The effect of short-term changes in air pollution on respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Presented at the 6th International Conference on Urban Air Quality, Limassol, March, 2007. Short-paper was submitted for peer-review and appears in proceedings of the conference.This study investigates the effect of daily changes in levels of PM10 on the daily volume of respiratory and cardiovascular admissions in Nicosia, Cyprus during 1995-2004. After controlling for long- (year and month) and short-term (day of the week) patterns as well as the effect of weather in Generalized Additive Poisson models, some positive associations were observed with all-cause and cause-specific admissions. Risk of hospitalization increased stepwise across quartiles of days with increasing levels of PM10 by 1.3% (-0.3, 2.8), 4.9% (3.3, 6.6), 5.6% (3.9, 7.3) as compared to days with the lowest concentrations. For every 10μg/m3 increase in daily average PM10 concentration, there was a 1.2% (-0.1%, 2.4%) increase in cardiovascular admissions. With respects to respiratory admissions, an effect was observed only in the warm season with a 1.8% (-0.22, 3.85) increase in admissions per 10μg/m3 increase in PM10. The effect on respiratory admissions seemed to be much stronger in women and, surprisingly, restricted to people of adult age

Impacts of Subway System Modifications on Air Quality in Subway Platforms and Trains.

Subway PM₂.₅ can be substantially sourced from the operation of the system itself. Improvements in subway air quality may be possible by examining the potential to reduce these emissions. To this end, PM₂.₅ was measured on the trains and station platforms of the Toronto subway system. A comparison with previously published data for this system reveals significant changes in below ground platform PM₂.₅. A reduction of nearly one-third (ratio (95% CI): 0.69 (0.63, 0.75)) in PM₂.₅ from 2011 to 2018 appears to have resulted from a complete modernization of the rolling stock on one subway line. In contrast, below ground platform PM₂.₅ for another line increased by a factor of 1.48 (95% CI; 1.42, 1.56). This increase may be related to an increase in emergency brake applications, the resolution of which coincided with a large decrease in PM₂.₅ concentrations on that line. Finally, platform PM₂.₅ in two newly opened stations attained, within one year of operation, typical concentrations of the neighboring platforms installed in 1963. Combined, these findings suggest that the production of platform PM₂.₅ is localized and hence largely freshly emitted. Further, PM₂.₅ changed across this subway system due to changes in its operation and rolling stock. Thus, similar interventions applied intentionally may prove to be equally effective in reducing PM₂.₅. Moreover, establishing a network of platform PM₂.₅ monitors is recommended to monitor ongoing improvements and identify impacts of future system changes on subway air quality. This would result in a better understanding of the relationship between the operations and air quality of subways

Assessment of the occupational exposures to fine and ultrafine particles in several industrial settings and exploration of its respiratory health effects

Les effets respiratoires aigus des expositions journalières à des particules fines et ultrafines ne sont pas pleinement documentés pour les expositions professionnelles, même si de nombreux travailleurs sont exposés à des niveaux de particules considérablement plus élevés que dans l'environnement. Cela est en partie attribuable au manque de données sur l'exposition. Actuellement, les études évaluant les expositions professionnelles aux particules fines et ultrafines sont peu nombreuses et manquent de méthodes standardisées pour permettre une conclusion générale sur l'exposition des travailleurs. Les paramètres pour améliorer l'évaluation de l'exposition incluent l'harmonisation des stratégies d'échantillonnage et l'évaluation de la distribution des tailles (e.g. particules de diamètres médians de 2.5 et 4 µm et particules ultrafines), de la composition chimique et du potentiel oxydatif de ces particules. Ainsi, dans un contexte d'incertitude sur les risques respiratoires aigus, et considérant le grand nombre de travailleurs potentiellement exposés en l'absence de données d'exposition comparables entre les milieux de travail, les besoins de produire des nouvelles connaissances dans ce domaine sont énormes. Ainsi, l'objectif principal de cette thèse était d’estimer les risques associés à l’exposition journalière aux particules fines et ultrafines dans divers milieux de travail avec les trois sous-objectifs suivant: (1) estimer des niveaux de particules fines et ultrafines dans différents milieux de travail; (2) évaluer le potentiel oxydatif et le fardeau du potentiel oxydatif des expositions professionnelles aux particules fines dans deux milieux d'une école des métiers de la construction; (3) estimer, par une revue systématique et une méta-analyse, la relation entre les expositions professionnelles et environnementales à court terme (c.-à-d. journalière) aux particules fines et leurs effets respiratoires aigus sur la fonction pulmonaire. Pour le premier objectif, des mesures ont été effectuées pendant 12 jours d'échantillonnage dans une mine souterraine, un tunnel de métro, un atelier de réparation de camions et une fonderie. Des instruments à lecture directe et des mesures intégrées ont été utilisés et comprenaient des mesures de la concentration numérique, la concentration massique, la distribution granulométrique, la microscopie électronique à transmission et la composition (par exemple, le carbone total (CT) et le carbone élémentaire (CE)) des particules. Pour le deuxième objectif, le potentiel oxydatif (OPAA) et le fardeau oxydatif (OBAA) ont été évalués par le test d'ascorbate en utilisant un fluide de revêtement des voies respiratoires synthétique. Des échantillons personnels de PM4 (Nsoudage = 53; Nconstruction = 54) ont été prélevés dans la zone respiratoire, tandis que des mesures en postes fixes de PM4 (Nsoudage = 54; Nconstruction = 33) et de PM2.5 (Nsoudage = 53; Nconstruction = 34) ont été collectées à une distance d'environ 1,5 mètre des apprentis. Pour le troisième objectif, nous avons recherché des bases de données bibliographiques pour identifier les études portant sur les associations entre les expositions journalières aux particules fines (c.-à-d. PM2.5 et PM4) et les paramètres de la fonction pulmonaire (e.g. volume expiratoire forcé en 1 sec, FEV1) chez les adultes en bonne santé. Séparément pour les études environnementales et professionnelles, nous avons résumé les résultats à l'aide de méta-analyses à effets aléatoires lorsque cinq estimés d’association ou plus étaient disponibles. Les concentrations en nombre de particules les plus élevées ont été observées dans la mine souterraine, l’atelier de soudage et la fonderie. Pour les milieux de travail avec une exposition au diesel, la mine souterraine présentait la concentration numérique la plus élevée (134 000 particules/cm3) par rapport au tunnel de métro (32 800 particules/cm3) et à l'atelier de réparation de camions (22 700 particules/cm3). De plus, les concentrations massiques des particules fines, du CT et du CE étaient également plus élevées dans la mine souterraine par rapport aux autres milieux. Le ratio CT/CE était de 1,4 dans la mine, 2,5 dans le tunnel et 8,7 dans l'atelier, indiquant la présence d’une importante source de carbone organique non associée aux émanations de moteur diesel dans les milieux de travail non miniers. Cette source de carbone organique peut affecter l'estimation de l'exposition lorsque le CT est utilisé comme indicateur d'exposition au diesel. Les mesures de la distribution de la taille et les images capturées par microscopie à transmission électronique ont indiqué que les particules trouvées dans tous les milieux de travail étaient majoritairement dans la fraction ultrafine. Les particules collectées dans les milieux de travail ont été associés à différents niveaux de potentiel oxydatif. Les particules de soudage présentaient des niveaux plus élevés de OPAA (3,3 ρmol /min/µg) et OBAA (1750 ρmol/min/m3) que le site de construction (OPAA = 1,4 ρmol/min/µg; OBAA = 486 ρmol/min/m3). Ces niveaux d'OBAA dépassaient largement les niveaux trouvés dans l'environnement général. Dans les deux milieux de travail, les niveaux d'OPAA n'ont pas été influencés par les différentes stratégies d'échantillonnage (c.-à-d. mesures personnelles et en postes fixes) ou par la taille des particules (c.-à-d. PM2.5 et PM4). Cependant, en raison des concentrations de particules plus élevées, l'OBAA des échantillons personnels était significativement plus grand que celui des mesures d’ambiance dans l'atelier de soudage. La revue systématique et méta-analyse a montré que les associations entre les expositions journalières aux particules fines dans l’environnement général étaient plus prononcées qu’en milieu de travail pour un même incrément d'exposition. Une qu'une augmentation de 10 ug/m3 des expositions journalières aux particules fines respirables était associée à des réductions du FEV1 de 0,87 ml (IC à 95%: -1,36 à -0,37 ml; I2 = 54 %) dans les études professionnelles, et une augmentation similaire des particules fines était associée à une réduction de 7,62 mL (IC à 95%: -10,62 à -4,63 mL; I2 = 0%) dans les études environnementales. Des résultats similaires ont été observés pour les associations avec la capacité vitale forcée. En résumé, les résultats de cette thèse montrent que les travailleurs sont exposés à des niveaux importants de particules exprimées en termes de concentrations massiques et numériques, et que ces particules se trouvent principalement dans la fraction ultrafine. Les concentrations élevées de ces particules combinées à un potentiel oxydatif important entrainent un fardeau oxydatif qui dépasse largement celui d’études environnementales. De plus, les expositions professionnelles pendant un quart de travail entraineraient des effets sur la santé respiratoire décrits en termes de réduction de la fonction pulmonaire des travailleurs. À la lumière de ces résultats, des améliorations des pratiques d'hygiène industrielle et de la surveillance de l'exposition aux particules fines et ultrafines dans les milieux de travail sont nécessaires pour contrôler et limiter les risques sanitaires potentiels des expositions journalières à ces polluants.Respiratory effects, such as lung function, of short-term exposures to fine and ultrafine particles are not well documented for occupational exposures, even though many workers are exposed daily to levels considerably higher than in the general environment. This limited understanding can be attributed to the lack of exposure data. Currently, studies assessing occupational exposures to fine particles and ultrafine fraction are few and lack standardized methods to allow a general conclusion about workers’ exposures. The steps for improving exposure assessment include the harmonization of sampling strategies and the assessment of additional information related to the size distribution (e.g. particles of median diameter of 2.5 and 4 µm, and ultrafine particles), chemical composition, and the oxidative potential of these particles. Thus, in a context of uncertainty about the acute respiratory risks, with many potentially exposed workers and in the absence of comparable exposure data, the needs for developing knowledge in this field are enormous. Hence, the main objective of this thesis was to estimate the risk of daily exposures to fine and ultrafine particles in various workplaces with three specific objectives: (1) to quantify and characterize exposures to fine and ultrafine particles in different workplaces in Québec by an innovative multi-metric approach; (2) to estimate the oxidative potential and oxidative burden of particles in two occupational settings from a construction trades school; (3) to separately estimate, by a systematic review and meta-analysis, the associations between short-term (i.e. daily and sub-daily) occupational and environmental exposures to fine particles and its acute respiratory effects on lung function in healthy adults. For the first objective, measurements were performed in an underground mine, a subway tunnel, a truck repair workshop, and a smelting industry for at least 12 sampling days each. Direct-reading instruments and filter-based methods were used and included measurements of the number concentration, mass concentration, size distribution, transmission electron microscopy and composition (e.g. Total carbon (TC) and elemental carbon (EC)) of particles. For the second objective, the oxidative potential (OPAA) and oxidative burden (OBAA) were assessed by the ascorbate assay with a synthetic respiratory tract lining fluid. Personal PM4 (Nwelding = 53; Nconstruction = 54) samples were collected from the breathing zone, while area samples of both PM4 (Nwelding = 54; Nconstruction = 33) and PM2.5 fractions (Nwelding = 53; Nconstruction = 34) were collected at distances of around 1.5 meter from the apprentices. For the third objective, we searched bibliographic databases to identify studies investigating associations between daily and sub-daily exposures to fine particles (i.e. PM2.5 and PM4) and lung function parameters (e.g. Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 sec, FEV1) in healthy adults. Separately for environmental and occupational studies, we summarized findings using random-effects meta-analyses when five or more independent estimates of association were available. The highest particle number concentrations were observed in the underground mine, welding shop and smelting industry. For the workplaces with diesel exposure, the underground mine had the highest geometric mean of particle number concentration (134,000 particles/cm3) compared to the subway tunnel (32,800 particles/cm3) and the truck repair workshop (22,700 particles/cm3). This same pattern of exposure in these workplaces were also observed for the mass concentration of fine particles, TC and EC. The TC/EC ratio was 1.4 in the mine, 2.5 in the tunnel and 8.7 in the workshop, indicating significant organic carbon interference in the non-mining workplaces that can affect exposure estimation when TC is used as an indicator of diesel exposure. Measurements of the size distribution and images captured by transmission electron microscopy indicated that the particles found in all workplaces were mainly in the ultrafine size fraction. Particles collected in the welding shop and construction site were associated with important levels of redox activity. Welding particles had higher OPAA (3.3 ρmol/min/µg) and OBAA (1,750 ρmol/min/m3) compared to the construction site (OPAA = 1.4 ρmol/min/µg; OBAA = 486 ρmol/min/m3). These levels of OBAA largely exceeded the levels found in environmental settings. In both workplaces, OPAA levels were not influenced by the different sampling strategies (i.e. area versus personal measurements) or size fractions (i.e. PM2.5 and PM4). However, driven by the higher particulate matter concentrations, the OBAA from personal samples was higher compared to area samples in the welding shop. The systematic review and meta-analysis showed that associations between daily exposures to fine particles and lung function in environmental settings were more pronounced than in occupational settings for a same exposure increment. An increase of 10 µg/m3 in the daily and sub-daily exposures to respirable fine particles were associated with FEV1 reductions of 0.87 mL (95% CI: -1.36 to -0.37 mL; I2= 54%) in occupational studies, and a similar increase in fine particles was associated with a reduction of 7.63 mL (95% CI: -10.62 to -4.63 mL; I2= 0%) in environmental studies. Similar results were observed for associations with the forced vital capacity. In summary, this thesis’s results showed that workers are exposed to important levels of particles expressed in terms of mass and number concentrations, and these particles are mainly in the ultrafine size range. The high particulate matter concentrations combined with an elevated oxidative potential resulted in significant levels of oxidative burden that largely exceeded those from environmental settings. Also, occupational exposures during a work shift may result in respiratory health effects described in terms of reduction in workers’ lung function. Based on our results, improvements in industrial hygiene practices and the surveillance of exposure to fine and ultrafine particles in the workplace are needed to control and limit potential health risks of daily exposure to these pollutants

Micro Sensor Node for Air Pollutant Monitoring: Hardware and Software Issues

Wireless sensor networks equipped with various gas sensors have been actively used for air quality monitoring. Previous studies have typically explored system issues that include middleware or networking performance, but most research has barely considered the details of the hardware and software of the sensor node itself. In this paper, we focus on the design and implementation of a sensor board for air pollutant monitoring applications. Several hardware and software issues are discussed to explore the possibilities of a practical WSN-based air pollution monitoring system. Through extensive experiments and evaluation, we have determined the various characteristics of the gas sensors and their practical implications for air pollutant monitoring systems

International expert workshop on the analysis of the economic and public health impacts of air pollution: workshop summary.

Forty-nine experts from 18 industrial and developing countries met on 6 September 2001 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, to discuss the economic and public health impacts of air pollution, particularly with respect to assessing the public health benefits from technologies and policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such measures would provide immediate public health benefits, such as reduced premature mortality and chronic morbidity, through improved local air quality. These mitigation strategies also allow long-term goals--for example, reducing the buildup of GHG emissions--to be achieved alongside short-term aims, such as immediate improvements in air quality, and therefore benefits to public health. The workshop aimed to foster research partnerships by improving collaboration and communication among various agencies and researchers; providing a forum for presentations by sponsoring agencies and researchers regarding research efforts and agency activities; identifying key issues, knowledge gaps, methodological shortcomings, and research needs; and recommending activities and initiatives for research, collaboration, and communication. This workshop summary briefly describes presentations made by workshop participants and the conclusions of three separate working groups: economics, benefits transfer, and policy; indoor air quality issues and susceptible populations; and development and transfer of dose-response relationships and exposure models in developing countries. Several common themes emerged from the working group sessions and subsequent discussion. Key recommendations include the need for improved communication and extended collaboration, guidance and support for researchers, advances in methods, and resource support for data collection, assessment, and research

Assessment of portable and miniaturized sensors for the monitoring of human exposure to air pollutants

In the last years, several in-field campaigns have been conducted using portable and miniaturized monitors to evaluate the personal exposure to different pollutants. In general, this kind of monitors are characterized by worse metrological performance if compared to the traditional standard methods. Despite this disadvantage, portable and miniaturized monitors could be easily used across different applications, because their advantageous features, such as the capability to provide real-time measurement, the high spatial and temporal resolution of acquired data, the ability to adapt to different experimental designs and, especially, the ability to follow the subject in any activity. Finally, portable and miniaturized instruments can provide data acquired in the respiratory zone of the subject, following therefore the practices for a correct exposure assessment. Obviously, the best compromise between the analytical gold standard (in terms of precision, accuracy and instrumental sensitivity) and the gold standard in regard to the exposure assessment should be chosen. Therefore, in brief, principal aims of this thesis are (i) to evaluate the on-field performances of portable and miniaturized monitors for gaseous pollutants and airborne PM and (ii) to use these monitors in exposure assessment studies and (iii) to understand if data acquired via portable and miniaturized monitors could be useful in other fields of application, such as epidemiological studies or toxicological studies, in which the evaluation of the inhaled dose of pollutants could play a key role

Chicago Recovery Partnership Evaluation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

From 2009-2011, the City of Chicago and Cook County received a total of $2.35 billion in funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA]. The stimulus money was allocated to seven areas: education, basic needs, transportation and infrastructure, housing and energy, public safety, broadband and workforce development. The Chicago Recovery Partnership Evaluation of ARRA analyzes the impact of the stimulus spending using a costbenefit analysis framework. This report evaluated$1.09 billion of total spending in Chicago and Cook County, resulting in net benefits ranging from -$173.9 to$2,740.2 million. The wide range in net benefits is attributed largely to education, which received over half of ARRA funding

Urban air pollution and health inequities: a workshop report.

Over the past three decades, an array of legislation with attendant regulations has been implemented to enhance the quality of the environment and thereby improve the public's health. Despite the many beneficial changes that have followed, there remains a disproportionately higher prevalence of harmful environmental exposures, particularly air pollution, for certain populations. These populations most often reside in urban settings, have low socioeconomic status, and include a large proportion of ethnic minorities. The disparities between racial/ethnic minority and/or low-income populations in cities and the general population in terms of environmental exposures and related health risks have prompted the "environmental justice" or "environmental equity" movement, which strives to create cleaner environments for the most polluted communities. Achieving cleaner environments will require interventions based on scientific data specific to the populations at risk; however, research in this area has been relatively limited. To assess the current scientific information on urban air pollution and its health impacts and to help set the agenda for immediate intervention and future research, the American Lung Association organized an invited workshop on Urban Air Pollution and Health Inequities held 22-24 October 1999 in Washington, DC. This report builds on literature reviews and summarizes the discussions of working groups charged with addressing key areas relevant to air pollution and health effects in urban environments. An overview was provided of the state of the science for health impacts of air pollution and technologies available for air quality monitoring and exposure assessment. The working groups then prioritized research needs to address the knowledge gaps and developed recommendations for community interventions and public policy to begin to remedy the exposure and health inequities

Assessment of portable and miniaturized sensors for the monitoring of human exposure to air pollutants

In the last years, several in-field campaigns have been conducted using portable and miniaturized monitors to evaluate the personal exposure to different pollutants. In general, this kind of monitors are characterized by worse metrological performance if compared to the traditional standard methods. Despite this disadvantage, portable and miniaturized monitors could be easily used across different applications, because their advantageous features, such as the capability to provide real-time measurement, the high spatial and temporal resolution of acquired data, the ability to adapt to different experimental designs and, especially, the ability to follow the subject in any activity. Finally, portable and miniaturized instruments can provide data acquired in the respiratory zone of the subject, following therefore the practices for a correct exposure assessment. Obviously, the best compromise between the analytical gold standard (in terms of precision, accuracy and instrumental sensitivity) and the gold standard in regard to the exposure assessment should be chosen. Therefore, in brief, principal aims of this thesis are (i) to evaluate the on-field performances of portable and miniaturized monitors for gaseous pollutants and airborne PM and (ii) to use these monitors in exposure assessment studies and (iii) to understand if data acquired via portable and miniaturized monitors could be useful in other fields of application, such as epidemiological studies or toxicological studies, in which the evaluation of the inhaled dose of pollutants could play a key role