Toxic Metals (As, Cd, Ni and Pb) and PM2.5 in Air Concentration of a Model Ceramic Cluster

The relationship between ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter and detrimental health effects remains a highly controversial issue. Increased incidence of mortality and morbidity due to cardiopulmonary complications has been associated with elevated levels of urban air particles with an aerodynamic of <2.5 ??m (PM2.5). The main aim of this paper was to present the assessment of the temporal and spatial variations of the PM2.5 fraction and its contents in arsenic, cadmium, nickel and lead in order to identify possible emission sources of these pollutants. Daily ambient aerosol samples (PM2.5) were taken in the province of Castellón from 2008 to 2009. Particle concentration levels were determined by gravimetry, and the As, Cd, Ni and Pb levels in the samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The season variation of these pollutants differs according to the emission source and the factors involved in dispersion. In the weekly trend, there were no significant differences in levels among sampling sites in relation to the day activity (working vs. non-working) due to chemical pollutants that are found in fine particulate fractions residing in the atmosphere longer than coarse particles, resulting in a more homogeneous concentration of pollutants over time. In order to identify similar behaviour between chemical pollutants and PM2.5, an assessment of the correlation between them was carried out. This behaviour study shows whether the source of contaminants is the same. A statistical analysis of the levels of PM2.5 and the presence of As, Cd, Ni and Pb in the different sampling sites was performed in order to evaluate the influence of the sampling point on the concentrations of these pollutants.     

Modelling Some Heavy Metals Air Concentration in Europe

Metals, as well as other air toxic pollutants, can be responsible for a range of human health effects via inhalation or ingestion. European normatives regulate lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and nickel ambient air levels in order to prevent potential damage to human health and ecosystems; annual target levels of 500, 6, 5 and 20?ng/m³ for Pb, As, Cd and Ni are set for these pollutants in directives 2008/50/CE and 2004/107/CE. Air quality models constitute a powerful tool to understand tropospheric dynamic and to assign concentration values to areas where no measurement is available. However, not many models include heavy metals in their code, and mainly results for Pb, Cd and Hg have been published. In this paper, we present preliminary results on modelling Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr and Se air background concentration in Europe using the CHIMERE model, at a 0.2° resolution and the evaluation of the model performance in order to see its capability to reproduce observed levels. This evaluation was performed by comparing simulated values with observations at the EMEP monitoring sites, as only values at background sites can be captured at the 0.2° model resolution. Important uncertainties mainly related to emissions should be solved in order to obtain an improvement of model performance; more recent annual totals, information on snap activities for each metal, higher spatial resolution and a better knowledge of the temporal emission behaviour is necessary to adequately model these air pollutants. Also a better treatment of these particles considering more realistic metal size distribution, more refined deposition processes or some chemical processes regarding Se could result in better model results. A larger number of stations and a better temporal coverage of observations are also important to carry out a better statistical analysis of model performance.     

The Effect of Air Pollution on Yield and Quality of Mung Bean Grown in Peri-Urban Areas of Varanasi

There is growing concern that air pollution may have adverse impacts on crops in developing countries, yet this has been little studied. This paper addresses this issue, for a major leguminous crop of the Indian sub continent, examining the effect of air pollution in and around an Indian city. A field study was conducted using a gradient approach to elucidate the impact of air pollutants on selected production characteristics of Vigna radiata L. cv. Malviya Jyoti (mung bean) plants grown from germination to maturity at locations with differing concentrations of air pollutants around peri-urban and rural areas of Varanasi. The 6 -h daily mean SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ concentrations varied from 8.05 to 32.2 ppb, 11.7 to 80.1 ppb and 9.7 to 58.5 ppb, respectively, between the sites. Microclimatic conditions did not vary significantly between the sites. Changes in plant performance at different sites were evaluated with reference to ambient air quality status. Reductions in biomass accumulation and seed yields were highest at the site experiencing highest concentrations of all three gaseous pollutants. The magnitude of response indicated that at peri-urban sites SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ were all contributing to these effects, whereas at rural sites NO₂ and O₃ combinations appeared to have more influence. The quality of seed was also found to be negatively influenced by the ambient levels of pollutants. It is concluded that the air pollution regime of Varanasi City causes a major threat to mung bean plants, both in terms of yield and crop quality, with serious implications for the nutrition of the urban poor.     

Spatial and Temporal Ozone Pattern Concentrations in a NW Region of Spain

Measurements of ozone were carried out at two different sites in the area surrounding a thermal power plant located in the Northwest of Spain during 1993–1995. The concentration of O₃ in the ambient air varied from 6 to 257 μg m^-3 exhibiting a wide temporal, seasonal and spatial variation. On a few occasions 1-hr ozone concentration was more than 180 μg m^-3, which represents the maximum 1-hr limit of ozone in ambient air as prescribed by the European Commission.     

European Population Exposure to Airborne Pollutants Based on a Multivariate Spatio-Temporal Model

In this paper, we estimate the distribution of population by exposure to multiple airborne pollutants, taking into account the spatio-temporal variability of daily air quality and the high-resolution spatial spread of human population around Europe. In particular, we consider monitoring network data for five pollutants, namely carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, coarse and fine particulate matters. The spatial information contained in the large dataset of daily continental air quality is exploited using a multivariate spatio-temporal model capable to cover cross correlation among pollutants, covariates, and missing data as well as spatial and temporal variability and correlation. At the same time, the model is simple enough to be feasible for the large dataset of daily continental air quality over three years. Maximum likelihood estimation is performed using the EM algorithm, and kriging-like spatial estimates are used to compute high-resolution exposure distribution. Moreover, a novel semi-parametric bootstrap technique is used to assess the exposure distribution uncertainty. In this way, we compare the daily population exposure of 33 European countries and three important metropolitan areas in years 2009–2011 using a single flexible model. Extensive tabulations and graphs are reported in the supplementary material.     

Organochlorine Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Green Mussel,Perna Viridis in Singapore

A statewide total gaseous mercury (TGM) monitoring campaign was conducted from January 1997 to December 1999 in the State of Connecticut, U.S.A. Eight monitoring sites with different characteristics of geographical location (coastal vs. interior) and land use (rural vs. urban) were included in the monitoring program. Statistical procedures were utilized to evaluate the temporal trend and spatial distribution of the TGM concentration in the State, and the influence of long-range transport from non-local sources. The statewide mean TGM concentration was 2.08 ng m^-3. The annual mean concentration had no significant differences among the three years of measurements for all the sites. Weak seasonal variations were detected in the State with higher ambient TGM concentration found in warmer seasons. Urban areas in general had higher TGM concentrations than rural areas. The effect of site location of the monitoring sites on TGM concentration was interacted with land use characteristics. Waterbury site with extremely high concentration measurements was the major cause for this interaction. The long-range transport of TGM from remote sources showed an important influence on local ambient concentrations, by explaining over 45% of the total variance of the ambient TGM concentration for most sites. Local sources were responsible for the extremely high TGM concentration in the Waterbury site. The TGM concentrations at Voluntown, Hammonasset and Avery Point in southeast Connecticut were likely to be affected by some local sources.     

Ambient Vehicular Pollutants in the Urban Area of Taipei: Comparing Normal with Anomalous Vehicle Emissions

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - Continuous ambient monitoring data of major air pollutants such as CO, NOx and NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons) for the 1994–2001 period were analysed to...     

Genotoxicity of snow in the Montreal metropolitan area

Snow is capable of scavenging particle-bound, mutagenic organic pollutants from the atmosphere. Between storms snow can act as a mechanical filter for airborne particulates and dry atmospheric fallout can contribute to contamination of the snowpack. In urban areas snow cover can store contaminants and provide a sensitive, time integrated record of local air contamination. We examined the genotoxicity of snow collected from 14 sites in the Montréal metropolitan area. Snow contaminants were extracted using dichloromethane and the genotoxicity of the extracts measured using the SOS Chromotest. Only one extract elicited a positive response in the absence of a metabolic activation mixture. Sites which provided genotoxic samples are diverse in nature. Some sites are adjacent to highways and might be expected to receive genotoxic contaminants from internal combustion vehicles. Extracts of snow from regional dump sites were not genotoxic. Mean ambient carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide levels were significantly higher at sites which provided genotoxic snow samples. The mean ambient concentration of suspended particulates at the positive sites was not significantly different from the concentration at the negative sites. However, a significant linear relationship was identified between the SOS response inducing potency (SOSIP) of the genotoxic samples and the ambient level of suspended particulates. The results presented confirm the presence of genotoxic material in urban snow and demonstrate that the SOS Chromotest can be used to rapidly screen complex environmental extracts for genotoxicity. High ambient levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide measured at positive sites, and the relationship between SOSIP and the concentration of airborne particulate matter, suggests that the putative genotoxicants are fuel combustion by-products. This conclusion, while supported by previous research on atmospheric, particle-bound mutagens, is still speculative.     

Effects of ambient gaseous pollutants on photosynthesis,growth, yield and grain quality of selected crops grown at different sites varying in pollution levels

In recent decades, ambient gaseous pollution has increased due to anthropogenic activities worldwide. The studies to evaluate the adverse effects of ambient pollutants on commonly grown food crops are still limited, especially in Asian countries like Pakistan. The present study was conducted to measure the ambient pollutants in different sites of Faisalabad and their impact on growth and yield of wheat, mung bean and peas. Plants were grown in pots and placed at three sites named as control (Wire house of Government College University, Faisalabad), low pollution (LP) (Farm Area of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute) and high pollution (HP) (GT Chowk, Faisalabad) sites. Results showed that ambient ozone (O₃) concentration was highest at HP site followed by LP site and was below AOT40 in control site. Ambient pollutants caused foliar injury in crops and decreased plant height, leaf area, biomass and grain yield. Pollutants caused a reduction in photosynthetic pigments, stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate and grain protein contents in all three crops. In conclusion, the ambient O₃ level was highest at HP site, this current O₃ level and other pollutants decreased the growth and yield of important food crops.     

植物对近地层高浓度臭氧响应的评价指标研究进展

近地层臭氧作为最重要的大气污染物之一,对植物形态特征、光合作用、生育期、物质生产与分配、抗氧化特性、生物量以及产量构成等都有显著负面影响,已成为当今世界研究者及公众关注的重要问题。目前由于人类活动和工业迅猛发展,近地层臭氧浓度正以每年0.3%~2%的速度增加,准确评估近地层浓度不断升高的臭氧对植物的影响具有重要意义。本文从浓度响应关系、剂量响应关系和通量响应关系3个方面综合评述了植物对近地层高浓度臭氧响应的评价方法及其国内外研究进展,同时对各评价方法的优缺点进行了总结比较,旨在为建立适合我国地域和农业特点的臭氧污染评价指标体系和方法提供科学依据。     

Projections of SO2, NOx,NH3 and VOC Emissions in East Asia Up to 2030

Starting from an inventory of SO₂, NO_x, VOC and NH₃ emissions for the years 1990 and 1995 in East Asia (Japan, South and North Korea, China, Mongolia and Taiwan), the temporal development of the emissions of the four air pollutants is projected to the year 2030 based on scenarios of economic development. The projections are prepared at a regional level (prefectures or provinces of individual countries) and distinguish more than 100 source categories for each region. The emission estimates are presented with a spatial resolution of 1×1 degree longitude/latitude. First results suggest that, due to the emission control legislation taken in the region, SO₂ emissions would only grow by about 46 percent until 2030. Emissions of NO_x and VOC may increase by 95 and 65 percent, respectively, mainly driven by the expected increase in road traffic volume. Ammonia, mainly emitted from agriculture, is projected to double by 2030.     

Changes of Some Components of Precipitation in East Germany after the Unification

A network of 15 sites of precipitation monitoring was built-up to characterize the spatial and temporal changes of pollutants over East Germany. Rain water samples were analysed and characterized regarding their acidity, conductivity, main water soluble components (Cl^-, NO₃ ^-, SO₄ ^2-, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), volume and the meteorological parameters. Dependent on the changes of emission of pollutants, resulting from the reformation of industry, the decrease of stock farming, and increase of traffic (by the factor of ≈1.5) in East Germany, a drop could be observed with the sulphate and calcium concentrations in the precipitation by 20 to 50 and 30 to 70%, respectively. An increase could not be ascertained with the nitrate concentration and the acidity.     

Ambient Vehicular Pollutants in the Urban Area of Taipei: Comparing Normal with Anomalous Vehicle Emissions

Continuous ambient monitoring data of major air pollutants such as CO, NOx and NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons) for the 1994–2001 period were analysed to establish the relationship between patterns of vehicular emitting species and vehicular emissions in the urban area of Taipei. These characteristics are consistent with measurements in London and Athens, indicating that vehicular emissions are a major contributing factor to air pollution in Taipei. Sensitivity studies relating ambient air pollution to vehicular emissions in the urban area of Taipei were performed and further examined by analysing some special events where the citys overall vehicle usage were at their extremes. Analysis of ambient measurements during the passing of Typhoon Nari shows very low levels of CO (0.3–0.4 ppmv), NOx (5–10 ppbv) and NMHC (0.01–0.05 ppmv), with no well-defined daily patterns. The measurements during Typhoon Nari were compared with measurements during the Chinese New Year and during Typhoon Herb. All analyses show distinctive low pollution periods surrounded by elevated trace gas concentrations, initiated by normal working practices. This revealed the severe impact of vehicle exhaust emissions on air pollution levels in Taipei City. Further impacts from vehicles were examined by comparing the post-Nari measurements with those before the arrival of the typhoon and comparing these data with a photochemical modelling system. It was found that as high as 15 ppmv of CO, 250 ppbv of NOx and 2.5 ppmv of NMHC were measured during the day time, with about a 50% increase in ambient vehicular pollutants in the first 2 days after the passing of Typhoon Nari. Implications for pollution related impacts on human health within Taipei are noted.     

氯丹和灭蚁灵在典型污染场地的空间分布研究

测定分析了典型氯丹和灭蚁灵污染场地上的土壤、浅层地下水、地表水和底泥样品,应用地统计学的理论和方法研究了氯丹和灭蚁灵的空间结构与分布特征。结果表明,氯丹、灭蚁灵空间变异性高,随机因素对空间变异起主导作用。厂区内生产车间附近土壤中氯丹和灭蚁灵污染严重,存在明显的水平迁移,污染扩散范围与风向呈现一定相关性。氯丹和灭蚁灵随水的淋溶作用存在显著的竖直迁移,已经扩散至深层土壤中。污染场地附近的浅层地下水和地表水均被污染,底泥污染被限制在排污口附近。通过Kriging法插值画出土壤和浅层地下水中氯丹和灭蚁灵的等值线图,清晰地看出氯丹和灭蚁灵的分布趋势:氯丹和灭蚁灵在表层土壤中污染程度较重,下层土壤和浅层地下水中的污染分布均与上层相对应。土壤、浅层地下水、地表水和底泥中灭蚁灵浓度均小于氯丹,这与氯丹和灭蚁灵的挥发性、迁移性、吸附性等理化性质有关。通过与同类POPs污染场地研究的对比分析发现,此类场地土壤中的POPs分布存在共性特征。     

干旱区内陆河流域农村居民点空间格局及分异

基于1987年、2001年、2016年3期遥感影像目视解译提取的研究区农村居民点时空分布信息,综合运用GIS空间统计分析、景观格局指数等研究方法,分析了石羊河流域1987-2016年农村居民点空间格局及分异特征。结果表明:在规模上,研究区农村居民点规模整体呈扩展趋势,规模扩展特征差异显著;规模分异特征明显,具体表现在居民点斑块规模越大,斑块数量所占比重越小,并且居民点斑块存在高密度小规模分布和低密度大规模分布的分异特征。在空间分布上,1987-2016年研究区农村居民点整体空间分布格局未发生明显变化,呈低海拔、小坡度、近水系分布的空间特征,但局部集中趋势进一步加强,其中河流和城市周边是农村居民点集聚较明显的区域。在形态特征上,农村居民点斑块复杂性减弱、破碎度降低,形态趋于规则;斑块形态的空间分异特征明显,由于斑块蔓延扩张引起的居民点斑块两级分化趋势加剧。     

Occurrence of PCBr in Ambient Air and Surface Soil in an Urban Site of Madrid

This article describes the temperature dependence of sixteen PCBs in ambient air from the relationship ln(C) = m + (1000/T) + b and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation from data obtained at an open urban area of Madrid. The study was applied to predice long/short range transport influence as PCB sources in a typical semi-urban ambient without the influence of industrialised or contaminated sites around. The present study also relate surface soil/ambient air data to characterise soil/air cycled seasonal behaviour in the observation site. Regarding both compartments, a comparison was done calculating fugacity quotients from one full year data.     

An Approach to Temporally Disaggregate Benzo(a)pyrene Emissions and Their Application to a 3D Eulerian Atmospheric Chemistry Transport Model

To simulate the atmospheric fate of air pollutants, it is first necessary to know the emission rates that describe the release of pollutants into ambient air. For benzo(a)pyrene emission data are currently only available as yearly bulk emissions while the simulation models typically require temporally resolved emissions (e.g. hourly). Because residential heating is by far the most important source for benzo(a)pyrene, we developed a method to temporally disaggregate these bulk emission data using the linear dependency of benzo(a)pyrene emission rates stemming from residential combustion on ambient temperature. The resulting time-dependent hourly emission rates have been used in a chemical transport model to simulate concentrations and deposition fluxes of benzo(a)pyrene in the year 2000. The same simulations were repeated with constant emission rates and emission rates that varied only seasonally. By comparing the modeling results of the three emission cases with monthly measurements of air concentrations, the characteristic and the benefit of our disaggregation approach is illustrated. The simulations with disaggregated emissions fitted best to the measurements. At the same time the spatial distribution as well as the yearly total deposition was notably different with each emission case even though the yearly total emissions were kept constant.     

Tracking Regional Anthropogenic Air Pollution: A Case Study in Israel

Typical mid-winter anthropogenic air pollution episodes are caused when pollutants are trapped in the lower atmospheric boundary layer due to the generation of surface inversion favored by synoptic conditions. We analyzed the optical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles obtained during one such episode using a sun/sky radiometer at two measurement sites: one located in the densely populated and industrialized central part of Israel, and the other in a reference site, about 150 km away. Aerosol optical thickness and volume size distributions showed an increased burden of fine aerosol particles in the central part of Israel. In order to verify the local origin and anthropogenic nature of the effect, the analysis was accompanied by examinations of the synoptic conditions, air mass backward trajectories, and conventional in situ air pollution measurements made by a ground-based sampling station. This case study shows the ability of optical measurements to track urban and industrial atmospheric air pollution expressed by high concentration of fine aerosol particles. In addition, it emphasizes the role of local Israeli air pollution sources and may explain the difference in the properties of long-term aerosol optical observations between the two sites. The advantages of the optical method presented are speed (almost instantaneous), automated measurement, and sensitivity to aerosol particle concentration as well as aerosol size fraction. The drawback is that the optical measurements discussed deal only with aerosol particles and cannot distinguish between different types of pollutant gases.     

基于CLM4.5土壤风蚀模型的河北省土壤释尘量模拟

为了定量评价大气污染物中由于土壤风蚀而形成的PM_(10)释放量,基于美国大气研究中心的CLM4.5土壤风蚀模型,运用遥感数据、地面气象监测数据、陆面数据同化系统数据和陆表特征参量产品数据,建立土壤风蚀释尘量的参数体系,模拟2013年河北省的土壤风蚀粉尘中PM_(10)的释尘量。结果表明:2013年河北省PM_(10)的年释尘通量为1.02 t/hm~2,其中,3月份释尘通量最高,为0.28 t/hm~2,占全年释尘量的27.6%,7月份释尘通量最低,仅占全年的0.2%。春季的释尘通量最高,为0.55 t/hm~2,冬季次之,为0.28 t/hm~2,秋季再次之,为0.18 t/hm~2,夏季的释尘通量最低,为0.015 t/hm~2,呈现明显的春高夏低的季节性变化规律。全省土壤风蚀尘中PM_(10)释尘量区域分布差异明显,释尘量最大的区域是沧州滨海平原和坝上高原,其次是冀东滨海平原和冀西北间山盆地。     

The Use of AERMOD Air Pollution Dispersion Models to Estimate Residential Ambient Concentrations of Elemental Mercury

Source-oriented models are ideally suited to examine the impact of terrain and meteorology and source factors such as stack height when evaluating exposures to air pollutants. A source-oriented, Gaussian plume air pollution dispersion model AERMOD was used to estimate the spatial distribution of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) from a typical coal-fired boiler emitting 0.001 g Hg⁰/s. Hg⁰ was chosen because of its health impact related to potential neurological and reproductive effects which may be especially important for high-risk populations. Results from four simulations using meteorological data from 2004 were compared for flat and hilly terrain from 20- and 55-m stacks at a distance of 1,350 m from the source. Variations within a quadrant were affected primarily by topography. For the 20-m stack, the average annual ambient concentration for individuals living within the northeast (NE) quadrant was significantly lower at 2.5 ng Hg⁰/m³ (P?<?0.001; confidence interval (CI), 2.4?C2.6) in flat terrain versus 3.3 ng Hg⁰/m³ in hilly (P?<?0.001; CI, 1.2?C1.3). NE concentrations of the source showed high spatial variability attributed to topography with 1-h maximums of 4.0 ng Hg⁰/m³ flat versus 7.1 ng Hg⁰/m³ hilly. Not unexpectedly, average annual concentrations were considerably lower for the 55-m stack although topography remained a significant variable with 0.1 ng Hg⁰/m³ in flat terrain (p?<?0.001; CI, 0.11?C0.13) and double that exposure at 0.2 ng Hg⁰/m³ in hilly terrain (p?<?0.001; CI, 0.16?C0.18). Annual average mercury concentrations due to emissions from the 20-m stack were ~20 times higher than ambient concentrations associated with the 55-m stack. A sensitivity analysis was performed for meteorological effects, using meteorological data from years 2001?C2005. Varying the roughness factor had no significant effect on the results. For all simulations, the highest concentrations were located in the NE quadrant. During 2001?C2005, the highest average annual ambient Hg concentration ranged from 6.2 to 7.0 ng Hg⁰/m³ for the 20-m stack and 0.3?C0.5 ng Hg⁰/m³ for the 55-m stack. Thus, this model is robust. These results demonstrate the usefulness of a source-oriented model such as AERMOD for incorporating multiple factors for estimating air pollution exposures for communities near point sources. The importance of considering topography, meteorology, and source characteristics when placing air samplers to measure air quality and when using buffer zones to estimate ambient residential exposures is also illustrated. Residential communities in hilly terrain near industrial point sources may have between two to three times the exposures as those in flat terrain. Exposures will vary depending on the stack height of the point source.