scholarly journals A chronology of global air quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2183) ◽  
pp. 20190314 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Fowler ◽  
Peter Brimblecombe ◽  
John Burrows ◽  
Mathew R. Heal ◽  
Peringe Grennfelt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
North America ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Secondary Pollutants ◽  
Surface Measurements ◽  
Global Emissions

Air pollution has been recognized as a threat to human health since the time of Hippocrates, ca 400 BC. Successive written accounts of air pollution occur in different countries through the following two millennia until measurements, from the eighteenth century onwards, show the growing scale of poor air quality in urban centres and close to industry, and the chemical characteristics of the gases and particulate matter. The industrial revolution accelerated both the magnitude of emissions of the primary pollutants and the geographical spread of contributing countries as highly polluted cities became the defining issue, culminating with the great smog of London in 1952. Europe and North America dominated emissions and suffered the majority of adverse effects until the latter decades of the twentieth century, by which time the transboundary issues of acid rain, forest decline and ground-level ozone became the main environmental and political air quality issues. As controls on emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides (SO 2 and NO x ) began to take effect in Europe and North America, emissions in East and South Asia grew strongly and dominated global emissions by the early years of the twenty-first century. The effects of air quality on human health had also returned to the top of the priorities by 2000 as new epidemiological evidence emerged. By this time, extensive networks of surface measurements and satellite remote sensing provided global measurements of both primary and secondary pollutants. Global emissions of SO 2 and NO x peaked, respectively, in ca 1990 and 2018 and have since declined to 2020 as a result of widespread emission controls. By contrast, with a lack of actions to abate ammonia, global emissions have continued to grow. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.

scholarly journals The impact of air pollution on terrestrial managed and natural vegetation

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2183) ◽  
pp. 20190317 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Stevens ◽  
J. N. B. Bell ◽  
P. Brimblecombe ◽  
C. M. Clark ◽  
N. B. Dise ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Although awareness that air pollution can damage vegetation dates back at least to the 1600s, the processes and mechanisms of damage were not rigorously studied until the late twentieth century. In the UK following the Industrial Revolution, urban air quality became very poor, with highly phytotoxic SO 2 and NO 2 concentrations, and remained that way until the mid-twentieth century. Since then both air quality, and our understanding of pollutants and their impacts, have greatly improved. Air pollutants remain a threat to natural and managed ecosystems. Air pollution imparts impacts through four major threats to vegetation are discussed through in a series of case studies. Gas-phase effects by the primary emissions of SO 2 and NO 2 are discussed in the context of impacts on lichens in urban areas. The effects of wet and dry deposited acidity from sulfur and nitrogen compounds are considered with a particular focus on forest decline. Ecosystem eutrophication by nitrogen deposition focuses on heathland decline in the Netherlands, and ground-level ozone at phytotoxic concentrations is discussed by considering impacts on semi-natural vegetation. We find that, although air is getting cleaner, there is much room for additional improvement, especially for the effects of eutrophication on managed and natural ecosystems. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.

scholarly journals Subtle Changes or Dramatic Perceptions of Air Pollution in Sydney during COVID-19

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Peter Brimblecombe ◽  
Yonghang Lai
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
New South ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Physical Reality ◽  
Social Perceptions ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Significant Difference

The COVID-19 pandemic made it critical to limit the spread of the disease by enforcing human isolation, restricting travel and reducing social activities. Dramatic improvements to air quality, especially NO2, have often characterised places under COVID-19 restrictions. Air pollution measurements in Sydney in April 2019 and during the lockdown period in April 2020 show reduced daily averaged NO2 concentrations: 8.52 ± 1.92 and 7.85 ± 2.92 ppb, though not significantly so (p1~0.15) and PM2.5 8.91 ± 4.94 and 7.95 ± 2.64 µg m−3, again a non-significant difference (p1~0.18). Satellite imagery suggests changes that parallel those at ground level, but the column densities averaged over space and time, in false-colour, are more dramatic. Changed human mobility could be traced in increasing times spent at home, assessed from Google Mobility Reports and mirrored in decreased traffic flow on a major road, suggesting compliance with the restrictions. Electricity demand for the State of New South Wales was low under lockdown in early April 2020, but it recovered rapidly. Analysis of the uses of search terms: bushfires, air quality, haze and air pollution using Google Trends showed strong links between bushfires and pollution-related terms. The smoke from bushfires in late 2019 may well have added to the general impression of improved air quality during lockdown, despite only modest changes in the ground level measurements. This gives hints that successful regulation of air quality requires maintaining a delicate balance between our social perceptions and the physical reality.

scholarly journals Clean air in the Anthropocene

2017 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 693-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos Lelieveld
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Years Of Life Lost ◽  
Clean Air

In atmospheric chemistry, interactions between air pollution, the biosphere and human health, often through reaction mixtures from both natural and anthropogenic sources, are of growing interest. Massive pollution emissions in the Anthropocene have transformed atmospheric composition to the extent that biogeochemical cycles, air quality and climate have changed globally and partly profoundly. It is estimated that mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution amounts to 4.33 million individuals per year, associated with 123 million years of life lost. Worldwide, air pollution is the major environmental risk factor to human health, and strict air quality standards have the potential to strongly reduce morbidity and mortality. Preserving clean air should be considered a human right, and is fundamental to many sustainable development goals of the United Nations, such as good health, climate action, sustainable cities, clean energy, and protecting life on land and in the water. It would be appropriate to adopt “clean air” as a sustainable development goal.

scholarly journals Association between Human Health and Indoor Air Pollution in Saudi Arabia: Indoor Environmental Quality Survey

2020 ◽  
pp. 57-66
Author(s):  
Mohd Saleem ◽  
Mohd Adnan Kausar ◽  
Fahmida Khatoon ◽  
Sadaf Anwar ◽  
Syed Monowar Alam Shahid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Natural Light ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality

In many aspects of life quality, bio-contaminants and indoor air quality have had catastrophic consequences, including a negative impact on human health with an increased prevalence of allergic respiratory reactions, asthma, and infectious diseases. We aimed to evaluate the quality of indoor air environment and find out the association between human health and indoor air pollution and also to assess the physical health status of a group of Saudi and non-Saudi populations during this pandemic. Also, we aimed to assess the most common health condition or symptoms associated with ventilation. A questionnaire was distributed online to test indoor air quality, ventilation status, common signs and symptoms of any allergy or mental status and their relationship to certain variables. A total of 362 respondents were included. Before living in the current home, flu or Influenza and chapped lips were more prevalent than allergies and chapped lips signs while living in the current home. (12.2% , 10.8% vs. 18.5% , 13.55% before and after respectively) Multiple colds were the second most common symptom (10.2%). Hoarse voice and headaches were the least common symptoms experienced; each constituted 4.4%. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, most respondents wore a facemask, approximately 76.5%; and almost one-third of respondents had bright natural light inside the current home (43.1%). The presence of natural light within the current home was significantly associated with symptoms experienced during living in the current house (p<0.05). Natural sunlight exposure could decrease allergic symptoms and minor health problems associated with poor ventilation and air quality indoors. In current living homes, the majority of respondents never used air purifiers (72.9 percent). In order to get attention from people to enhance the quality and ventilation mechanism of indoor air, special care and awareness of the effects of the use of air purifiers on human health is needed.

scholarly journals Real Time Air Quality Index from Various Locations

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-372
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Air Quality Index ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

The surveys regarding air pollution shows that there has been a hasty growth due to the emission of fuels and exhaust gases from factories. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been launched to note the contemporary status of the air quality. The intent of AQI is to aid every individual know how the regional air quality will make an impact on them. The Environmental Protection Agency assess the AQI for five major air pollutants namely Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), particle pollution (PM10, PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulphur dioxide (SO2). The intent of the project is to congregate real-time Air Quality Index from distinct monitoring stations across India, analysing the data and reporting on it. Collect the real-time data using the API key provided by Open Government Data (OGD) platform India. This is done by making use of Microsoft Business Intelligence (MSBI) and Power BI Tools to transform, analyse and visualize the data. This project can be utilized to develop various programs like Ozone today in Europe and in mobile applications which acts as an alert system that can protect people from air pollution.

scholarly journals Ambient Air Quality in the Czech Republic: Past and Present

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Hůnová
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Pollution Impacts

Based on an analysis of related core papers and reports, this review presents a historical perspective on ambient air pollution and ambient air quality development in the modern-day Czech Republic (CR) over the past seven decades, i.e., from the 1950s to the present. It offers insights into major air pollution problems, reveals the main hot spots and problematic regions and indicates the principal air pollutants in the CR. Air pollution is not presented as a stand-alone problem, but in the wider context of air pollution impacts both on human health and the environment in the CR. The review is arranged into three main parts: (1) the time period until the Velvet Revolution of 1989, (2) the transition period of the 1990s and (3) the modern period after 2000. Obviously, a major improvement in ambient air quality has been achieved since the 1970s and 1980s, when air pollution in the former Czechoslovakia culminated. Nevertheless, new challenges including fine aerosol, benzo[a]pyrene and ground-level ozone, of which the limit values are still vastly exceeded, have emerged. Furthermore, in spite of a significant reduction in overall emissions, the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen, in particular, remains high in some regions.

scholarly journals Dietary antioxidants and environmental stress

2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank J. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutants ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Antioxidant Defences ◽  
The 1960S

Air is one of our most important natural resources; however, it is also in the front line for receiving environmental pollution. Air quality decreased markedly following the industrial revolution, but it was not until the great London Smog in 1952 that air quality made it onto the political agenda. The introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956 led to dramatic decreases in black smoke and SO2 concentrations over the next two decades, as domestic and industrial coal-burning activities ceased. However, as these improvements progressed, a new threat to public health was being released into the air in ever-increasing quantities. Rapid motorisation of society from the 1960s onwards has led to the increased release of atmospheric pollutants such as tiny particles (particulate matter of &10 μm in aerodynamic diameter) and oxides of N, and the generation of the secondary pollutant O3. These primary and secondary traffic-related pollutants have all proved to be major risks factors to public health. Recently, oxidative stress has been identified as a unifying feature underlying the toxic actions of these pollutants. Fortunately, the surface of the lung is covered with a thin layer of fluid containing a range of antioxidants that appear to provide the first line of defence against oxidant pollutants. As diet is the only source of antioxidant micronutrients, a plausible link now exists between the sensitivity to air pollution and the quality of the food eaten. However, many questions remain unanswered in relation to inter-individual sensitivity to ambient air pollution, and extent to which this sensitivity is modified by airway antioxidant defences.

scholarly journals Modeling inter-continental transport of ozone in North America with CAMx for the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII) Phase 3

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uarporn Nopmongcol ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Till Stoeckenius ◽  
Greg Yarwood
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
North America ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Regional Models ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Global Models ◽  
The Us ◽  
Surface O3 ◽  
International Initiative

Abstract. Inter-continental ozone (O3) transport extends the geographic range of O3 air pollution impacts and makes local air pollution management more difficult. Phase 3 of the Air Quality Modeling Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII-3) is examining the contribution of inter-continental transport to regional air quality by applying regional scale atmospheric models jointly with global models. We investigate methods for tracing O3 from global models within regional models. The CAMx photochemical grid model was used to track contributions from boundary condition (BC) O3 over a North America modeling domain for calendar year 2010 using a built-in tracer module called RTCMC. RTCMC can track BC contributions using chemically reactive tracers and also using inert tracers in which deposition is the only sink for O3. Lack of O3 destruction chemistry in the inert tracer approach leads to over estimation biases that can exceed 10 ppb. The flexibility of RTCMC also allows tracking O3 contributions made by groups of vertical BC layers. The largest BC contributions to seasonal average daily maximum 8-hour averages (MDA8) of O3 over the US are found to be from the mid-troposphere with small contributions from the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere. Contributions from the lower troposphere are shown to not penetrate very far inland. Higher contributions in the Western than the Eastern US, reaching an average of 57 ppb in Denver for the 30 days with highest MDA8 O3 in 2010, present a significant challenge to air quality management approaches based solely on local or US-wide emission reductions. The substantial BC contribution to MDA8 O3 in the Intermountain West means regional models are particularly sensitive to any biases and errors in the BCs. A sensitivity simulation with reduced BC O3 in response to 20 % lower emissions in Asia found a near linear relationship between the BC O3 changes and surface O3 changes in the Western US in all seasons and across the US in fall and winter. However, the surface O3 decreases are small: below 1 ppb in spring and below 0.5 ppb in other seasons.

scholarly journals Ambient air quality in an urban area and its effects on plants and human beings: a case study of Tiruchirappalli, India

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirajuddin M Horaginamani ◽  
M Ravichandran
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ambient Air Quality

Though water and land pollution is very dangerous, air pollution has its own peculiarities, due to its transboundary dispersion of pollutants over the entire world. In any well planned urban set up, industrial pollution takes a back seat and vehicular emissions take precedence as the major cause of urban air pollution. Air pollution is one of the serious problems faced by the people globally, especially in urban areas of developing countries like India. All these in turn lead to an increase in the air pollution levels and have adverse effects on the health of people and plants. Western countries have conducted several studies in this area, but there are only a few studies in developing countries like India. A study on ambient air quality in Tiruchirappalli urban area and its possible effects selected plants and human health has been undertaken, which may be helpful to bring out possible control measures. Keywords: ambient air quality; respiratory disorders; APTI; human health DOI: 10.3126/kuset.v6i2.4007Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology Vol.6. No II, November, 2010, pp.13-19

Air pollution removal by urban forests in Canada and its effect on air quality and human health

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 40-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Nowak ◽  
Satoshi Hirabayashi ◽  
Marlene Doyle ◽  
Mark McGovern ◽  
Jon Pasher
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Pollution Removal
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document