Lichens as sentinels for air pollution at remote alpine areas (Italy)

The present study was undertaken with the aim of using epiphytic lichens as sentinels for air pollution at two remote alpine sites (1,400 and 1,800 m above sea level (asl)) of NW Italy. The results indicated that the site at 1,800 m prompted for early warning indications of biological changes. Although levels of the many elements assayed in samples of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf, ranging from minor elements (e.g., Al) to ultra-trace (e.g., Pt), were at normal levels, indications of a slowly worsening environment were given by the lichen biodiversity and by damage to cell membranes. The analysis of Pb isotopic ratios suggested that the origin of Pb accumulated in lichens is not local, but linked to the long-range transport by air masses. It was concluded that the origin of pollutants is from air mass coming from the Po plain of Italy and from densely populated areas of Switzerland and France.     

An analytical diffusion model for long distance transport of air pollutants

A steady-state two-dimensional diffusion model suitable for predicting ambient air pollutant concentrations averaged over a long time period (e.g., month, season or year) and resulting from the transport of pollutants for distances greater than about 100 km from the source is described. Analytical solutions are derived for the primary pollutant emitted from a point source and for secondary pollutant formed from it. Depletion effects, whether due to wet or dry deposition or chemical conversion to another species, are accounted for in these models as first order processes. Thus, solutions for multiple point sources may be superimposed.In this model the time-averaging of the random trajectories of pollutant-contaminated air parcels is represented by horizontal diffusion in a steady, two-dimensional flow field of the time-averaged wind. The resulting concentration isopleths for a point source show significant dispersion both upwind and cross wind of the source with respect to the mean wind field.The analytical theory for the dispersion of a primary pollutant is compared with the numerical predictions of a plume trajectory model for the case of steady emission from a point source. Good overall agreement between the two models is achieved whether or not depletion by wet and dry deposition is included.The theory for the dispersion of a secondary pollutant is compared with measurements of the annual average sulfate concentration in the U.S. Calculations are carried out using SO₂ emissions from electric power plants in the United States as a source inventory. Using optimum values of the dispersion parameters, the correlation coefficient of observed and calculated ambient concentrations is 0.87 for the eastern United States and 0.69 for the western region. The optimum dispersion parameters used are comparable to values quoted in the literature.The horizontal length scale characterizing the sulphate concentration distribution from a single source is about 500 km, being noticeably larger than that characterizing the primary (sulfur dioxide) distribution. Using optimum dispersion parameters, a point source of 33 kg s⁻¹ of sulfur dioxide would give rise to a maximum annual average sulfate concentration of 1 μ m⁻³.A calculation of annual average SO₂ concentrations in the United States is carried out using previously derived optimal values of the parameters from the sulfate calculation. The resulting isopleths are similar to measured values in the eastern U.S.     

A study of air pollutants and acute asthma exacerbations in urban areas: status report

A study to try to better understand the interactions between various air contaminants and acute asthma exacerbations is described. The study evaluates temporal associations between a panel of air contaminants and acute asthmatic exacerbations as measured by emergency room visits for asthma in communities in the Bronx and Manhattan in New York City (NYC). In addition, ambient levels of various air pollutants in two NYC communities are being compared. Almost 2 years of daily data have been collected for most of the air contaminants to be investigated. The air contaminants measured include gaseous compounds (ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, aldehydes, nitrous acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and ammonia), particulate matter components (metals, elemental and organic carbon, sulfate, hydrogen ion, pollen, mold spores and particle mass and number).     

Wind tunnel investigation on the retention of air pollutants in three-dimensional recirculation zones in urban areas

The article discusses an experimental investigation of turbulent dispersion processes in a typical three-dimensional urban geometry, in reduced scale, in neutrally stable conditions. Wind tunnel experiments were carried out for characterizing the flow and the dispersion of a pollutant around a scaled model (1:400) of a group of eight 10-floor buildings surrounding a square. The situation corresponded to the dispersion of fine inertialess particles released from a line source positioned upstream of the urban geometry. After the sudden interruption of the source generation, the particles persisted in the recirculation cavity between the buildings, with the concentration decaying exponentially with time. This is in accordance with previous works on the dispersion process around bluff bodies of different shapes [e.g., Humphries and Vincent, 1976. An experimental investigation of the detention of airborne smoke in the wake bubble behind a disk. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 73, 453–464; Vincent, 1977. Model experiments on the nature of air pollution transport near buildings. Atmospheric Environment 11, 765–774; Fackrell, 1984. Parameters characterizing dispersion in the near wake of buildings. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 16, 97–118]. The main parameter in the investigation was the characteristic time constant for the concentration decay. The measurements of the variation in the concentration of the fine particles were performed by means of a photo-detection technique based on the attenuation of light. The velocity fields were evaluated with the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The dimensionless residence time H for the particles (H=τU/L, where τ is the time constant for the concentration decay, U the free-stream velocity, and L is a characteristic dimension for the urban geometry, as defined by Humphries and Vincent [1976. An experimental investigation of the detention of airborne smoke in the wake bubble behind a disk. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 73, 453–464] was determined for various locations in the scaled model, in the range of Reynolds numbers (Re) between 8000 and 64,000. H was found to be 6.5±1.0.     

Experimental evaluation of a radial beam geometry for mapping air pollutants using optical remote sensing and computed tomography

We describe the first experimental evaluation of a non-overlapping radial beam geometry to map air pollutants using computed tomography (CT) and optical remote sensing (ORS) instruments. Nitrous oxide was released from a point source inside a 11 m long×5.4 m wide ventilation chamber. An open path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectrometer gathered path integrated concentration data. The smooth basis function minimization (SBMF) CT algorithm was applied to a radial geometry with 19 rays. Two-dimensional maps were reconstructed from the OP-FTIR measurements and compared with kriged maps calculated from 13-point samples collected simultaneously during the experiments. The CT reconstructions showed good agreement compared to the kriged maps obtained from point samples (concordance correlation factor >0.55). The CT reconstructions also located the peak concentration within 1.2 m compared to the point samplers. In contrast to the complex CT beam geometries proposed in the past, the development of this radial scanning configuration could broaden the application of CT to many optical remote sensing instruments.     

激光质谱法对机动车尾气中污染物的测量

本文详细介绍了一种全新的污染物测试方法———激光质谱法的原理和特点。我们应用这一方法对机动车尾气进行了初步探测 ,得到了 2 6 6nm激光作用下汽车尾气的激光电离质谱图 ,并对摩托车发动机运行状态与苯系列污染物排放量之间的关系进行了初步的在线测量     

连云港市大气污染物时间序列的长程相关性分析

运用R/S分析(Rescaled Range Analysis)方法对连云港市3个大气环境定位监测点近10年来的SO2、NOx和TSP序列数据进行了时间序列的长程相关性分析.结果表明,连云港市SO2、NOx和TSP月均值序列的Hurst指数在0.500～1.000,表现出明显的长程相关性,并且这种相关性程度的强弱随着城市功能区的不同而表现出一定的差异.研究结果对于认识连云港市城市大气环境质量变化过程和科学制定环保决策具有重要意义.     

a rapid emission survey procedure for industrial air pollutants

A methodology has been developed to calculate industrial air pollutant emissions with an absolute minimum of effort. The procedure is dependent upon available industrial fuel data for Standard Industrial Classifications for Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas as published by the Census of Manufacturers. Emission factors were developed which include both combustion and process losses and six SIC classifications which consume, on the average, about 80 per cent of the industrial fuels in urban areas. In spite of the diversity of industrial processes which dictate the weight of emissions discharged from industrial operation, factors have been developed which are considered representative for urban areas across the nation. The development of such factors permits the calculation of industrial emissions with a minimum of man-hours. The developed procedure allows the calculation of industrial emissions on an urban basis, a state basis, or a nation basis.     

An automated systems for air sampling with annular denuder systems at a remote site

An automated air sampling system has been designed for use with the annular denuder system (ADS). The automated air sampling system allows for accurate measurements of air volume and day-night sampling while preventing the accumulation of moisture within the ADS caused by condensation or cloud events. The sampling system consists of air flow, monitoring and control subsystems. Calibration of the sampling system against a Hoffer turbine flow meter indicated accurate measurement of air flow volumes. Field testing and preliminary data have shown that the sampling system functions well in a remote mountain forest site, and was relatively unaffected by condensation, fog, or cloud events.     

An analysis of candidates for addition to the Clean Air Act list of hazardous air pollutants

There are 188 air toxics listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the Clean Air Act (CAA), based on their potential to adversely impact public health. This paper presents several analyses performed to screen potential candidates for addition to the HAPs list. We analyzed 1086 HAPs and potential HAPs, including chemicals regulated by the state of California or with emissions reported to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). HAPs and potential HAPs were ranked by their emissions to air, and by toxicity-weighted (tox-wtd) emissions for cancer and noncancer, using emissions information from the TRI and toxicity information from state and federal agencies. Separate consideration was given for persistent, bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs), reproductive or developmental toxins, and chemicals under evaluation for regulation as toxic air contaminants in California. Forty-four pollutants were identified as candidate HAPs based on three ranking analyses and whether they were a PBT or a reproductive or developmental toxin. Of these, nine qualified in two or three different rankings (ammonia [NH3], copper [Cu], Cu compounds, nitric acid [HNO3], N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, sulfuric acid [H2SO4], vanadium [V] compounds, zinc [Zn], and Zn compounds). This analysis suggests further evaluation of several pollutants for possible addition to the CAA list of HAPs.     

New passive samplers for chlorinated semivolatile organic pollutants in ambient air

Two new types of passive samplers were designed and tested on semivolatile organic compounds. The first type (a spiral-rod sampler) consists of a low-density polyethylene membrane acting as a permeation film and a silicone elastomer as the receiving material; the second (a stir-bar sampler) has the same membrane material but a polydimethylsiloxane-coated stir bar acting as the collector phase and installed radially symmetrically in the sampler. The advantages of the new samplers are their simple design, low costs, and their easy processing via thermodesorption coupled with capillary gas chromatography and mass selective detection. In both samplers, the uptake of selected analytes was integrative over exposure periods of up to 384 h. The sampling rates calculated from a laboratory calibration study using the chlorinated semivolatiles hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers and polychlorinated biphenyls ranged from 88.1 ml h-1 for delta-hexachlorocyclohexane to 3443 ml h-1 for 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl. A field trial at a hazardous waste dump near Bitterfeld, Germany, for up to 21 days combined with periodical determinations of air concentrations using low-volume sampling indicated that the new samplers can in principle be used in the field, although the sampling rates derived from the field results differed considerably from the laboratory findings. Nevertheless the preliminary results suggest that the new sampler types are promising for the long-term air monitoring of semivolatiles.     

An open-top chamber study with filtered and non-filtered air to evaluate the effects of air pollutants on crops

Four non-filtered and four charcoal-filtered open-top chambers were employed to determine the effects of ambient levels of gaseous air pollutants at Braunschweig, FRG, on growth and yield of potted plants of winter and spring barley. During the exposure period (November 1985-August 1986) monthly mean values of gaseous air pollutants (microg m(-3)) ranged between 34 and 127 for SO(2), 34 and 52 for NO(2) and 12 and 33 for O(3) in winter (November-March), and 16 to 26 for SO(2), 20 to 33 for NO(2) and 42 to 53 for O(3) in spring-summer (April-August). Monthly 2% percentile values for these gases reached (microg m (-3)) 561 for SO(2), 140 for NO(2) and 170 for O(3). The filtering efficiencies of the charcoal filters used averaged 60% for SO(2), 50% for NO(2) and 70% for O(3). All plants of winter barley from the unchambered plot were killed by severe frost periods in winter, 1986. Little frost damage occurred on plants grown in the chambers. Air filtration resulted in higher numbers of plants of winter barley per pot, i.e. a higher number of individuals per area, and a higher dry weight of whole plants and ears compared to the non-filtered atmosphere. In the experiments with spring barley, fresh and dry weight of whole plants were lower and dry weight of leaves were higher in the filtered open-top chambers. These effects could not be observed at all harvests which were carried out during the growing season. Grain yield and sulphur content of the leaves of both barley cultivars were not affected by the air filtration. Production of biomass of spring barley grown in ambient air was higher than of that grown in open-top chambers.     

地下停车库空气污染物排放实测研究

通过对上海市某商业地下停车库库内及排风管道的连续监测,获得了CO、NO、非甲烷总烃(NMHC)、PM10等空气污染物浓度数据。结果表明:(1)地下停车库的休息日车流量明显大于工作日,且工作日小时车流与车位比为20%~50%、休息日小时车流与车位比为20%~80%。(2)总体上,地下停车库内CO、NO、NMHC浓度呈明显变化规律,营业时间现峰值,非营业时间现谷值;地下停车库内CO、NO、NMHC变化规律和车库排风中具有较好的一致性。(3)车库排风中污染物浓度水平均低于地下停车库内。(4)营业时间的CO、NO、NMHC小时浓度平均值明显增大,约为非营业时间的2.42~3.67倍。(5)单车次CO、NOX、NMHC排放量最大值分别为0.855、0.070、0.214g/(辆·次)。(6)营业时间,除地下停车库内CO外,NO、PM10的8h时间加权平均值符合《工作场所有害因素职业接触限值化学有害因素》(GBZ 2.1—2007,其中未规定NMHC)中时间加权平均容许浓度(PC-TWA);地下停车库内CO出现33.3%的超标频率,最大占标率104%。     

Concentrations of mobile source air pollutants in urban microenvironments

Human exposures to criteria and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in urban areas vary greatly due to temporal-spatial variations in emissions, changing meteorology, varying proximity to sources, as well as due to building, vehicle, and other environmental characteristics that influence the amounts of ambient pollutants that penetrate or infiltrate into these microenvironments. Consequently, the exposure estimates derived from central-site ambient measurements are uncertain and tend to underestimate actual exposures. The Exposure Classification Project (ECP) was conducted to measure pollutant concentrations for common urban microenvironments (MEs) for use in evaluating the results of regulatory human exposure models. Nearly 500 sets of measurements were made in three Los Angeles County communities during fall 2008, winter 2009, and summer 2009. MEs included in-vehicle, near-road, outdoor, and indoor locations accessible to the general public. Contemporaneous 1- to 15-min average personal breathing zone concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), particulate matter (<2.5 μm diameter; PM_2.5) mass, ultrafine particle (UFP; <100 nm diameter) number, black carbon (BC), speciated HAPs (e.g., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes [BTEX], 1,3-butadiene), and ozone (O₃) were measured continuously. In-vehicle and inside/outside measurements were made in various passenger vehicle types and in public buildings to estimate penetration or infiltration factors. A large fraction of the observed pollutant concentrations for on-road MEs, especially near diesel trucks, was unrelated to ambient measurements at nearby monitors. Comparisons of ME concentrations estimated using the median ME/ambient ratio versus regression slopes and intercepts indicate that the regression approach may be more accurate for on-road MEs. Ranges in the ME/ambient ratios among ME categories were generally greater than differences among the three communities for the same ME category, suggesting that the ME proximity factors may be more broadly applicable to urban MEs.

Implications:Estimates of population exposure to air pollutants extrapolated from ambient measurements at ambient fixed site monitors or exposure surrogates are prone to uncertainty. This study measured concentrations of mobile source air toxics (MSAT) and related criteria pollutants within in-vehicle, outdoor near-road, and indoor urban MEs to provide multipollutant ME measurements that can be used to calibrate regulatory exposure models.