scholarly journals Assessment of Population Exposure to Coarse and Fine Particulate Matter in the Urban Areas of Chennai, India

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramachandran Prasannavenkatesh ◽  
Ramachandran Andimuthu ◽  
Palanivelu Kandasamy ◽  
Geetha Rajadurai ◽  
Divya Subash Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Respiratory Health ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Fine Particulates ◽  
Fine Particulate

Research outcomes from the epidemiological studies have found that the course (PM10) and the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are mainly responsible for various respiratory health effects for humans. The population-weighted exposure assessment is used as a vital decision-making tool to analyze the vulnerable areas where the population is exposed to critical concentrations of pollutants. Systemic sampling was carried out at strategic locations of Chennai to estimate the various concentration levels of particulate pollution during November 2013–January 2014. The concentration of the pollutants was classified based on the World Health Organization interim target (IT) guidelines. Using geospatial information systems the pollution and the high-resolution population data were interpolated to study the extent of the pollutants at the urban scale. The results show that approximately 28% of the population resides in vulnerable locations where the coarse particulate matter exceeds the prescribed standards. Alarmingly, the results of the analysis of fine particulates show that about 94% of the inhabitants live in critical areas where the concentration of the fine particulates exceeds the IT guidelines. Results based on human exposure analysis show the vulnerability is more towards the zones which are surrounded by prominent sources of pollution.

scholarly journals Examining the Spatio-temporal Dynamics of PM2.5 in Saudi Arabia Using Satellite-derived Data: A Cluster Study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf Aina ◽  
Elhadi Adam ◽  
Fethi Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
World Health ◽  
Self Organizing Map ◽  
Fine Particulate

The study of the concentrations and effects of fine particulate matter in urban areas have been of great interest to researchers in recent times. This is due to the acknowledgment of the far-reaching impacts of fine particulate matter on public health. Remote sensing data have been used to monitor the trend of concentrations of particulate matter by deriving aerosol optical depth (AOD) from satellite images. The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) has released the second version of its global PM2.5 data with improvement in spatial resolution. This paper revisits the study of spatial and temporal variations in particulate matter in Saudi Arabia by exploring the cluster analysis of the new data. Cluster analysis of the PM2.5 values of Saudi cities is performed by using Anselin local Moran’s I statistic. Also, the analysis is carried out at the regional level by using self-organizing map (SOM). The results show an increasing trend in the concentrations of particulate matter in Saudi Arabia, especially in some selected urban areas. The eastern and south-western parts of the Kingdom have significantly clustering high values. Some of the PM2.5 values have passed the threshold indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) standard and targets posing health risks to Saudi urban population.

scholarly journals Efficiency of the EU Environmental Policy in Struggling with Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): How Agriculture Makes a Difference?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bazyli Czyżewski ◽  
Anna Matuszczak ◽  
Łukasz Kryszak ◽  
Andrzej Czyżewski
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Pollution Abatement ◽  
World Health ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions are an important global issue as air pollutants lead to approximately 7 million deaths per year (World Health Organization). In an attempt to combat this global threat, countries in the European Union (EU) allocate relatively large funds for environmental policies. The main goal of this paper is to assess the long-term efficiency of the EU countries’ environmental policy in reducing the pressure of particulates pollution on the natural environment. For this purpose, multilevel panel regression models based on seminal within–between specification are used. The models are run for a panel of 25 EU countries for the years 2004–2016. In the investigations, we tried to capture the effect of the share of utilized agricultural area (UAA) in non-urban areas of the analyzed countries, as it may potentially influence policy efficiency. It was found that environmental spending in all main categories (pollution abatement, biodiversity, R&D, and environmental protection) had a significant impact on decreasing pollution pressure; however, the policy was more efficient in countries which had a lower share of UAA in their non-urban areas. The study emphasized that the impact of “pollution abatement” expenditure may be underestimated in basic panel models.

scholarly journals Carbonaceous Aerosols in Fine Particulate Matter of Santiago Metropolitan Area, Chile

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Toro Araya ◽  
Robert Flocchini ◽  
Rául G. E. Morales Segura ◽  
Manuel A. Leiva Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
The United States ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
World Health ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosols ◽  
Fine Particulate

Measurements of carbonaceous aerosols in South American cities are limited, and most existing data are of short term and limited to only a few locations. For 6 years (2002–2007), concentrations of fine particulate matter and organic and elemental carbon were measured continuously in the capital of Chile. The contribution of carbonaceous aerosols to the primary and secondary fractions was estimated at three different sampling sites and in the warm and cool seasons. The results demonstrate that there are significant differences in the levels in both the cold (March to August) and warm (September to February) seasons at all sites studied. The percent contribution of total carbonaceous aerosol fine particulate matter was greater in the cool season (53 ± 41%) than in the warm season (44 ± 18%). On average, the secondary organic carbon in the city corresponded to 29% of the total organic carbon. In cold periods, this proportion may reach an average of 38%. A comparison of the results with the air quality standards for fine particulate matter indicates that the total carbonaceous fraction alone exceeds the World Health Organization standard (10 µg/m3) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency standard (15 µg/m3) for fine particulate matter.

scholarly journals Daily Exposure to Air Pollution Particulate Matter Is Associated with Atrial Fibrillation in High-Risk Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6017
Author(s):  
Elisa Gallo ◽  
Franco Folino ◽  
Gianfranco Buja ◽  
Gabriele Zanotto ◽  
Daniele Bottigliengo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cardiac Resynchronization ◽  
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators ◽  
Daily Exposure ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10

Several epidemiological studies found an association between acute exposure to fine particulate matter of less than 2.5 μm and 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5 and PM10) and cardiovascular diseases, ventricular fibrillation incidence and mortality. The effects of pollution on atrial fibrillation (AF) beyond the first several hours of exposure remain controversial. A total of 145 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (ICD-CRT), or pacemakers were enrolled in this multicentric prospective study. Daily levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were collected from monitoring stations within 20 km of the patient’s residence. A Firth Logistic Regression model was used to evaluate the association between AF and daily exposure to PM2.5 and PM10. Exposure levels to PM2.5 and PM10 were moderate, being above the World Health Organization (WHO) PM2.5 and PM10 thresholds of 25 μg/m3 and 50 μg/m3, respectively, on 26% and 18% of the follow-up days. An association was found between daily levels of PM2.5 and PM10 and AF (95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.34–2.40 and 1.44–4.28, respectively) for an increase of 50 µg/m3 above the WHO threshold. Daily exposure to moderate PM2.5 and PM10 levels is associated with AF in patients who are not prone to AF.

scholarly journals Continuous mapping of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) air quality in East Asia at daily 6×6 km<sup>2</sup> resolution by application of a random forest algorithm to 2011–2019 GOCI geostationary satellite data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew C. Pendergrass ◽  
Daniel J. Jacob ◽  
Shixian Zhai ◽  
Jhoon Kim ◽  
Ja-Ho Koo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
South Korea ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Fine Particulate

Abstract. We use 2011–2019 aerosol optical depth (AOD) observations from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) instrument over East Asia to infer 24-h daily surface fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at continuous 6x6 km2 resolution over eastern China, South Korea, and Japan. This is done with a random forest (RF) algorithm applied to the gap-filled GOCI AODs and other data and trained with PM2.5 observations from the three national networks. The predicted 24-h PM2.5 concentrations for sites entirely withheld from training in a ten-fold crossvalidation procedure correlate highly with network observations (R2 = 0.89) with single-value precision of 26–32 % depending on country. Prediction of annual mean values has R2 = 0.96 and single-value precision of 12 %. The RF algorithm is only moderately successful for diagnosing local exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) because these exceedances are typically within the single-value precisions of the RF, and also because of RF smoothing of extreme PM2.5 concentrations. The area-weighted and population-weighted trends of RF PM2.5 concentrations for eastern China, South Korea, and Japan show steady 2015–2019 declines consistent with surface networks, but the surface networks in eastern China and South Korea underestimate population exposure. Further examination of RF PM2.5 fields for South Korea identifies hotspots where surface network sites were initially lacking and shows 2015–2019 PM2.5 decreases across the country except for flat concentrations in the Seoul metropolitan area. Inspection of monthly PM2.5 time series in Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo shows that the RF algorithm successfully captures observed seasonal variations of PM2.5 even though AOD and PM2.5 often have opposite seasonalities. Application of the RF algorithm to urban pollution episodes in Seoul and Beijing demonstrates high skill in reproducing the observed day-to-day variations in air quality as well as spatial patterns on the 6 km scale. Comparison to a CMAQ simulation for the Korean peninsula demonstrates the value of the continuous RF PM2.5 fields for testing air quality models, including over North Korea where they offer a unique resource.

scholarly journals Impacts of East Mediterranean megacity emissions on air quality

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 6335-6355 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Im ◽  
M. Kanakidou
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Biogenic Emissions ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
East Mediterranean ◽  
Fine Particulate ◽  
Surface O3

Abstract. Megacities are large urban agglomerations with intensive anthropogenic emissions that have significant impacts on local and regional air quality. In the present mesoscale modeling study, the impacts of anthropogenic emissions from the Greater Istanbul Area (GIA) and the Greater Athens Area (GAA) on the air quality in GIA, GAA and the entire East Mediterranean are quantified for typical wintertime (December 2008) and summertime (July 2008) conditions. They are compared to those of the regional anthropogenic and biogenic emissions that are also calculated. Finally, the efficiency of potential country-based emissions mitigation in improving air quality is investigated. The results show that relative contributions from both cities to surface ozone (O3) and aerosol levels in the cities' extended areas are generally higher in winter than in summer. Anthropogenic emissions from GIA depress surface O3 in the GIA by ~ 60% in winter and ~ 20% in summer while those from GAA reduce the surface O3 in the GAA by 30% in winter and by 8% in summer. GIA and GAA anthropogenic emissions contribute to the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels inside the cities themselves by up to 75% in winter and by 50% (GIA) and ~ 40% (GAA), in summer. GIA anthropogenic emissions have larger impacts on the domain-mean surface O3 (up to 1%) and PM2.5 (4%) levels compared to GAA anthropogenic emissions (<1% for O3 and ≤2% for PM2.5) in both seasons. Impacts of regional anthropogenic emissions on the domain-mean surface pollutant levels (up to 17% for summertime O3 and 52% for wintertime fine particulate matter, PM2.5) are much higher than those from Istanbul and Athens together (~ 1% for O3 and ~ 6% for PM2.5, respectively). Regional biogenic emissions are found to limit the production of secondary inorganic aerosol species in summer up to 13% (non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO42−) in rural Athens) due to their impact on oxidant levels while they have negligible impact in winter. Finally, the responses to country-based anthropogenic emission mitigation scenarios inside the studied region show increases in O3 mixing ratios in the urban areas of GIA and GAA, higher in winter (~ 13% for GIA and 2% for GAA) than in summer (~ 7% for GIA and <1% for GAA). On the opposite PM2.5 concentrations decrease by up to 30% in GIA and by 20% in GAA with the highest improvements computed for winter. The emission reduction strategy also leads to domain-wide decreases in most primary pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxides (NOx) for both seasons. The results show the importance of long range transport of pollutants for the air quality in the East Mediterranean. Thus, improvements of air quality in the East Mediterranean require coordinated efforts inside the region and beyond.

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