Characteristics and potential human health hazards of charged aerosols generated by high-voltage power lines

We investigated the characteristics of charged aerosols produced by high-voltage power lines (HVPLs) to explore the effects on respiratory disease incidence among those who handle HVPLs. Charged aerosol currents and charged aerosol concentrations were measured over 24?h at 12 sites. Aerosol current effective levels were 2.7 times higher compared to exposed and control sites. This pattern of relative enhancement at exposed sites was seen consistently in all measurements and the difference was 1.7 higher at exposed sites. Correlation analysis among all important variables revealed strong positive correlations between currents and concentration, currents and magnetic field, humidity and concentration, and humidity and particles of 10?µm or less (PM₁₀), while negative correlations were observed between charged aerosol concentrations and wind velocity and between wind velocity and humidity. Estimated production of charged aerosols from HVPLs found that people who work with HVPLs are highly likely to be exposed to charged aerosols.     

不同粒度煤的瓦斯解吸扩散规律实验研究

为了证实和完善极限粒度理论,制备了煤粒度毫米级至厘米级(>10 mm)的5种粒度煤样,利用H-Sorb 2600T高温高压气体吸附分析仪对不同粒度的煤样进行等温吸附-解吸实验,并采用动扩散系数模型计算了煤粒瓦斯解吸扩散系数,分析不同粒度煤的扩散系数变化特征。研究结果表明:粒度毫米级煤样单位瓦斯解吸量和瓦斯解吸率随粒度的增大呈现逐渐减小的趋势;粒度厘米级煤样单位瓦斯解吸量和瓦斯解吸率随粒度的增大降幅较小;煤粒度在毫米级范围内,初始有效扩散系数D0e和平均有效扩散系数Dae随粒度的增大快速下降;煤粒度为厘米级时,初始有效扩散系数D0e和平均有效扩散系数Dae随粒度的增大基本保持不变;极限粒度理论正确可靠,煤的极限粒度小于10 mm。     

TRANSPORT OF ROAD-SURFACE SEDIMENT THROUGH EPHEMERAL STREAM CHANNELS1

ABSTRACT: Since the majority of road drainage points in western Washington and Oregon enter small, often ephemeral streams rather than large, fish-bearing waters, impact of road-surface sediment on biota in permanent streams depends, to a large extent, on transport through these small watercourses. A series of experimental additions of road-surface sediment was made to two ephemeral streams to examine the downstream transport of this material as a function of discharge and channel characteristics. These small streams were found to store large amounts of sediment washed from road surface. In no instance did either stream transport more than 45 percent of the added material to their mouths, distances of 95 and 125 m. Larger-sized sediment particles were delivered at a lower rate than finer material. Added sediment <0.063 mm in size was transported efficiently through the systems at all but the lowest flows tested. Material between 0.5 and 0.063 mm and from 2.0 to 0.5 mm in size were retained at progressively higher rates, with sediment in the coarser size category never exceeding a delivery of 10 percent of the added material. There were significant differences in the transport of sediment in the two larger size categories between the two streams. These differences were due to a much greater amount of woody debris in the stream with the lower delivery rates, which acted to trap and hold sediment, as well as a slightly longer and less steep channel.     

湍流环形通道热泳脱除可吸入颗粒物技术研究

湍流中PM2．5粒子的热泳沉积是国际上研究热门课题。但目前单纯热泳沉积效率也不过20％左右。依据热泳基本原理，设计了一种新型湍流方环形双壁冷却式通道。计算表明，该类型通道比一般单管通道有着较高的可吸入颗粒物脱除效率。同时，利用湍流的沉积效率，加上热泳沉积效率。可以达到较高的总泳沉积效率。通过结构设计，可以提高可吸入颗粒物的脱除效率，是值得进一步探索的新路子。     

玉米粒为载体的流化床生物膜反应器处理印染废水

以废弃玉米粒为载体,在生物膜流化床试验装置上进行印染废水处理试验研究。结果表明,与炉渣载体比较成膜时间缩短2 d;形成的生物膜生长到载体内部,结合牢固;曝气量(20~30 L/h.L)受流化状况控制,比非生物质载体时略大,玉米粒含量为2~4 g/L时,COD、色度和浊度的去除率分别为72%、85%和86%。     

Variation of particle number and mass concentration in various size ranges of ambient aerosols in Eastern Germany

There is an ongoing debate on the question which size fraction of particles in ambient air may be responsible for short-term responses of the respiratory system as observed in several epidemiological studies. However, the available data on ambient particle concentrations in various size ranges are not sufficient to answer this question.Therefore, on 180 days during the winter 1991/92 daily mean size distributions of ambient particles were determined in. Erfurt, a city in Eastern Germany. In the range 0.01–0.3 μm particles were classified by an electrical mobility analyzer and in the range 0.1–2.5 μm by an optical particle counter. From the derived size distributions, number and mass concentrations were calculated.The mean number concentration over this period of time was governed by particles smaller than 0.1 μm (72%), whereas the mean mass concentration was governed by particles in the size range 0.1–0.5 pm (83%). The contribution of particles larger than 0.5 μm to the overall number concentration was negligible and so was the contribution of particles smaller than 0.1 μm to the overall mass concentration. Furthermore, total number and mass concentrations in the range 0.01–2.5 μm were poorly correlated.The results suggest that particles larger than 2.5 μm (or even larger than 0.5 μm) are rare in the European urban environment so that the inhalation of these particles is probably not relevant for human health. Since particle number and mass concentrations can be considered poorly correlated variables, more insight into health-related aspects of particulate air pollution will be obtained by correlating respiratory responses with mass and number concentrations of ambient particles below 0.5 μm.     

Reduction of sampling and analytical errors for electron microscopic analysis of atmospheric aerosols

Electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EM/EDS) can be used to determine the elemental composition of individual particles. However, the accuracy with which atmospheric particle compositions can be quantitatively determined is not well understood. In this work we explore sources of sampling and analytical bias and methods of reducing bias. Sulfuric acid [H₂SO₄] and ammonium sulfate [(NH₄)₂SO₄] particles were collected on beryllium, silicon, and carbon substrates with similar deposition densities. While [(NH₄)₂SO₄] particles were observed on all substrates, [H₂SO₄] and ammonia-treated [H₂SO₄] particles could not be found on beryllium substrates. Interactions between the substrate and sulfuric acid particles are implicated. When measured with EM/EDS, [H₂SO₄] particles exposed to ammonia overnight were found having lower beam damage rates (0.000 ± 0.002 fraction s⁻¹) than those without any treatment (0.023 ± 0.006 fraction s⁻¹) For laboratory-generated [C₁₀H₆(SO₃Na)₂] particles, the composition determined using the experimental k-factors evaluated from independent particle standards of similar composition and size shows an error less than 20% for all constituents, while greater than 78% errors were found when k-factors were calculated from the theory. This study suggests (1) that sulfate beam damage can be reduced by exposure of atmospheric particle samples to ammonia before analysis, (2) that beryllium is not a suitable substrate for atmospheric particle analysis, and (3) calibration (k-factor determination) using particle standards of similar size and composition to particles present in the atmosphere shows promise as a way of improving the accuracy of quantitative EM analysis.     

Source characterization and identification by real-time single particle mass spectrometry

A Real-Time Single Particle Mass Spectrometer, RSMS-3, was deployed to Wilmington, Delaware to study regional and local contributions to fine and ultra-fine urban particulate matter (PM). Approximately two-thirds of PM₁ consisted of internally mixed secondary aerosol. The remaining one-third was externally mixed including biomass burning (13%), fossil fuel combustion (7%) and various industrial sources (13%). In this last group, particle classes containing specific combinations of transition and/or heavy metals gave wind-rose plots consistent with specific point sources. For example, particles containing V and Ni were detected from different wind directions than those containing V and Fe. Samples from two industrial emission stacks, a steel manufacturing facility 10 km away and a coal-fired electrical power generation facility 5 km away, were analyzed and compared to the ambient data set. In each case, a direct correlation was found: a Pb–Zn–K–Na class for the steel manufacturing facility and an Fe–La/Ce class for the power generation facility. The ambient particle classes showed additional small signals from secondary components indicating atmospheric processing. Ambient particle classes containing only a subset of these elements, such as Zn only, Fe only and Pb–K only, were nonspecific, that is, the wind-rose plots were more diffuse and the particles could not be mapped to individual sources. The merits of stack sampling as an aid to interpreting single particle data sets are discussed.     

控制大气颗粒物的经济效应预测研究

大气颗粒物仍然是全球大气污染的主要影响因子.许多研究表明,可吸入颗粒物(PM10)浓度上升与疾病的死亡率、发病率关系密切,由此对经济产生直接或间接的影响.以香港为研究对象,通过流行病学研究和对健康影响评估,来预测和评价10年期效的减排措施获得的价值.结果显示,减排措施达到清洁空气的目标后,社会可以获得7.6亿至43.3亿港元的间接潜在收益.