scholarly journals Ontario Medical Association Position Paper on Health Effects of Ground-Level Ozone, Acid Aerosols and Particulate Matter

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
BT Boadway ◽  
J MacPhail ◽  
C Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Sulphur Dioxide ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
Emission Limits

This review of the evidence of the health effects of air pollutants focuses on research conducted in Ontario. Seven key Ontario studies are cited. These findings are highly significant for people living in the Great Lakes basin (and particularly the Windsor-Quebec corridor), where high levels of certain air pollutants (eg, ground-level ozone and ultra-fine particles) occur more frequently than in other parts of Canada. The issue is a serious one, requiring an integrated and comprehensive approach by many stakeholders, including the active involvement of organized medicine. It is important that the health effects of these air pollutants are understood. Governments must act to reduce emission levels through statue and regulation bolstered by noncompliance penalties.The findings of research have included the following: in a Toronto study, a 2% to 4% excess of respiratory deaths were attributable to pollutant levels; children living in rural Ontario communities with the highest levels of airborne acids were significantly more likely to report at least one episode of bronchitis, as well as to show decreases in lung function; and have been linked to increases in pollutants, emergency room visits and hospitalizations in Ontario.Every Ontarian is affected by air pollutants, although he or she may be unaware of the asymptomatic effects such as lung and bronchial inflammation. This health problem is preventable; while physicians know of the adverse health impacts of air pollution and they are concerned, individually they now focus on the treatment of symptoms. The major recommendations of the report are as follows:* Enactment of more stringent sulphur and nitrogen oxide emission limits, including a provincewide sulphur dioxide reduction of 75% from current cap levels, and the maximum allowable nitrogen oxides emission limits of 6000 tonnes annually from Ontario Hydro.* New transportation sector emission limits that should include California-level standards for light and heavy duty vehicles, reductions from off-road engines, an expanded vehicle inspection and maintenance program, and tougher standards for sulphur-in-fuel content.* Petitioning the United States Environmental Protection Agency administrator under Section 115 of the United States Clear Air Act to require reductions in the American emission of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which damage the health of Canadian residents and their environment.* Physician advice to patients about the risks of smog exposure, physician support for more health effects research on air pollution, and physician promotion of the development of air pollution-related health education materials.The recommendations discussed in this paper will, if acted upon, lead to a significant reduction in the overall burden of illness from air pollutants, especially in children and the elderly. These recommendations have been selected from a review of recommendations made by various authorities, and are those that the OMA feels a particular responsibility to support.

scholarly journals Ambient air pollutants and their effect on COVID-19 mortality in the United States of America

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Samuel Liu ◽  
Meng Li
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
County Level ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
Ambient Air Pollutants

Objective. To examine the impact of four ambient air pollutants on the COVID-19 mortality rate in the United States of America. Methods. Using publicly accessible data collected by the United States Census Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies, county-level mortality rates were regressed on concentration values of ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. Four confounder variables were included in the regression analysis: median household income, rate of hospital beds, population density, and days since first confirmed case. Results. Regression analysis showed that ground-level ozone is positively correlated with county-level mortality rates regardless of whether confounders are controlled for. Nitrogen dioxide is also shown to have a direct relationship with county-level mortality rates, except when all confounders are included in the analysis. Conclusions. High ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide concentrations contribute to a greater COVID-19 mortality rate. To limit further losses, it is important to reflect research findings in public policies. In the case of air pollution, environmental restrictions should be reinforced, and extra precautions should be taken as facilities start reopening.

Coal

2020 ◽  
pp. 81-119
Author(s):  
Paul F. Meier
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Coal Combustion ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pulverized Coal ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
Energy Applications ◽  
Residential Heating ◽  
Coal Technology

Coal has two main energy applications, with about 90% used for electricity generation and 10% used for commercial and residential heating. In terms of electricity generation in the United States, coal is responsible for about 28%, a significant decrease from 53% twenty years earlier when it was the leading energy for producing electricity. There are two primary commercial methods for generating electricity from coal including pulverized coal combustion and fluidized bed coal combustion. To safely burn coal, sulfur, nitrogen, and heavy metals are removed at the electric plant. The sequestering of sulfur and nitrogen are important steps for limiting acid rain and ground level ozone. To generate electricity, the United States has about 360 coal plants with about 790 generators, of which greater than 90% use pulverized coal technology. Most coal is transported by rail.

The Toxic 100: Ranking Corporate Air Polluters in the United States

elni Review ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 97-97
Author(s):  
James K. Boyce ◽  
Michael Ash
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Political ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Significant Health

Emissions of toxic air pollutants from industrial facilities pose significant health hazards to neighbouring communities. Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) in Massachusetts have developed “The Toxic 100”, a ranking of top corporations operating in the United States based on the total human health risk resulting from this air pollution.

Association of Air Pollutant Exposure and Sinonasal Histopathology Findings in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

2021 ◽  
pp. 194589242199365
Author(s):  
Tirth R. Patel ◽  
Bobby A. Tajudeen ◽  
Hannah Brown ◽  
Paolo Gattuso ◽  
Phillip LoSavio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Chronic Rhinosinusitis ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ozone Exposure ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Sinus Surgery ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
The Impact

Background Ambient air pollution is well known to cause inflammatory change in respiratory epithelium and is associated with exacerbations of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, limited work has been done on the impact of air pollution on pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis and there are no reports in the literature of how pollutant exposure may impact sinonasal histopathology in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Objective This study aims to identify associations between certain histopathologic characteristics seen in sinus tissue of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and levels of particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone in their place of residence. Methods A structured histopathology report was created to characterize the tissues of CRS patients undergoing sinus surgery. An estimate for each patient’s exposure to air pollutants including small particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone was obtained using the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool (EJSCREEN). Mean pollutant exposures for patients whose tissues exhibited varying histopathologic features were compared using logistic regression models. Results Data from 291 CRS patients were analyzed. Higher degree of inflammation was significantly associated with increased ozone exposure (p = 0.031). Amongst the patients with CRSwNP (n=131), presence of eosinophilic aggregates (p = 0.018) and Charcot-Leyden crystals (p = 0.036) was associated with increased ozone exposure. Conclusion Exposure to ambient air pollutants may contribute to pathogenesis of CRS. Increasing ozone exposure was linked to both higher tissue inflammation and presence of eosinophilic aggregates and Charcot-Leyden crystals in CRSwNP patients.

scholarly journals Climate-driven ground-level ozone extreme in the fall over the Southeast United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (36) ◽  
pp. 10025-10030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzhong Zhang ◽  
Yuhang Wang
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Weather Condition ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
Ozone Concentrations ◽  
Ozone Precursor

Ground-level ozone is adverse to human and vegetation health. High ground-level ozone concentrations usually occur over the United States in the summer, often referred to as the ozone season. However, observed monthly mean ozone concentrations in the southeastern United States were higher in October than July in 2010. The October ozone average in 2010 reached that of July in the past three decades (1980–2010). Our analysis shows that this extreme October ozone in 2010 over the Southeast is due in part to a dry and warm weather condition, which enhances photochemical production, air stagnation, and fire emissions. Observational evidence and modeling analysis also indicate that another significant contributor is enhanced emissions of biogenic isoprene, a major ozone precursor, from water-stressed plants under a dry and warm condition. The latter finding is corroborated by recent laboratory and field studies. This climate-induced biogenic control also explains the puzzling fact that the two extremes of high October ozone both occurred in the 2000s when anthropogenic emissions were lower than the 1980s and 1990s, in contrast to the observed decreasing trend of July ozone in the region. The occurrences of a drying and warming fall, projected by climate models, will likely lead to more active photochemistry, enhanced biogenic isoprene and fire emissions, an extension of the ozone season from summer to fall, and an increase of secondary organic aerosols in the Southeast, posing challenges to regional air quality management.

Air Quality Standards Have Room to Improve

Pained ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 193-196
Author(s):  
Michael D. Stein ◽  
Sandro Galea
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Fine Particle ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Air Quality Standards

This chapter focuses on the improvement of air quality in the United States. Laws such as the Clean Air Act (CAA), signed in 1970, resulted in a drastic reduction in air pollution. Since then, emissions have decreased by 50%. Despite these advances, adverse health effects associated with long-term exposure to air pollution continue. Researchers examined the health effects of pollution in a nationwide cohort of 61 million Medicare beneficiaries from 2000 to 2012. They created maps by linking Medicare mortality data, zip codes, and previously published estimates of ozone and fine particle pollutants (PM2.5). The study’s authors found that long-term exposures to fine particle pollutants and ozone, even at levels below current nationally “acceptable” standards, were associated with an increased risk of death. Persons with low incomes showed the highest risks associated with exposures. Vast improvements in air quality have been made in the past decades in the United States, but this study shows that air quality adhering to National Ambient Air Quality Standards still exposes Americans to levels of pollution that can be lethal over many years of exposure. Thus, air quality standards must be revisited in order to alleviate the burden on the most vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals An analysis of ozone damage to historical maize and soybean yields in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (46) ◽  
pp. 14390-14395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin M. McGrath ◽  
Amy M. Betzelberger ◽  
Shaowen Wang ◽  
Eric Shook ◽  
Xin-Guang Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Ground Level Ozone ◽  
Food And Feed ◽  
Actual Yield

Numerous controlled experiments find that elevated ground-level ozone concentrations ([O3]) damage crops and reduce yield. There have been no estimates of the actual yield losses in the field in the United States from [O3], even though such estimates would be valuable for projections of future food production and for cost–benefit analyses of reducing ground-level [O3]. Regression analysis of historical yield, climate, and [O3] data for the United States were used to determine the loss of production due to O3 for maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) from 1980 to 2011, showing that over that period production of rain-fed fields of soybean and maize were reduced by roughly 5% and 10%, respectively, costing approximately $9 billion annually. Maize, thought to be inherently resistant to O3, was at least as sensitive as soybean to O3 damage. Overcoming this yield loss with improved emission controls or more tolerant germplasm could substantially increase world food and feed supply at a time when a global yield jump is urgently needed.

scholarly journals Using Bayesian time-stratified case-crossover models to examine associations between air pollution and “asthma seasons” in a low air pollution environment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260264
Author(s):  
Matthew Bozigar ◽  
Andrew B. Lawson ◽  
John L. Pearce ◽  
Erik R. Svendsen ◽  
John E. Vena
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Case Crossover ◽  
Ed Visits

Many areas of the United States have air pollution levels typically below Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory limits. Most health effects studies of air pollution use meteorological (e.g., warm/cool) or astronomical (e.g., solstice/equinox) definitions of seasons despite evidence suggesting temporally-misaligned intra-annual periods of relative asthma burden (i.e., “asthma seasons”). We introduce asthma seasons to elucidate whether air pollutants are associated with seasonal differences in asthma emergency department (ED) visits in a low air pollution environment. Within a Bayesian time-stratified case-crossover framework, we quantify seasonal associations between highly resolved estimates of six criteria air pollutants, two weather variables, and asthma ED visits among 66,092 children ages 5–19 living in South Carolina (SC) census tracts from 2005 to 2014. Results show that coarse particulates (particulate matter <10 μm and >2.5 μm: PM10-2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) may contribute to asthma ED visits across years, but are particularly implicated in the highest-burden fall asthma season. Fine particulate matter (<2.5 μm: PM2.5) is only associated in the lowest-burden summer asthma season. Relatively cool and dry conditions in the summer asthma season and increased temperatures in the spring and fall asthma seasons are associated with increased ED visit odds. Few significant associations in the medium-burden winter and medium-high-burden spring asthma seasons suggest other ED visit drivers (e.g., viral infections) for each, respectively. Across rural and urban areas characterized by generally low air pollution levels, there are acute health effects associated with particulate matter, but only in the summer and fall asthma seasons and differing by PM size.

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