Tobacco, Cigarettes and Cigarette Smoke - An Overview

This technical note provides an overview of the origin and mode of treatment of tobacco, tobacco ingredients and pesticide residues found in tobacco leaves. This note also reports on experiments carried out at the JRC-IHCP related to the chemistry of tobacco constituents and it gives information on analytical methodologies used for measuring tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

Proceedings of the International Workshop on 'Combined Environmental Exposure: Noise, Air Pollutants and Chemicals'

The issue of combined exposure to noise, air pollution and chemicals has raised recently the interest of several bodies of the European Commission such as DG Environment, DG SANCO and DG Research in the context of the EC 7th Framework Programme. There are open questions whether prevailing environmental concentrations of air pollutants and chemicals can lead to ototoxic health impacts. Therefore this issue needs to be thoroughly explored and investigated to help the EC to revise the existing standards and guidelines concerning combined exposure to noise, air pollutants and chemicals. The aim of the workshop was to review and discuss the existing scientific evidence whether prevailing environmental exposures to single and concomitant agents together with noise could lead to ototoxic or other health impacts. The final aim was to identify the research needs and to give recommendations for research and policy making in the EU level. It was agreed that research in the future should be focused on really established combinations (high correlations) and interactions (known effect) with main perspective on the traffic bundle of exposure. It was also discussed and agreed upon that the best knowledge exists on the health effects due to combined exposure to noise and solvents or heavy metals in occupational environments, especially on most of the auditory and non-auditory effects. Possible factors that may have confounding or aggravating effects on the results of noise studies were identified. Such factors are: age, gender, smoking, obesity, alcohol, socio-economic status, occupation, education, family status, active military, experience, hereditary disease, medication, medical status, race and ethnicity, physical activity, noisy leisure activities, stress reducing activities, diet & nutrition, housing condition (crowding), and residential status. Research priorities and recommendations for the future. The highest priority was given to issues related to research on noise and outdoor air pollutants. This is due to the fact that it may concern the largest population compared to the other stressors in this analysis and there is some evidence of serious health outcomes such as cardiovascular effects. The next priority was given to the research on the effects of noise and solvents in occupational settings and to research on noise and organophosphates. In the future research, priority should be given to: 1. evaluation of existing data collections whether re-analyses are possible with respect to combined exposure from traffic sources (road, rail and air), 2. analyses of existing data concerning noise and other stressors interactions in both occupational and environmental settings, 3. detailed assessment of combined exposures to noise, vibrations and PM, CO, NOx, and VOCs with specific studies in urban areas and, especially, cardiovascular health endpoints should be studied as priority health endpoints, 4. identification of causal mechanisms through careful review of toxicological experimental studies.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

The chemistry of atmospheric deposition in Italy in the framework of the National Programme for Forest Ecosystems Control (CONECOFOR)

Under the CONECOFOR programme, allied to the UE and UN-ECE programme on forests (ICP Forests), the chemistry of open field, throughfall and stemflow deposition was measured in 15 permanent plots over a two year period. Characteristics of the plots, sampling methods, treatment and analyses are in strict agreement with those adopted in the European programme. The plots are representative of different geographical conditions, from the Mediterranean area of the southern plots to the Alpine environment. Results show the highest amount of ion deposition related to anthropogenic emissions in the northern (PIE1, VEN1, FRI2) and central (EMI1, TOS1) stations, while most of the central and southern sites show a net flux of alkalinity. The acidity is however buffered by dust and dry deposition present on the canopy, so that the throughfall deposition is always alkaline. Nitrogen, both as ammonium and nitrate, is an important component of precipitation and critical loads are exceeded in most of the areas. This situation is confirmed by analyses of nitrate in runoff, performed in four plots, which show a release from the watershed in all seasons, indicating an overload of nitrogen compared to its possible uptake by vegetation and soil. N saturation is high in the northern and central plots of PIE1 and EMI2, moderate in the central and alpine plots of LAZ1 and FRI2

European Parliament Pilot Project on Exposure to Indoor air Chemicals and Possible Health Risks

This report outlines the results of the 2-year pilot project on indoor air quality and potential health effects executed by the Joint Research Centre and funded by the European Parliament via the Directorate-General Health and Consumer Protection. It had four distinct objectives as follows: 1) to identify and quantify the main air pollutants present in public buildings, including indoor environments where children frequently stay, like schools and kindergartens, 2) to identify the main sources of these pollutants, applying source apportionment analyses, 3) to estimate people¿s exposure to these pollutants while working and/or living in these areas and combined with micro-environmental activity patterns during the day, 4) to evaluate possible health risks due to (chronic) exposure to air pollutants, in particular, for children. The results indicate that indoor air pollution concentrations are consistently higher than the respective outdoor ones for the chemical families this study focused on. Differences attributable to variation in consumer behaviour, climate and type of building materials used, have been identified in the indoor:outdoor ratio of primary pollutants across Europe. These differences account for small variance in the corresponding health risk to the local population across the EU.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

The INDEX Project - Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU

The INDEX project (Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU), coordinated by the EU/JRC and funded by DG SANCO, has been finished in December 2004. The project was carried out in collaboration with a Steering Committee of leading European experts in the area of indoor air pollution. Scope of INDEX was to identify priorities and to assess the needs for a Community strategy and action plan in the area of indoor air pollution. The key issues that have been addressed within the project are: - the setting up of a list of compounds to be measured and regulated in indoor environments with priority, on the basis of health impact criteria - to provide suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits for these compounds and - to provide information on links with existing knowledge, ongoing studies, legislation etc. at world scale. Suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits or other exposure control actions were defined for five prioritised compounds; formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, and naphthalene.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

Concentrations of VOCs and ozone in indoor environments: A case study in two Mediterranean cities during winter period

Building materials represent the largest surfaces indoors and are the major contributors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor environment. This study which is conducted in the frame of BUMA project (Prioritization of Building Materials Emissions), aims at assessing the human exposure to air hazards emitted by building materials. In this study, indoor and outdoor VOCs and ozone measurements from field campaigns in two Mediterranean cities (Nicosia and Athens in winter period) are presented and discussed. The field campaigns concern weekly measurements. The campaigns were conducted in four buildings in each city (1 Public building, 1 school and 2 houses) and concern weekly measurements. Passive samplers were used for collecting VOCs and ozone. Eight (8) hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, a-pinene, o-xylene and d-limonene), five (5) carbonyl compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, proprionaldehyde, acetone and hexanaldehyde) and ozone have been measured. Additional air exchange measurements have been conducted using tracer gas techniques. Hazardous substances such as benzene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde present indoor concentrations that range between 1.5-10.2, 5.8-43.2 and 4.5-15 μg/m3, respectively. VOC concentration data show a considerable variability due to the different indoor emission sources, ventilation rates and outdoor environment's influence. A significant contribution to indoor measured concentrations seems to come from the building materials. Ozone outdoor concentrations are reduced substantially inside, indicating relatively strong indoor ozone sinks

Impact of Ozone-initiated Terpene Chemistry on Indoor Air Quality and Human Health

The ECA Report no. 26 on ¿Ozone-Initiated Chemistry and Its impact on Indoor Air Quality and Human Health¿ summarises the current state-of-the-art concerning indoor air pollution and health due to chemical reactions occurring indoors makes recommendation for research priorities for the future. More sepcifically, a state-of-the-art review on the scientific evidence concerning ozone-initiated terpene chemistry and related human health effects is given along with measurements methods so far developed to monitor the concentration of the key reactants ozone and terpene and finally a risk assessment methodology for indoor ozone-initiated terpene chemistry is described.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure