Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature

Five studies utilizing survey, experimental, and diary methods assessed the effects of being outdoors on subjective vitality. In Study 1, we used a vignette method to examine whether being outdoors was associated with vitality, above and beyond the influences of physical activity and social interactions. Study 2 explored the effects of being outdoors on vitality through an experimental design contrasting indoor and outdoor walks. In Study 3, participants were exposed to photographic scenes of either nature or buildings. Results showed that only the nature scenes enhanced subjective vitality. Studies 4 and 5 used a diary methodology to examine within-person variations in subjective energy as a function of being outdoors, again controlling for physical and social activity. Being outdoors was associated with greater vitality, a relation that was mediated by the presence of natural elements. Limitations of these studies are discussed, as well as their implications for research on energy and vitalization.     

Biomass smoke in Burkina Faso: what is the relationship between particulate matter,carbon monoxide,and kitchen characteristics?

In Burkina Faso where cooking with biomass is very common, little information exists regarding kitchen characteristics and their impact on air pollutant levels. The measurement of air pollutants such as respirable particulate matter (PM₁₀), an important component of biomass smoke that has been linked to adverse health outcomes, can also pose challenges in terms of cost and the type of equipment needed. Carbon monoxide could potentially be a more economical and simpler measure of air pollution. The focus of this study was to first assess the association of kitchen characteristics with measured PM₁₀ and CO levels and second, the relationship of PM₁₀ with CO concentrations, across these different kitchen characteristics in households in Nouna, Burkina Faso. Twenty-four-hour concentrations of PM₁₀ (area) were measured with portable monitors and CO (area and personal) estimated using color dosimeter tubes. Data on kitchen characteristics were collected through surveys. Most households used both wood and charcoal burned in three-stone and charcoal stoves. Mean outdoor kitchen PM₁₀ levels were relatively high (774 μg/m³, 95 % CI 329–1,218 μg/m³), but lower than indoor concentrations (Satterthwaite t value, ?6.14; p?<?0.0001). In multivariable analyses, outdoor kitchens were negatively associated with PM₁₀ (OR?=?0.06, 95 % CI 0.02–0.16, p value <0.0001) and CO (OR?=?0.03, 95 % CI 0.01–0.11, p value <0.0001) concentrations. Strong area PM₁₀ and area CO correlations were found with indoor kitchens (Spearman’s r?=?0.82, p?<?0.0001), indoor stove use (Spearman’s r?=?0.82, p?<?0.0001), and the presence of a smoker in the household (Spearman’s r?=?0.83, p?<?0.0001). Weak correlations between area PM₁₀ and personal CO levels were observed with three-stone (Spearman’s r?=?0.23, p?=?0.008) and improved stoves (Spearman’s r?=?0.34, p?=?0.003). This indicates that the extensive use of biomass fuels and multiple stove types for cooking still produce relatively high levels of exposure, even outdoors, suggesting that both fuel subsidies and stove improvement programs are likely necessary to address this problem. These findings also indicate that area CO color dosimeter tubes could be a useful measure of area PM₁₀ concentrations when levels are influenced by strong emission sources or when used in indoors. The weaker correlation observed between area PM₁₀ and personal CO levels suggests that area exposures are not as useful as proxies for personal exposures, which can vary widely from those recorded by stationary monitors.     

Some Factors in Minimizing Precipitator Costs

This paper is directed to those individuals involved in design of electrostatic precipitators. The Deutsch-Anderson model is usually employed by industry for the design of electrostatic precipitators. The so-called process design variable in this approach is the total capture area in the precipitator. Unfortunately, little is available on the equipment design of this unit, i.e., the geometric arrangement of the plates that constitute the capture area and the external dimensions of the physical structure that houses the precipitator components. These are important economic considerations, and it is to this subject that this paper is directed. It is relatively easy to predict equipment costs for “off-the-shelf” electrostatic precipitators; it is more difficult to closely predict the cost for a custom-made unit, which is more often the case encountered in practice. Once the capture area is calculated, the total precipitator cost becomes a strong function of the outer casing and outer accessories of the physical system. In this paper, a model is presented that can help minimize precipitator cost. An illustrative example complements the development of the model.     

Analysis of an APCA Baghouse Operation and Maintenance Survey

Baghouse operation and maintenance is probably the most serious problem area of fabric filter operations. Committee TC-1 (Particulates) of the Air Pollution Control Association recently surveyed baghouse installations in'the United States for the purpose of gathering information on operation and maintenance procedures and problems. One hundred thirty-three questionnaires were completed and returned. In this paper, the results of a comprehensive analysis of these data are described and interpreted. A multiple-choice type of compilation of the responses has been used to permit statistical interpretation of the results. Due to the length of the questionnaire and the tables which resulted from the analysis, these are described but not included in the following paper. They are available from the TC-1 Committee c/o APCA.     

Ozone Formation in California's San Joaquin Valley: A Critical Assessment of Modeling and Data Needs

ABSTRACT

Data from the 1990 San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Study/ Atmospheric Utility Signatures, Predictions, and Experiments (SJVAQS/AUSPEX) field program in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV) suggest that both urban and rural areas would have difficulty meeting an 8-hr average O₃ standard of 80 ppb. A conceptual model of O₃ formation and accumulation in the SJV is formulated based on the chemical, meteorological, and tracer data from SJVAQS/ AUSPEX. Two major phenomena appear to lead to high O₃ concentrations in the SJV: (1) transport of O₃ and precursors from upwind areas (primarily the San Francisco Bay Area, but also the Sacramento Valley) into the SJV, affecting the northern part of the valley, and (2) emissions of precursors, mixing, transport (including long-range transport), and atmospheric reactions within the SJV responsible for regional and urban-scale (e.g., downwind of Fresno and Bakersfield) distributions of O₃. Using this conceptual model, we then conduct a critical evaluation of the meteorological model and air quality model. Areas of model improvements and data needed to understand and properly simulate O₃ formation in the SJV are highlighted.     

Distribution of antidepressants and their metabolites in brook trout exposed to municipal wastewaters before and after ozone treatment--evidence of biological effects

This study examined the tissues distribution of selected serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in brook trout exposed for 3 months to continuous flow-through primary-treated effluent before and after ozone treatment. A reliable analytical method was developed for the quantification of trace amounts of antidepressants in small tissue homogenate extracts. Levels of six antidepressants and four of their N-desmethyl metabolites were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Significant amounts of the SSRIs were found in fish tissue-in decreasing order: liver>brain>muscle. Sertraline and its metabolite desmethylsertraline were the predominant substances observed in most tissues (0.04-10.3 ng g(-1)). However, less SSRIs (0.08-1.17 ng g(-1)) were bioaccumulated in the ozonated effluent. The early molecular effects of these SSRIs on the Na/K-dependent ATPase pump activity in brain synaptosomes where also investigated in vitro and in fish exposed to the municipal effluents. With respect to their potential biological effects, in vitro exposure to selected SSRIs induced a reduction of the brain Na/K-ATPase activity in synaptosomes in a dose-dependent manner. Results showed that Na/K-ATPase activity was readily inhibited by exposure to municipal effluent before and, to a lesser extent, after ozone treatment. Moreover, the Na/K-ATPase activity was significantly and negatively correlated with brain tissue concentrations of fluoxetine (r=-0.57; p<0.03), desmethylsertraline (r=-0.84; p<0.001), and sertraline (r=-0.82; p<0.001). The present study reveals that SSRIs are readily available in fish, biologically active and corroborates previous findings on the serotonergic properties of municipal effluents to aquatic organisms.     

Framework for integrating sustainability into remediation projects

The US Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) created this Framework to enable sustainability parameters to be integrated and balanced throughout the remediation project life cycle, while ensuring long‐term protection of human health and the environment and achieving public and regulatory acceptance. Parameters are considerations, impacts, or stressors of environmental, social, and economic importance. Because remediation project phases are not stand‐alone entities but interconnected components of the wider remediation system, the Framework provides a systematic, process‐based approach in which sustainability is integrated holistically and iteratively within the wider remediation system. By focusing stakeholders on the preferred end use or future use of a site at the beginning of a remediation project, the Framework helps stakeholders form a disciplined planning strategy. Specifically, the Framework is designed to help remediation practitioners (1) perform a tiered sustainability evaluation, (2) update the conceptual site model based on the results of the sustainability evaluation, (3) identify and implement sustainability impact measures, and (4) balance sustainability and other considerations during the remediation decision‐making process. The result is a process that encourages communication among different stakeholders and allows remediation practitioners to achieve regulatory goals and maximize the integration of sustainability parameters during the remediation process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Entry points for climate-informed planning for the water resources and agriculture sectors in Cambodia

Incorporating climate change concerns into national development planning allows adaptation to happen in harmony with the sustainable development of a country. Cambodia has received international support to enable climate change-resilient development; “mainstreaming climate change” is one of the key recent strategies. This article aims to identify entry points for integrating climate change concerns into national development planning, especially for the water resources and agriculture sectors. The study uses institutional ethnography research methods with informants drawn from government organisations, local academic institutions, and development partners, together with content analysis of key policy documents. It was found that the Cambodian national planning process restricts the involvement of other actors such as researchers, civil society, and private sector; yet flexible, in that it provides opportunities for the inclusion of climate change and other related concerns. The study identified specific entry points in key policy documents, such as the National Strategic Development Plans, and ministries’ plans. Other entry points were identified in the development planning process, for example, in the process of development departments and ministries’ plans, and actors such as department planners, and departments of planning of line ministries. Climate-informed planning is now plausible; more significant integration of concerns with future climate change, however, will require more commitment and stronger connections among national planning stakeholders, adaptation actors, and research communities.     

Local Arctic air pollution: Sources and impacts

Local emissions of Arctic air pollutants and their impacts on climate, ecosystems and health are poorly understood. Future increases due to Arctic warming or economic drivers may put additional pressures on the fragile Arctic environment already affected by mid-latitude air pollution. Aircraft data were collected, for the first time, downwind of shipping and petroleum extraction facilities in the European Arctic. Data analysis reveals discrepancies compared to commonly used emission inventories, highlighting missing emissions (e.g. drilling rigs) and the intermittent nature of certain emissions (e.g. flaring, shipping). Present-day shipping/petroleum extraction emissions already appear to be impacting pollutant (ozone, aerosols) levels along the Norwegian coast and are estimated to cool and warm the Arctic climate, respectively. Future increases in shipping may lead to short-term (long-term) warming (cooling) due to reduced sulphur (CO₂) emissions, and be detrimental to regional air quality (ozone). Further quantification of local Arctic emission impacts is needed.     

Modeling urban films using a dynamic multimedia fugacity model

A thin film coats impervious urban surfaces that can act as a source or sink of organic pollutants to the greater environment. We review recent developments in the understanding of film and film-associated pollutant behavior and incorporate them into an unsteady-state version of the fugacity based Multimedia Urban Model (MUM), focusing on detailed considerations of surface film dynamics. The model is used to explore the conditions under which these atmospherically-derived films act as a temporary source of chemicals to the air and/or storm water. Assuming film growth of 2.1 nm d⁻¹ (Wu et al., 2008a), PCB congeners 28 and 180 reach air-film equilibrium within hours and days, respectively. The model results suggest that the film acts as a temporary sink of chemicals from air during dry and cool weather, as a source to air in warmer weather, and as a source to storm water and soil during rain events. Using the downtown area of the City of Toronto Canada, as a case study, the model estimates that nearly 1 g d⁻¹ of ∑₅PCBs are transferred from air to film to storm water.