Meeting Report: National Workshops for the Communication of Air Pollution and Health Information: Summary of Four Workshops in Different Regions of Europe

AIRNET was a thematic network project (2002–2004) initiated to stimulate the interaction between researchers in air pollution and health in Europe. As part of AIRNET’s communication strategy, a standardized workshop model was developed to organize national meetings on air pollution and health (AIRNET network days). Emphasis was given to tailor the national workshop information and related activities to the specific needs of a wider range of stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, nongovernmental organizations, industry representatives). In this report we present an overview of the results of four workshops held in western, northern, central/eastern, and southern regions of Europe in 2004. Overall, workshop experiences indicated that by actively involving participants in the planning of each meeting, AIRNET helped create an event that addressed participants’ needs and interests. A wide range of communication formats used to discuss air pollution and health also helped stimulate active interaction among participants. Overall, the national workshops held by AIRNET offered a way to improve communication among the different stakeholders. Because a broad stakeholder involvement in decision making can positively affect the development of widely supported policies, such meetings should be continued for Europe and elsewhere

Black carbon as an additional indicator of the adverse health effects of airborne particles compared with PM10 and PM2.5.

Current air quality standards for particulate matter (PM) use the PM mass concentration [PM with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 10 μm (PM(10)) or ≤ 2.5 μm (PM(2.5))] as a metric. It has been suggested that particles from combustion sources are more relevant to human health than are particles from other sources, but the impact of policies directed at reducing PM from combustion processes is usually relatively small when effects are estimated for a reduction in the total mass concentration

Effects of particulate matter on the pulmonary and vascular system: time course in spontaneously hypertensive rats

BACKGROUND: This study was performed within the scope of two multi-center European Commission-funded projects (HEPMEAP and PAMCHAR) concerning source-composition-toxicity relationship for particulate matter (PM) sampled in Europe. The present study aimed to optimize the design for PM in vivo toxicity screening studies in terms of dose and time between a single exposure and the determination of the biological responses in a rat model mimicking human disease resulting in susceptibility to ambient PM. Dust in thoracic PM size-range (aerodynamic diameter <10 μm) was sampled nearby a road tunnel (RTD) using a high volume cascade impactor. Spontaneously hypertensive rats were exposed to urban dust collected in Ottawa, Canada (EHC-93 10 mg/kg of body weight; reference PM) or different RTD doses (0.3, 1, 3, 10 mg/kg of body weight) by intratracheal instillation. Necropsy was performed at 4, 24, or 48 hr after exposure. RESULTS: The neutrophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid increased tremendously after exposure to the highest RTD doses or EHC-93. Furthermore, PM exposure slightly affected blood coagulation since there was a small but significant increase in the plasma fibrinogen levels (factor 1.2). Pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress as well as changes in blood coagulation factors and circulating blood cell populations were observed within the range of 3 to 10 mg PM/kg of body weight without significant pulmonary injury. CONCLUSION: The optimal dose for determining the toxicity ranking of ambient derived PM samples in spontaneously hypertensive rats is suggested to be between 3 and 10 mg PM/kg of body weight under the conditions used in the present study. At a lower dose only some inflammatory effects were detected, which will probably be too few to be able to discriminate between PM samples while a completely different response pattern was observed with the highest dose. In addition to the dose, a 24-hr interval from exposure to sacrifice seemed appropriate to assess the relative toxic potency of PM since the majority of the health effects were observed one day after PM exposure compared to the other times examined. The aforementioned considerations provide a good basis for conducting PM toxicity screening studies in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Report of the Particulate Matter Research Strategies Workshop, Park City, Utah, April 29–30, 1996

An informal one-and-a-half-day workshop devoted to research needs on the health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) was held in Park City, Utah, on April 29 and 30,1996, in conjunction with the Second Colloquium on Particulate Air Pollution and Health at Park City, Utah, on May 1-3,1996. The objective of the workshop was to prepare a holistic assessment of knowledge gaps and research opportunities for presentation at the penultimate session of the colloquium. The workshop reviewed the research progress made since the first PM colloquium (Irvine, California, January 1994) and the findings of recent major reviews of the PM literature by the World Health Organization-European Region, the U.K. Health Department, the National Institute of Public Health in the Netherlands, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It then discussed (1) the nature of ambient PM, (2) population segments at special risk, (3) the nature of the health effects of concern, (4) the sources of ambient air PM, and (5) the implications of ambient air PM health effects on occupational exposure limits and occupational cohorts. The workshop concluded that: A primary focus for fuaher research should be on accumulation mode aerosol with the objective of disentangling the roles of its chemical constituents, as well as their interactive effects with each other and with coexisting gaseous criteria pollutants. Research is also urgently needed on the health effects of both the coarse-mode PM10 and the ultrafine particles in the nuclei-mode aerosol. There should be a continued focus on infants, the elderly, and people with preexisting cardiopulmonary diseases. Further development and validation of animal models for human sensitive groups warrants high priority. Validated animal models are needed for target human populations in order to investigate: (1) the roles of specific constituents of PM mixtures, (2) the roles of exposure concentrations and durations on responses, (3) some of the risk factors that predispose individuals to be responsive to PM exposures, and (4) physiological, biochemical, molecular, and pathological correlates of mortality, tissue and organ damage, and chronic disease development. © 1998, Taylor &amp; Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved

Air Pollution and the Risks to Human Health-Science Policy Interface-

Climate can influence the emergence and transmission of infectious agents and the specific mechanisms underlying the linkages between climate and infectious diseases vary widely. Many diseases are clearly sensitive to changes in humidity, temperature, precipitation and ultraviolet radiation intensity ( ). Among them are some of our planet’s greatest killers, such as malaria and cholera; others (e.g. Lyme disease, hantavirus, dengue fever), although less deadly, are still dangerously, debilitating. A first step is thus to define which characteristics make a disease or pathogen “climate sensitive”. Climate change can influence the epidemiology of infectious diseases by affecting the replication and movement of disease agents and vectors or can influence transmission dynamics indirectly through its effects on ecology or human behavior. As global temperatures continue to rise, there are growing concerns that climate change may produce serious adverse health effects. From 1889 to 1990, the global average temperature rose by 0.4-0.8C ( ) and there is a nine out to ten chance that global average temperatures will rise 4-7C by 2100, with longer and hotter summers and milder winters. However, to date, it is unclear to which extent climate change affect public health through waterborne infectious diseases.JRC.H.4-Transport and air qualit

Background on uncertainty assessment supporting climate adaptation decision-making

Although trends in climate change are expected to continue, there is considerable uncertainty about the precise rate of change and its concrete impact. A key element in decision-making on climate adaptation is how to deal with this uncertainty. This chapter provides the background information on dealing with uncertainties: descriptions of uncertainty typology, methods of assessment, as well as a framework for dealing with uncertainty in climate adaptation decision-making. The chapter highlights that the classical elements used in uncertainty assessment (statistics, scenarios and recognised ignorance) can be expanded toward five principal uncertainty dimensions that are crucial for informing/supporting adaptation decision-making: location, level, nature, qualification of knowledge base, and value-ladenness. In practice, to deal with uncertainties, but also because of time and budget constraints, uncertainty assessments may follow a three step approach: (1) identify and characterise sources of uncertainty; (2) weigh, appraise, and prioritise uncertainties; and (3) select and apply methods for dealing with uncertainties in policy. Based on political and societal preferences, adaptation strategies could either use top-down or bottom-up approaches considering adaptation action based on the best prediction, robustness, or resilience. Adaptation policies that focus on enhancing the system’s and society’s capability of dealing with possible future changes, uncertainties and surprises (e.g. through resilience, flexibility, and adaptive capacity) seem most appropriate. For potential climate-related effects for which rough risk estimates are available, ‘robust’ measures are recommended. For potential climate effects with limited societal and/or political relevance, ‘no-regret’ measures are recommended. For highly relevant potential climate-related effects, precautionary measures can be considered. The chapter provides also links to the uncertainty approaches in the case studies described in Chap. 4

Studies on Health Effects of Transport-Related Air Pollution

see attached full documentJRC.H.4-Transport and air qualit

Adapting to an Uncertain ClimateLessons From Practice /

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