Refinement of a model for evaluating the population exposure in an urban area

Abstract. A mathematical model is presented for the determination of human exposure to ambient air pollution in an urban area; the model is a refined version of a previously developed mathematical model EXPAND (EXposure model for Particulate matter And Nitrogen oxiDes). The model combines predicted concentrations, information on people's activities and location of the population to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation of average exposure of the urban population to ambient air pollution in different microenvironments. The revisions of the modelling system containing the EXPAND model include improvements of the associated urban emission and dispersion modelling system, an improved treatment of the time use of population, and better treatment for the infiltration coefficients from outdoor to indoor air. The revised model version can also be used for estimating intake fractions for various pollutants, source categories and population subgroups. We present numerical results on annual spatial concentration, time activity and population exposures to PM2.5 in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Helsinki for 2008 and 2009, respectively. Approximately 60% of the total exposure occurred at home, 17% at work, 4% in traffic and 19% in other microenvironments in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The population exposure originating from the long-range transported background concentrations was responsible for a major fraction, 86%, of the total exposure in Helsinki. The largest local contributors were vehicular emissions (12%) and shipping (2%).

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Refinement of a model for evaluating the population exposure in an urban area

Geoscientific Model Development Discussions ◽

10.5194/gmdd-7-2335-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 2335-2375

Author(s):

J. Soares ◽

A. Kousa ◽

J. Kukkonen ◽

L. Matilainen ◽

L. Kangas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Urban Area ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Exposure Model ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Total Exposure ◽

Modelling System

Abstract. A mathematical model is presented for the determination of human exposure to ambient air pollution in an urban area; the model is a refined version of a previously developed mathematical model EXPAND (EXposure model for Particulate matter And Nitrogen oxiDes). The model combines predicted concentrations, information on people's activities and location of the population to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation of average exposure of the urban population to ambient air pollution in different microenvironments. The revisions of the modelling system containing the EXPAND model include improvements of the associated urban emission and dispersion modelling system, an improved treatment of the time-use of population, and better treatment for the infiltration coefficients from outdoor to indoor air. The revised model version can also be used for evaluating intake fractions for various pollutants, source categories and population subgroups. We present numerical results on annual spatial concentration, time activity and population exposures to PM2.5 in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Helsinki for 2008 and 2009, respectively. Approximately 60% of the total exposure occurred at home, 17% at work, 4% in traffic and 19% in other micro-environments. The population exposure originated from the long range transported background concentrations was responsible for a major fraction, 86%, of the total exposure. The largest local contributors were vehicular emissions (12%) and shipping (2%).

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A model for evaluating the population exposure to ambient air pollution in an urban area

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/s1352-2310(02)00228-5 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 36 (13) ◽

pp. 2109-2119 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Anu Kousa ◽

Jaakko Kukkonen ◽

Ari Karppinen ◽

Päivi Aarnio ◽

Tarja Koskentalo

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Urban Area ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Population Exposure

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Lacrimal Cytokines Assessment in Subjects Exposed to Different Levels of Ambient Air Pollution in a Large Metropolitan Area

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0143131 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e0143131 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Monique Matsuda ◽

Rodolfo Bonatti ◽

Mônica V. Marquezini ◽

Maria L. B. Garcia ◽

Ubiratan P. Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Large Metropolitan Area ◽

Different Levels

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A modelling system for predicting urban air pollution: model description and applications in the Helsinki metropolitan area

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/s1352-2310(00)00074-1 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 34 (22) ◽

pp. 3723-3733 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

A. Karppinen ◽

J. Kukkonen ◽

T. Elolähde ◽

M. Konttinen ◽

T. Koskentalo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Urban Air Pollution ◽

Model Description ◽

Urban Air ◽

Helsinki Metropolitan Area ◽

Modelling System ◽

Air Pollution Model

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THE ASSESSMENT OF POPULATION EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION IN POLAND IN 1993 AND 1996

Epidemiology ◽

10.1097/00001648-199807001-00072 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 9 (Supplement) ◽

pp. S39

Author(s):

Pawel Gorvski ◽

Bogdan Wojtyniak ◽

Irena Szutowicz

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Population Exposure

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Association of short-term increases in ambient air pollution and timing of initial asthma diagnosis among medicaid-enrolled children in a metropolitan area

Environmental Research ◽

10.1016/j.envres.2014.02.013 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 131 ◽

pp. 50-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Judy K. Wendt ◽

Elaine Symanski ◽

Thomas H. Stock ◽

Wenyaw Chan ◽

Xianglin L. Du

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Asthma Diagnosis ◽

Short Term

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Insignificant Impact of the “Stay-At-Home” Order on Ambient Air Quality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area, U.S.A.

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11060630 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 630 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chunrong Jia ◽

Xianqiang Fu ◽

Debra Bartelli ◽

Larry Smith

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Small Contribution ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Baseline Concentrations ◽

The Mean ◽

At Home

The lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been reported to reduce ambient air pollution in many cities globally. This study aims to examine whether air pollution dropped in Memphis, a typical U.S. metropolitan city and transportation hub, during the lockdown from 25 March to 4 May, 2020. Daily air pollution data measured at five representative monitoring stations in the Memphis Metropolitan Area were downloaded from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. The mean concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone during the lockdown were compared with the baseline concentrations measured during the same periods in 2017–2019 using linear regression models. The average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduced by 57% in this region during the lockdown compared to that during 1–24 March, 2020. The mean (± standard deviation) concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, and ozone were 7.5 ± 2.6 μg/m3, 16.5 ± 9.4 ppb, and 44.5 ± 8.4 ppb, respectively, during the lockdown. They did not statistically differ from the baseline concentrations, nor were they lower than the mean concentrations in the prior month (25 February–24 March, 2020), after accounting for meteorological conditions. The lack of effect could be explained by the small contribution of traffic emissions to air pollution. The results suggest that the “stay-at-home” order had an insignificant impact on reducing air pollution in Memphis.

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Environmental Degradation: Estimating the Health Effects of Ambient PM2.5 Air Pollution in Developing Countries

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.559 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ernesto Sánchez-Triana ◽

Bjorn Larsen ◽

Santiago Enriquez ◽

Andreia Costa Santos

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Health Effects ◽

Ground Level ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Ambient Air Pollution ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Premature Deaths ◽

Level Monitoring

Air pollution of fine particulates (PM2.5) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is estimated that ambient PM2.5 air pollution results in between 4.1 million and 8.9 million premature deaths annually. According to the World Bank, the health effects of ambient PM2.5 air pollution had a cost of $6.4 trillion in purchasing power parity (PPP) adjusted dollars in 2019, equivalent to 4.8% of global gross domestic product (PPP adjusted) that year. Estimating the health effects and cost of ambient PM2.5 air pollution involves three steps: (1) estimating population exposure to pollution; (2) estimating the health effects of such exposure; and (3) assigning a monetary value to the illnesses and premature deaths caused by ambient air pollution. Estimating population exposure to ambient PM2,5 has gone from predominantly using ground level monitoring data mainly in larger cities to estimates of nationwide population weighted exposures based on satellite imagery and chemical transport models along with ground level monitoring data. The Global Burden of Disease 2010 (GBD 2010) provided for the first time national, regional and global estimates of exposures to ambient PM2.5. The GBD exposure estimates have also evolved substantially from 2010 to 2019, especially national estimates in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. Estimation of health effects of ambient PM2.5 has also undergone substantial developments during the last two decades. These developments involve: i) going from largely estimating health effects associated with variations in daily exposures to estimating health effects of annual exposure; ii) going from estimating all-cause mortality or mortality from broad disease categories (i.e., cardiopulmonary diseases) to estimating mortality from specific diseases; and iii) being able to estimate health effects over a wide range of exposure that reflect ambient and household air pollution exposure levels in low- and middle-income countries. As to monetary valuation of health effects of ambient air pollution, estimates in most low- and middle-income countries still rely on benefit transfer of values of statistical life (VSL) from high-income countries.

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