Confounding effects of the meteorological conditions were considered by selecting the best linear regression models in terms of Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), with meteorological features and their two-way interactions as explanatory variables and PM2.5 concentrations and SARD cases, taken separately, as response variables. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were then computed between the residuals of the models for PM2.5 concentration and SARD cases. The results show a clear tendency to positive correlations between PM2.5 and SARD in all regions of Brazil but the South one, with Spearman’s correlation coefficient reaching 0.52 (p < 0.01). Positive significant correlations were also found in the South region by previously correcting the effects of viral infections on the SARD case dynamics. The possibility of using CAMS global PM2.5 concentration forecast products to build an early warning system for pollution-related effects on human health in Brazil was therefore established. Further investigations should be performed to determine alert threshold(s) and possibly build combined risk indicators involving other risk factors for human respiratory diseases. This is of particular interest in Brazil, where the COVID-19 pandemic and biomass burning are occurring concomitantly, to help minimize the effects of PM emissions and implement mitigation actions within populations.

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