Workplace personal exposure to respirable PM fraction: a study in sixteen indoor environments

AbstractThe present paper focuses on respirable particulate matter (RPM) measurements conducted at the breathing zone of adult volunteers in sixteen different working environments: two offices, a house, a chemical laboratory, a non–smoking shop, a pharmacy store, a car garage, a hairdresser's store, a photocopy store, a taxi, a gym, a mall, a restaurant, a bar, a kiosk and a school. The sixteen different cases were categorized according to the location, the type of the activities taking place indoors, the number of occupants, the proximity to heavy traffic roads, the ventilation pattern etc. According to the results, the maximum particle concentration (in average 285μg m−3) was recorded at the hairdresser store while the minimum concentration was measured in the cases of the housewife and the employee in the non–smoking shop (in average 30μg m−3). The results indicated smoking as a factor which strongly influences the exposure levels of both smokers and passive smokers. Furthermore, it was found that the building ventilation pattern comprises an important factor influencing the exposure levels especially in cases of buildings with great number of visitors (resuspension) and smoking

NPAHs and OPAHs in the atmosphere of two central European cities: Seasonality, urban-to-background gradients, cancer risks and gas-to-particle partitioning

Derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as nitrated- and oxygenated-PAHs (NPAHs and OPAHs) could be even more toxic and harmful for the environment and humans than PAHs. We assessed the spatial and seasonal variations of NPAHs and OPAHs atmospheric levels, their cancer risks and their gas-to-particle partitioning. To this end, about 250 samples of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 50 gaseous samples were collected in 2017 in central Europe in the cities of Brno and Ljubljana (two traffic and two urban background sites) as well as one rural site. The average particulate concentrations were ranging from below limit of quantification to 593 pg m-3 for Σ9NPAHs and from 1.64 to 4330 pg m-3 for Σ11OPAHs, with significantly higher concentrations in winter compared to summer. In winter, the particulate levels of NPAHs and OPAHs were higher at the traffic site compared to the urban background site in Brno while the opposite was found in Ljubljana. NPAHs and OPAHs particulate levels were influenced by the meteorological parameters and co-varied with several air pollutants. The significance of secondary formation on the occurrence of some NPAHs and OPAHs is indicated. In winter, 27-47% of samples collected at all sites were above the acceptable lifetime carcinogenic risk. The gas-particle partitioning of NPAHs and OPAHs was influenced by their physico-chemical properties, the season and the site-specific aerosol composition. Three NPAHs and five OPAHs had higher particulate mass fractions at the traffic site, suggesting they could be primarily emitted as particles from vehicle traffic and subsequently partitioning to the gas phase along air transport. This study underlines the importance of inclusion of the gas phase in addition to the particulate phase when assessing the atmospheric fate of polycyclic aromatic compounds and also when assessing the related health risk.This project was supported by the European Union's H2020 Framework Programme (ICARUS project) under grant agreement No – 690105, by the Czech Science Foundation (#P503 20-07117S) and by the RECETOX (LM2018121) and ACTRIS-CZ (LM2018122) research infrastructures funded by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the European Structural and Investment Funds (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001761 and CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001315). Funding of the Slovenian Agency of research through a programme P1-0143 is acknowledged. H2020 ERA-PLANET (No. 689443) iGOSP project is also acknowledged.S

Harmonization and Visualization of Data from a Transnational Multi-Sensor Personal Exposure Campaign

Use of a multi-sensor approach can provide citizens with holistic insights into the air quality of their immediate surroundings and their personal exposure to urban stressors. Our work, as part of the ICARUS H2020 project, which included over 600 participants from seven European cities, discusses the data fusion and harmonization of a diverse set of multi-sensor data streams to provide a comprehensive and understandable report for participants. Harmonizing the data streams identified issues with the sensor devices and protocols, such as non-uniform timestamps, data gaps, difficult data retrieval from commercial devices, and coarse activity data logging. Our process of data fusion and harmonization allowed us to automate visualizations and reports, and consequently provide each participant with a detailed individualized report. Results showed that a key solution was to streamline the code and speed up the process, which necessitated certain compromises in visualizing the data. A thought-out process of data fusion and harmonization of a diverse set of multi-sensor data streams considerably improved the quality and quantity of distilled data that a research participant received. Though automation considerably accelerated the production of the reports, manual and structured double checks are strongly recommended

User-Centred Design of a Final Results Report for Participants in Multi-Sensor Personal Air Pollution Exposure Monitoring Campaigns

Using low-cost portable air quality (AQ) monitoring devices is a growing trend in personal exposure studies, enabling a higher spatio-temporal resolution and identifying acute exposure to high concentrations. Comprehension of the results by participants is not guaranteed in exposure studies. However, information on personal exposure is multiplex, which calls for participant involvement in information design to maximise communication output and comprehension. This study describes and proposes a model of a user-centred design (UCD) approach for preparing a final report for participants involved in a multi-sensor personal exposure monitoring study performed in seven cities within the EU Horizon 2020 ICARUS project. Using a combination of human-centred design (HCD), human-information interaction (HII) and design thinking approaches, we iteratively included participants in the framing and design of the final report. User needs were mapped using a survey (n = 82), and feedback on the draft report was obtained from a focus group (n = 5). User requirements were assessed and validated using a post-campaign survey (n = 31). The UCD research was conducted amongst participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the results report was distributed among the participating cities across Europe. The feedback made it clear that the final report was well-received and helped participants better understand the influence of individual behaviours on personal exposure to air pollution

Tratamiento informativo sobre el tema la ruptura de relaciones diplomáticas entre El Salvador y la República de China-Taiwán y el establecimiento de relaciones con China Continental, en los periódicos El Diario de Hoy y Co-Latino. período de análisis: de agosto a septiembre de 2018

La ruptura de relaciones diplomáticas entre El Salvador y la República de China-Taiwán y el establecimiento de relaciones con China Continental, en los periódicos El Diario de Hoy y Co-latino se analizó cómo los medios de comunicación informaron o desinformaron, a través de la manera en que redactaron las noticias, sobre este acontecimiento que influye a los salvadoreños. A través de un estudio minucioso de las notas publicadas en estos medios impresos se analizó si estos informaron de manera objetiva sobre la ruptura de relaciones diplomáticas con China-Taiwán o, por el contrario, redactaron las noticias con fines de favorecer la línea editorial del medio de comunicación. En ese sentido, esta investigación es importante porque servirá como un documento que abonará al análisis de cómo los medios de comunicación en nuestro país, dan tratamiento a la información sobre hechos que afectan a los salvadoreños, que a final de cuentas son quienes terminan tomando decisiones sobre la base de lo que les informan

Neighbourhood and path-based greenspace in three European countries: associations with objective physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Greenspace has been associated with health benefits in many contexts. An important pathway may be through outdoor physical activity. We use a novel approach to examine the link between greenspace microenvironments and outdoor physical activity levels in the HEALS study conducted in Edinburgh (UK), the Netherlands, and Athens and Thessaloniki (Greece). METHODS: Using physical activity tracker recordings, 118 HEALS participants with young children were classified with regard to daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); 60 were classified with regard to the metabolic equivalent task (MET)-minutes for each of the 1014 active trips they made. Greenspace indicators were generated for Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), tree cover density (TCD), and green land use (GLU). We employed linear mixed-effects models to analyse (1) daily MVPA in relation to greenspace within 300 m and 1000 m of residential addresses and (2) trip MET-minutes in relation to average greenspace within a 50 m buffer of walking/cycling routes. Models were adjusted for activity, walkability, bluespace, age, sex, car ownership, dog ownership, season, weekday/weekend day, and local meteorology. RESULTS: There was no clear association between MVPA-minutes and any residential greenspace measure. For example, in fully adjusted models, a 10 percentage point increase in NDVI within 300 m of home was associated with a daily increase of 1.14 (95% CI - 0.41 to 2.70) minutes of MVPA. However, we did find evidence to indicate greenspace markers were positively linked to intensity and duration of activity: in fully adjusted models, 10 percentage point increases in trip NDVI, TCD, and GLU were associated with increases of 10.4 (95% CI: 4.43 to 16.4), 10.6 (95% CI: 4.96 to 16.3), and 3.36 (95% CI: 0.00 to 6.72) MET-minutes, respectively. The magnitude of associations with greenspace tended to be greater for cycling. CONCLUSIONS: More strenuous or longer walking and cycling trips occurred in environments with more greenspace, but levels of residential greenspace did not have a clear link with outdoor MVPA. To build on our research, we suggest future work examine larger, more diverse populations and investigate the influence of greenspace for trip purpose and route preference

Φωτοκαταλυτική αποικοδόμηση ατμοσφαιρικών ρύπων με χρήση δομικών υλικών εμπλουτισμένων με διοξείδιο του τιτανίου

Η ανάγκη για την ανεύρεση μεθόδων περιβαλλοντικής αποκατάστασης έχει αποτελέσει ένα σημαντικό πεδίο έρευνας τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες. Η κατάλυση υπό την επίδραση του φωτός, φωτοκατάλυση, αποτέλεσε και αποτελεί µια από τις σημαντικότερες τεχνολογίες αντιμετώπισης περιβαλλοντικών προβλημάτων. Εκτός από το ευρύ φάσμα εφαρμογών, το σημαντικότερο κριτήριο που καθιστά την φωτοκατάλυση ιδιαίτερα ελκυστική μέθοδο είναι η χαμηλή ενεργειακή απαίτηση µε ταυτόχρονη υψηλή αποτελεσματικότητα. Οι μηχανισμοί φωτοκαταλυτικής δράσης του TiO₂ έχουν εντατικά µελετηθεί σε εργαστηριακή κλίμακα. Υπάρχουν όμως σημαντικά περιθώρια μελέτης υλικών επεξεργασμένα µε TiO₂, τα οποία απαντώνται σε καθημερινές εφαρμογές και δραστηριότητες. Υλικά δόμησης επεξεργασμένα µε TiO₂ μπορούν να οδηγήσουν σε φωτοαποδόµηση ατμοσφαιρικών ρύπων κάτω από προϋποθέσεις. Καθώς τα υλικά αυτά είναι άμεσα εκτεθειμένα σε συνθήκες περιβάλλοντος είναι σημαντική η μελέτη αλληλεπίδρασης του υλικού µε το περιβάλλον. ∆ηλαδή, ο τρόπος που επιδρούν οι περιβαλλοντικές συνθήκες στις ιδιότητές του αλλά παράλληλα και το πως η φωτοκαταλυτική του δράση μπορεί να επηρεάσει τις περιβαλλοντικές συνθήκες. Οι στόχοι της παρούσας διατριβής µμπορούν να οροθετηθούν ως εξής: - μελέτη τριών κατηγοριών εμπορικών δοτικών υλικών επεξεργασμένα µε διαφορετικούς τύπους TiO₂ ως προς την δυνατότητα τους να αποδοµούν ατμοσφαιρικούς ρύπους (ΝΟx, Bενζόλιο, Τολουόλιο). – Μελέτη των φωτοκαταλυτικών τους ιδιοτήτων σε περιβαλλοντικούς θαλάμους µε προσομοίωση πραγματικών συνθηκών. - Εφαρμογή αναλυτικών τεχνικών προσδιορισμού αέριων ρύπων καθώς και τεχνικών ανάλυσης επιφανειών µε σκοπό την κατανόηση των μηχανισμών αποδόμησης. – Μελέτη επίδρασης ατμοσφαιρικών συνθηκών (Τ, RH) και αέριων χημικών μειγμάτων στις φωτοκαταλυτικές τους ιδιότητες. – Μελέτη σχηματισμού παραπροϊόντων κατά την διάρκεια της φωτοκαταλυτικής τους δράσης. - Εφαρμογή και μελέτη της φωτοκαταλυτικής συμπεριφοράς επιλεγμένων υλικών σε πραγματικές συνθήκες. - Μελέτη διάρκειας των φωτοκαταλυτικών τους ιδιοτήτων. Πέντε (5) βασικοί άξονες καθορίζουν τη δομή της εργασίας: 1. Βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση των μελετών που έχουν πραγματοποιηθεί σχετικά µε την χρήση της φωτοκατάλυσης ως µέσω αποδόμησης ρύπων. 2. Επιλογή των υπό μελέτη δομικών υλικών µε βάση τις προτάσεις ειδικευμένων στο χώρο βιομηχανιών. 3. Εργαστηριακή μελέτη των φωτοκαταλυτικών ιδιοτήτων των υλικών σε περιβαλλοντικούς θαλάμους. 4. Εφαρμογή και μελέτη των φωτοκαταλυτικών ιδιοτήτων σε πραγματική κλίμακα. 5. Μελέτη διατήρησης των φωτοκαταλυτικών ιδιοτήτων (γήρανσης)

A Promising Technological Approach to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air quality (IAQ) in private or public environments is progressively recognized as a critical issue for human health. For that purpose the poor IAQ needs to be mitigated and immediate drastic measures must be taken. In environmental science and especially in advanced oxidation processes and technologies (AOPs-AOTs), photocatalysis has gained considerable interest among scientists as a tool for IAQ improvement. In the current study an innovative paint material was developed which exhibits intense photocatalytic activity under direct and diffused visible light for the degradation of air pollutants, suitable for indoor use. A laboratory and a real scale study were performed using the above innovative photo-paint. The lab test was performed in a special design photo-reactor while the real scale in a military’s medical building. Nitrogen Oxide (NO) and Toluene concentration was monitored between “reference” rooms (without photo paint) and “green” rooms (with photo-paint) in order to estimate the photocatalytic efficiency of the photo-paint to degrade the above pollutants. Results of the study showed a decrease up to 60% and 16% for NO and toluene respectively under lab scale tests while an improvement of air quality up to 19% and 5% under real world conditions was achieved