Estimates of Future New Particle Formation under Different Emission Scenarios in Beijing

New particle formation (NPF) is a leading source of particulate matter by number and a contributor to particle mass during haze events. Reductions in emissions of air pollutants, many of which are NPF precursors, are expected in the move toward carbon neutrality or net-zero. Expected changes to pollutant emissions are used to investigate future changes to NPF processes, in comparison to a simulation of current conditions. The projected changes to SO2 emissions are key in changing future NPF number, with different scenarios producing either a doubling or near total reduction in sulfuric acid-amine particle formation rates. Particle growth rates are projected to change little in all but the strictest emission control scenarios. These changes will reduce the particle mass arising by NPF substantially, thus showing a further cobenefit of net-zero policies. Major uncertainties remain in future NPF including the volatility of oxygenated organic molecules resulting from changes to NOx and amine emissions

Continuing reductions in HPV 16/18 in a population with high coverage of bivalent HPV vaccination in England: an ongoing cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme in England was introduced in 2008. Monitoring changes in type-specific HPV prevalence allows assessment of the population impact of this vaccination programme. METHODS: Residual vulva-vaginal swab specimens were collected from young sexually active women (aged 16-24 years) attending for chlamydia screening across England. Specimens were collected between 2010 and 2013 for type-specific HPV-DNA testing. HPV prevalence was compared to a similar survey conducted in 2008 prior to the introduction of HPV vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 7321 specimens collected in the postvaccination period, and 2354 specimens from the prevaccination period were included in this analysis. Among the individuals aged 16-18 years, with an estimated vaccination coverage of 67%, the prevalence of HPV16/18 infection decreased from 17.6% in 2008 to 6.1% in the postvaccination period. Within the postvaccination period, there was a trend towards lower HPV16/18 prevalence with higher vaccination coverage and increasing time since vaccine introduction from 8.5% in the period 2-3 years postvaccination to 4.0% in the period 4-5 years postvaccination. The prevalence of HPV31 reduced from 3.7% in the prevaccination period to 0.9% after vaccine introduction, although this no longer reached statistical significance after additional consideration of the uncertainty due to the assay change. Smaller reductions were seen in the individuals aged 19-21 years with lower estimated vaccination coverage, but there was no evidence of a reduction in the older unvaccinated women. Some overall increase in non-vaccine types was seen in the youngest age groups (ORs (95% CI); 1.3 (1.0 to 1.7) and 1.5 (1.1 to 2.0) for individuals aged 16-18 and 19-21 years, respectively, when adjusted for known population changes and the change in assay) although this should be interpreted with caution given the potential unmasking effect. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate a reduction in the HPV vaccine types in the age group with the highest HPV vaccination coverage

Efficacy of Recent Emissions Controls on Road Vehicles in Europe and Implications for Public Health

AbstractRoad traffic is a major source of urban air pollution responsible for substantial premature mortality. Until recently, attention has focussed primarily on exhaust emissions of particulate matter from traffic as a causal factor. From analysis of air quality measurement data from the UK and France, we demonstrate that road traffic exhaust has a far greater impact on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide than of PM2.5. PM2.5 and carbonaceous particle concentrations have been declining appreciably since 2010/11 due to the use of diesel particle filters, but little change is seen in nitrogen dioxide over the period from 1995 to 2015. It is shown that the effect of NO2 from road traffic upon premature mortality was ten-fold greater than that of PM2.5 even before the widespread use of diesel particle filters, and is now considerably larger. The overwhelming contribution of diesel compared to gasoline-fuelled vehicles to emissions of both PM2.5 and NO2 emphasises the importance of further controls on emissions from diesels.</jats:p