Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimation. Part VI. Ambient exposure of adults in an industrialised region

This paper presents methodology and results of a dynamic individual air pollution exposure model (DINEX) that calculates the hourly exposure for each adult in a panel study. Each of over 260 participants, through the use of a diary, provided information used in the model to calculate his/her personal, individualised exposure. The participants filled out the diary daily, hour by hour, over two, two month periods. The exposure assessment model coupled the diary information and results of an indoor/outdoor measurement program, with the results of dispersion modelling on an hourly basis for an industrial area in Norway. The estimated air pollution concentrations from the dispersion model, based on continuous meteorological measurements, were calibrated with air pollutant concentrations measured continuously.     

Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimation. Part IV. Urban exposure in children

In the winter of 1994, 2300 school-age children in Oslo participated in a panel study of the role of traffic pollution on the exacerbation of diseases of the respiratory system and other symptoms of reduced health and well being in children. The children filled out a diary daily with information for five time points over six weeks. In order to quantify exposure-effect relationships for the symptoms, individual exposure to NO2 and particulate matter (PM2.5) was estimated, using the DINEX method a combination of information from the diary as to the children's whereabouts during the five time points each day, coupled with continuous dispersion modelling. An individual exposure estimate for each time point for each child was defined. Individual exposure estimated using dispersion modelling can be used to examine patterns of exposure such as isolating geographic areas with higher concentrations or describing concentrations of pollution by time of day. The diary allowed the time-use of the children to be described.     

Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimation. Part II. Model evaluation and population exposure

The air pollution dispersion model EPISODE has been developed at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) over the past several years in order to meet the needs of modern air quality management work in urban areas. The model has recently been used as a basis for exposure calculations of NOx and NO2 in order to assess the effects of different traffic diversion measures on health and well being for the residents in the V?lerenga-Ekeberg-Gamlebyen area in Oslo. Here we describe some results from the most recent evaluations of the model for NOx and NO2 at station Nordahl Brunsgate in Oslo for the period 1 October 1996-19 November 1996. In addition examples of population exposure calculations for Oslo performed during the winter period of 1995-96, are also presented.     

Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimation. Part III. Development of new types of air quality indicators

The temporal pattern of exposure to a specific compound may affect health in several ways. Exposure to pollution can have short-term effects or long-term effects. For some compounds there is a threshold under which there is no presumed measurable effect, whereas for other compounds, there is no presumed threshold. For short-term effects, the exposure to a high concentration of a compound one day may either increase or decrease the response if values of the same compound become high again the next day. Adaptation to effects of short-term exposure to ozone, for example, is reported. Similarly, health response to sudden high peaks of concentration may also possibly differ in effect from those to peaks attained more gradually. For long-term effects of some compounds, the cumulative exposure may be more decisive in influencing health. This paper proposes and describes in detail several air quality indicators that reflect the time variability and the episodic nature of air pollution exposure, as an attempt to represent the temporal aspects of pollution exposure that may have important effects on health. Mean concentrations, 98th percentile and maximum values are the traditional indicators for estimating exposure. The temporal variability of particulate matter (PM10) and NO2, however, is here described by means of: (1) the rate of change of pollution as the difference between two consecutive hourly or daily values, and of (2) episodes, described in terms of number, duration and inter-episode period, maximum concentration in the episode, and integrated episode exposure.     

Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimating. Part I. Integrated air quality monitoring system

This paper presents an integrated exposure monitoring system, based on an expansion of existing air quality monitoring systems using dispersion modelling. The system allows: (1) identifying geographical areas whose inhabitants are most exposed to ambient pollution; (2) identifying how many people in an area are exposed to concentrations of pollution exceeding air quality guidelines; (3) describing the exposure of population subgroups (e.g. children); (4) planning pollution abatement measures and quantifying their effects; (5) establishing risk assessment and management programs, and (6) investigating the short- and long-term effects of both pollutants and pollution sources on public health. The effect of pollution is rarely very large and in order to discover it, exposure estimation must provide data that reflects both spatial and temporal variations. Estimates of pollution exposure are obtained using an integrated approach that combines results of measurements from monitoring programs with dispersion calculations. These values can serve as estimates for individual short-term or long-term exposure. The grouped data allows the expression of ambient pollution concentrations as the spatial distribution of estimates such as the mean or 98th percentile of such compounds as SO2, O3, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. This integrated approach has been combined into a single software package, AirQUIS.     

Air pollution and forestry in czechoslovakia

One third of the territory of Czechoslovakia is covered by forests. A substantial part of them is damaged in various degrees by air pollution. The air pollution influence on forests developed to a very serious problem during the last 40 years. The main pollutant at present is SO₂ acting directly, but the improtance of soil changes due to acid deposition increases. The consequences are increased mortality and decreased increment in the forests, further consequences are the loss of valuable ecotypes, impact on water management and decreased stability of the landscape. There are limited possibilities of the forest sector to reduce the consequences.Contribution from Fourth World Wilderness Congress—Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado, September 11–18, 1987.     

Industrial pollution transport. Part 1. Formulation of the problem and air pollution estimates

A pollution transport problem is formulated in a limited area. As the pollution sources we take emissions from industrial plants. Physically and mathematically suitable conditions are prescribed on the open boundaries. We show that the problem (as well as its adjoint) is well posed in the sense that a weak solution exists, is unique and depends continuously on its data. Direct and adjoint estimates of the average pollution concentration in an ecologically important zone are given, and the sensitivity of these estimates to perturbations in model parameters is analyzed.     

伊宁市空气污染与气象因子相关性分析

利用伊宁市2000年大气和气象实测资料分析了污染物与气象诸因子的关系。结果表明，污染物与气象诸因子的关系较为明显，特别是与风速，相对湿度,气温的相关性十分显著。同时也得出伊宁市降水的净化效应不显著。     

Air exposure assessment and biological monitoring of manganese and other major welding fume components in welders

In a cross-sectional study, 96 welders were compared with 96 control subjects. Also 27 former welders, all diagnosed as having manganism, were examined. Exposure to welding fumes was determined in the 96 welders, while the concentration of elements in whole blood and urine was determined in all subjects. The geometric mean (GM) concentrations of manganese (Mn) and iron in the workroom air were 97 microg m(-3) (range 3-4620 microg m(-3); n=188) and 894 microg m(-3) (range 106-20 300 microg m(-3); n=188), respectively. Thus the Mn concentration in the workroom air was on average 10.6% (GM) of that of the Fe concentration. No substantial difference was observed in the air Mn concentrations when welding mild steel as compared to welding stainless steel. The arithmetic mean (AM) concentration of Mn in whole blood (B-Mn) was about 25% higher in the welders compared to the controls (8.6 vs. 6.9 microg l(-1); p < 0.001), while the difference in the urinary Mn concentrations did not attain statistical significance. A Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.31 (p < 0.01) was calculated between B-Mn and Mn in the workroom air that was collected the day before blood sampling. Although the exposure to welding fumes in the patients had ceased on average 5.8 years prior to the study (range 4 years-7 years), their AM B-Mn concentration was still higher than in referents of similar age (8.7 microg l(-1) vs. 7.0 microg l(-1)). However, their urinary concentrations of cobolt, iron and Mn were all statistically significantly lower.     

轿车内空气污染监测研究

通过实际监测研究,对轿车内空气污染水平、车内外空气污染的相关性、车内空气污染与汽车工况、通风状况的关系进行了评估,分析污染来源并提出了控制对策。     

Air pollution and lung diseases in Oporto Area

This area has a rate of patients with obstructive chronic lung disease that is the highest in Portugal and the second in Europe. Levels of pollution observed in 1985/86 and 1986/87 allowed evaluating the effects of concentrations lower than those that usually cause acute episodes. It was observed that even low levels of strong acidity can be related with lung diseases, when observed simultaneously with appreciable levels of black smoke; climatic factors have a synergetic effect.     

Lake Ontario sediments in monitoring pollution

An investigation was carried out to select locations for long-term monitoring of inputs of contaminants into Lake Ontario using fine-grained bottom sediments as an historical record of pollution. The sediment sampling program was designed to determine sediment heterogeneity in the western, central and eastern depositional basins of the lake. Surficial sediments and sediment cores were collected in each basin to obtain information on horizontal distribution and concentration profiles of major and trace elements in the sediments (Si, Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Na, K, Ti, Mn, P, As, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn). The results of the investigation indicated that fine-grained sediments in three Lake Ontario depositional basins are homogeneous to a high degree, and that only a few sediment cores need to be collected within each basin for the long-term monitoring of inputs of contaminants to the lake.     

Industrial pollution transport. Part 2. Control of industrial emissions

Solutions of the pollution transport problem and its adjoint are used to monitor mean pollution concentration in an ecologically important zone. Four strategies of control over pollutants released into the atmosphere by industrial plants are suggested. They differ by the restrictions imposed on the emission rate of each plant. All the strategies use solutions of the adjoint transport problem and assure the fulfillment of the sanitary norm in the zone. A linear interpolation of these strategies also brings pollution level in the zone down to the sanitary norm. A method of detecting the plants violating the prescribed emission rates is also given. A simple example is given to illustrate the strategies suggested.     

Air pollution in Athens basin and health risk assessment

An inventory of air pollution sources within the Athens basin is carried out for the years 1989, 1992 and 1998 and the results areinputted in a climatological model for predicting ambient concentrations. Despite of the significant growth in the numberof road vehicles and the deteriorating traffic, the emissions andambient concentrations of fine particulates, CO, NO_x and VOCappear to remain reasonably constant over for the period 1989 to 1998, while these of SO₂ and Pb are reduced, mainly due to the renewal of vehicle fleet, the use of catalytic technologies and the improved quality of the used fuel. The results further indicate that for CO, NO_x and VOC the major source is road traffic, while for PM_2.5 and SO₂ both space heating andtraffic share responsibility. The air pollutant concentrations monitored by the network of 11 stations are reviewed and statistics related to air quality guidelines are presented. As fine particulate levels are not monitored, approximate PM_2.5and PM₁₀ concentrations are derived from black smoke ones on basis of experimentally determined conversion factors. The computed and monitored air pollution levels are compared and found in reasonable agreement. The results of the above analysisshow that the levels of all `classical' pollutants, with the exception of SO₂ and Pb, exceed significantly the WHO guidelines and are thus expected to exert a significant healthimpact. The latter could be quantified in relation to the PM_2.5 or PM₁₀ levels on the basis of risk assessment information developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results show that the existing levels of fine particle concentrations in Athens increase significantly the mortality and morbidity, and reduce the average longevity of the entirepopulation from 1.3 to 1.7 years.     

我国污染源在线监测现状及建议

文章在对国内重点城市污染源在线监测调查研究的基础上 ,分析总结了国内污染源在线监测的经验和教训 ,提出了推进污染源在线监测的建议     

Air pollution and forest decline near Mexico City

The forests of Abies religiosa Schl. et Cham. in the north and the northeast slopes of the mountains of the southwestern region of the Valley of Mexico are in an acute process of decline, particularly the fir forest of the Cultural and Recreational Park Desierto de los Leones. The mortality of the trees began in 1981, and by 1987 30% of the trees of the Park had died; the mortality continues. The surviving trees are in a very poor crown condition, having thin crowns with many dead branches. in the light of current knowledge air pollution, in particular the oxidant gases (ozone), are the primary cause of decline, but other conditions or agents (age of the trees and diseases) could be contributing factors in the dying of the trees.Contribution from Fourth World Wilderness Congress-Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado, September 11–18, 1987.     

昌吉市大气污染成因及治理措施

大气是人类和生物赖以生存的必需条件。伴随我国经济的快速发展,城市大气污染问题早已引起人们的广泛关注。本文以昌吉市为例,研究分析昌吉市气候、扬尘、经济状况等因素对昌吉市环境空气质量的影响,并在此基础上提出切实可行的对策建议。     

环境监测实验室的环境污染与防治

主要分析了环境监测实验室产生的污染特点 ,指出环境监测实验室是一类典型的小型污染源。同时详细阐述了环境监测实验室防治污染、加强实验室环境管理的几种途径     

Biological monitoring versus air monitoring strategies in assessing environmental-occupational exposure

Assessment of environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals can be performed with environmental monitoring (EM) and biological monitoring (BM). Biological monitoring was for a long time considered as a method complementary to environmental monitoring. At present this attitude is changing and in certain areas biological monitoring is applied as the method of choice for exposure and health-risk assessment. This paper examines advantages and disadvantages of those two approaches. In occupational settings environmental monitoring of exposure to VOCs seems to be superior to biological monitoring (possibility of simultaneous determination of components of mixtures, simple interpretation, possibility of evaluation of short-term exposure to local irritants). In the case of this group of compounds BM can be useful in selected cases such as evaluation of dermal absorption or efficiency of protective measures. In the case of metals both forms of monitoring can be used depending on the available methods for interpretation of results. BM of exposure may be considered as superior for evaluating the effects of exposure to lead, cadmium and mercury. However, quantitative evaluation of cancer risk after exposure to arsenic or chromium is possible only on the basis of determination in the air and the use of unit risk values. Both environmental and biological monitoring are useful for evaluation of occupational and environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In certain areas such as evaluation of exposure to external tobacco smoking, cytostatic drugs, and pesticides, biological monitoring is the method of choice used for individual exposure assessment or tracing the trends of environmental exposure.