Air quality and health: Mortality and welfare cost from exposure to air pollution (Edition 2020)

The protection of the environment and people’s health from negative influences of the pollution of air as a medium of the environment requires constant observing of the air quality in accordance with international standards, the analysis of emission and imission of polluting matters in the air, and their connection with the sources of pollution. Having in mind the series of laws and delegated legislations which define the field of air pollution, it is necessary to closely observe these long-term processes, discovering cause-and-effect relationships between the activities of anthropogenic sources of emission of polluting matters and the level of air degradation. The relevant evaluation of the air quality of a certain area can be conducted if the level of concentration of polluting matters characteristic for the pollution sources of this area is observed in a longer period of time. The data obtained by the observation of the air pollution are the basis for creation of the recovery program of a certain area. Vranje is a town in South Serbia where there is a bigger number of anthropogenic pollution sources that can significantly diminish the air quality. The cause-and-effect relationship of the anthropogenic sources of pollution is conducted related to the analysis of systematized data which are in the relevant data base of the authorized institution The Institute of Public Health Vranje, for the time period between the year of 2012. and 2017. By the analysis of data of imission concentrations of typical polluting matters, the dominant polluting matters were determined on the territory of the town of Vranje, the ones that are the causers of the biggest air pollution and the risk for people’s health. Analysis of the concentration of soot, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides indicates their presence in the air of Vranje town area in concentrations that do not exceed the permitted limit values annually. The greatest pollution is caused by the soot content in the air, especially in the winter period when the highest number of days with the values above the limit was registered. By perceiving the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, it is clear that the concentration of polluting matters can be decreased only by establishing control over anthropogenic sources of pollution, and thus it can be contributed to the improvement of the air quality of this urban environment.

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Improving the Protection of Children Against Air Pollution Threats in Romania � The RokidAIR Project Approach and Future Perspectives

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.17.4.5563 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (4) ◽

pp. 841-846

Author(s):

Hai-Ying Liu ◽

Daniel Dunea ◽

Mihaela Oprea ◽

Tom Savu ◽

Stefania Iordache

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Health Effects ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Warning System ◽

Personal Exposure ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Quality Maps

This paper presents the approach used to develop the information chain required to reach the objectives of the EEA Grants� RokidAIR project in two Romanian cities i.e., Targoviste and Ploiesti. It describes the PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure and architecture to the web-based GIS platform, the early warning system and the decision support system, and finally, the linking of air pollution to health effects in children. In addition, it shows the analysis performance of the designed system to process the collected time series from various data sources using the benzene concentrations monitored in Ploiesti. Moreover, this paper suggests that biomarkers, mobile technologies, and Citizens� Observatories are potential perspectives to improve data coverage by the provision of near-real-time air quality maps, and provide personal exposure and health assessment results, enabling the citizens� engagement and behavioural change. This paper also addresses new fields in nature-based solutions to improve air quality, and studies on air pollution and its mental health effects in the urban areas of Romania.

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

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments8010002 ◽

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.

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Quantifying Air Pollutant Variations during COVID-19 Lockdown in a Capital City in Northwest China

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12060788 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 788

Author(s):

Rong Feng ◽

Hongmei Xu ◽

Zexuan Wang ◽

Yunxuan Gu ◽

Zhe Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Vehicle Emissions ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Northwest China ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Capital City ◽

Air Pollution Control ◽

Motor Vehicle Emissions

In the context of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), strict lockdown policies were implemented to control nonessential human activities in Xi’an, northwest China, which greatly limited the spread of the pandemic and affected air quality. Compared with pre-lockdown, the air quality index and concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO during the lockdown reduced, but the reductions were not very significant. NO2 levels exhibited the largest decrease (52%) during lockdown, owing to the remarkable decreased motor vehicle emissions. The highest K+ and lowest Ca2+ concentrations in PM2.5 samples could be attributed to the increase in household biomass fuel consumption in suburbs and rural areas around Xi’an and the decrease in human physical activities in Xi’an (e.g., human travel, vehicle emissions, construction activities), respectively, during the lockdown period. Secondary chemical reactions in the atmosphere increased in the lockdown period, as evidenced by the increased O3 level (increased by 160%) and OC/EC ratios in PM2.5 (increased by 26%), compared with pre-lockdown levels. The results, based on a natural experiment in this study, can be used as a reference for studying the formation and source of air pollution in Xi’an and provide evidence for establishing future long-term air pollution control policies.

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Surface and Satellite Observations of Air Pollution in India during COVID-19 Lockdown: Implication to Air Quality

Sustainable Cities and Society ◽

10.1016/j.scs.2020.102688 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 102688

Author(s):

Yogesh Sathe ◽

Pawan Gupta ◽

Moqtik Bawase ◽

Lok Lamsal ◽

Falguni Patadia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Satellite Observations

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Morpho-Physio-Biochemical Attributes of Roadside Trees as Potential Tools for Biomonitoring of Air Quality and Environmental Health in Urban Areas

Land ◽

10.3390/land10030236 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 236

Author(s):

Ha Na You ◽

Myeong Ja Kwak ◽

Sun Mi Je ◽

Jong Kyu Lee ◽

Yea Ji Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Environmental Health ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Biochemical Parameters ◽

Lipid Peroxide ◽

Platanus Occidentalis ◽

Physiological Variables ◽

Sources Of Pollution ◽

Species Specific

Environmental pollution is an important issue in metropolitan areas, and roadside trees are directly affected by various sources of pollution to which they exhibit numerous responses. The aim of the present study was to identify morpho-physio-biochemical attributes of maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba L.) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) growing under two different air quality conditions (roadside with high air pollution, RH and roadside with low air pollution, RL) and to assess the possibility of using their physiological and biochemical parameters as biomonitoring tools in urban areas. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiencies, and photochromic contents were generally low in RH in both G. biloba and P. occidentalis. However, water-use efficiency and leaf temperature showed high values in RH trees. Among biochemical parameters, in G. biloba, the lipid peroxide content was higher in RH than in RL trees, but in P. occidentalis, this content was lower in RH than in RL trees. In both species, physiological activities were low in trees planted in areas with high levels of air pollution, whereas their biochemical and morphological variables showed different responses to air pollution. Thus, we concluded that it is possible to determine species-specific physiological variables affected by regional differences of air pollution in urban areas, and these findings may be helpful for monitoring air quality and environmental health using trees.

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Air Pollution’s Impact on the Economic, Social, Medical, and Industrial Injury Environments in China

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9030261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 261

Author(s):

Zhong Fang ◽

Pei-Ying Wu ◽

Yi-Nuo Lin ◽

Tzu-Han Chang ◽

Yung-ho Chiu

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Past Research ◽

Efficiency Score ◽

High Income ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Middle Income ◽

Safety And Health

In this era of rapid economic development, it is inevitable that economic activities eventually cause serious damage to the environment’s air quality, making it the focus of global public health. If the treatment efficiency of medical accidents can be improved, then this can significantly stabilize society and improve production efficiency. Past research has mainly focused on work safety and health issues, seldom discussing economic, social, medical, and environmental pollution issues together, and, most generally, adopted static methods that fail to recognize how air pollution affects the overall economy, society, medical care, and external environment. In order to more deeply understand the changes among social, economic activities, and environmental issues due to air pollution, this study proposes a meta-two-stage undesirable dynamic DDF (Direction Distance Function) that, under an exogenous model, divides the 30 provinces of China into high-income regions and middle-income regions and explores the economic, social, medical, and environmental efficiencies between the two areas to resolve the lack of related static analyses. The empirical results are as follows. (1) The AQI (air quality index) significantly impacts the efficiency of medical injuries in various regions. (2) When the AQI is considered, the medical insurance expenditure efficiency score value of high-income areas is lower than the value without the AQI. (3) When the AQI is considered, the efficiency value of the number of work injury insurance benefits in the middle-income area is lower than the efficiency value without the AQI.

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