Air pollution

This presentation is part of the Social Values in Medical Research track. Due to higher than national average breast cancer rates and deaths on Long Island the U.S. Congress in 1993 ordered a study of breast cancer on the island. The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP), federally funded under Public Law 103-43, conducted by the National Cancer Institute

In this paper, we shall attempt to provide a concise history of the advent of the Oil industry in Nigeria in general and pay particular attention to the Oil producing area of Ogba/Egbema. Petroleum production and export is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, providing almost 90% of Nigeria's export earnings (NNPC 1993:1). Exploration and production of crude oil for export has put Nigeria in the comity of oil-rich nations. The steady increase in revenue accruing from this finite source has however dwarfed earnings from other products to turn Nigeria into a mono-product economy state. This makes historical scholarship in this sector stimulating and pertinent.

Ogba/Egbema area is the location of the first and second highest Oil producing communities in Nigeria, Obagi of Ogba being the first and Mgbede/Ebocha of Egbema being the second. It is the presence of these two oil-bearing communities that place Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area in the position of highest Oil-producing local government area in Nigeria; a position that is unenviable in view of the resultant environmental degradation, poverty and all the effects of the air, water and land pollution.

Ogba/Egbema is located north of Ahoada West local government area of Rivers State. The area lies within the Delta formation, covering an area of 237.5sq km. This area is situated within the Oil mining leases (OMLS) 58, 60 and 61 with mixed vegetation of freshwater swamp and rain forest (NNPC 1997:35).

Administratively, the area was designated a district until 1978 when it was assigned a divisional status. the division was later fragmented into two units; Omoku Urban and Ogba/Egbema district in 1980 before it became a part of ONELGA created in 1992 We shall trace the history of crude oil development in this great oil-bearing area and its contribution to the economy of the nation especially up to the peak of oil boom; 1979.

Keywords: Oil Exploration, Exploitation, Ogba/Egbema LGA, Oil Industry, Pollution, Degradation, Niger Delta

The problem of air pollution is a frequently recurring situation and its management has social and economic considerable effects. Given the interaction of the numerous factors involved in the raising of the atmospheric pollution rates, it should be considered that the relation between the intensity of emission produced by the polluting source and the resulting pollution is not immediate. The aim of this study was to realise and to compare two support decision system (neural networks and multivariate regression model) that, correlating the air quality data with the meteorological information, are able to predict the critical pollution events. The development of a back-propagation neural network is presented to predict the daily PM 10 concentration 1, 2 and 3 days early. The measurements obtained by the territorial monitoring stations are one of the primary data sources; the forecasting of the major weather parameters available on the website and the forecasting of the Saharan dust obtained by the "Centro Nacional de Supercomputaciòn" website, satellite images and back trajectories analysis are used for the weather input data. The results obtained with the neural network were compared with those obtained by a multivariate linear regression model for 1 and 2 days forecasting. The relative root mean square error for both methods shows that the artificial neural networks (ANN) gives more accurate results than the multivariate linear regression model mostly for 1 day forecasting; moreover, the regression model used, in spite of ANN, failed when it had to fit spiked high values of PM 10 concentration.

Deterministic photochemical air quality models are commonly used for regulatory management and planning of urban airsheds. These models are complex, computer intensive, and hence are prohibitively expensive for routine air quality predictions. Stochastic methods are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative, which relegate decision making to artificial intelligence based on Neural Networks that are made of artificial neurons or 'nodes' capable of 'learning through training' via historic data. A Neural Network was used to predict particulate matter concentration at a regulatory monitoring site in Phoenix, Arizona; its development, efficacy as a predictive tool and performance vis-à-vis a commonly used regulatory photochemical model are described in this paper. It is concluded that Neural Networks are much easier, quicker and economical to implement without compromising the accuracy of predictions. Neural Networks can be used to develop rapid air quality warning systems based on a network of automated monitoring stations.

Compressed gas sampling for microorganisms is an important part of contamination control assessment.  This paper addresses topics related to microbial assessment of compressed gases.  These include gas purity including moisture considerations, sterile filtration, compressed gas standards, microbial contamination, microbial survival, sampling and testing requirements, instrumentation, and various sampling considerations including growth medium choice and frequency, and reporting requirements.

This study presents the effects of environmental pollution on the quality of domestic roof-harvested rainwater (DRHRW) using fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA). Seven metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ca, and Mg) and six water-quality parameters (Acidity, PO4 (3-), SO4 (2-), NO3 (-) , Cl(-), and pH) were investigated in DRHRW sampled from 12 sampling points each from Ibadan (residential) and Lagos (industrial) environments, Nigeria. The results of these parameters were formulated into membership function fuzzy matrices based on four contamination classifications of high, marginal, low, and poor qualities using regulatory limits as criteria. The products membership function matrices and weight matrices generated indices that classified the degree of anthropogenic activity impact on the sites. Results of FCA classified the DRHRW from residential environment as between high and marginal quality, whereas DRHRW from industrial environment is classified between marginal and low quality. Lead ...

MODELLING STUDY FOR CHARACTERIZING AND PREDICTING URBAN AIR POLLUTION Gregorio Andria, Giuseppe Cavone, Anna ML Lanzolla, Alessandro Rubino Department of Electrics and Electronics (DEE) – Politecnico di Bari Viale del Turismo 8, 74100 Taranto ...

Measurements of urban air pollution are usually confined to a few locations within a city area. Monitoring stations are often situated in streets with significant traffic levels or in places where severe pollution problems are expected. Such measurements are naturally influenced by very local conditions and care must be taken in interpreting the results. This is especially important when the measurements are used for estimating urban air pollution levels or comparing air quality in different cities. Another frequent application of street measurements is for public information or warning the population of elevated pollution levels. Estimating the dangers of long-term exposure to air pollution means careful consideration must be given to how representative these measurements actually are. In this paper the influence of local conditions on air pollution concentrations is discussed, regarding especially the dependency of pollution levels on street configuration and meteorolgical parameters. The examples used are based on measurements from locations in Copenhagen and on model calculations using the Danish Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM). It is shown that large concentration gradients can occur in street canyons with leeward concentrations far higher than windward concentrations. Thus, street measurements are site-dependent and not representative for urban areas. Model calculations with OSPM agree well with measurements.

Context Evidence on the health risks associated with short-term exposure to fine particles (particulate matter Յ2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter [PM 2.5 ]) is limited. Results from the new national monitoring network for PM 2.5 make possible systematic research on health risks at national and regional scales.

13 Concerns over exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) are on the rise. 14 Contemporary monitoring of PM is done on the basis of interpolating a mass of PM by 15 volume (μg/m 3 ) but has the drawback of not taking the chemical nature of PM into 16 account. Here we propose a method of collecting PM at its emission source and 17 employing automated analysis with scanning electron microscopy associated with EDS-18 analysis together with light scattering to discern the chemical composition, size 19 distribution, and time and space resolved structure of PM emissions at an intensely 20 trafficated roundabout in Sweden. Multivariate methods (PCA, ANOVA) indicate that 21 the technogenic marker Fe follows roadside dust in spreading from the road, and 22 depending on time and location of collection, a statistically significant difference can be 23 seen, adding a useful tool to the repertoir of detailed PM monitoring and risk assessment 24 of local emission sources. 25 26 Comment [v1]: Reference still missing Comment [29942]: Olika stavningar Comment [29943]: Olika stavningar

Design traffic volumes, vehicle emission factors and meterological data are used to assess the impact of a suburban limited-access highway segment. Mesoscale effects are determined by emission inventory techniques. Microscale effects are determined using a pollutant dispersion model developed by the California Division of Highways. The air pollution impact of the highway segment is small, and should not be considered a significant criteria for decisions concerning construction of the highway.

Air quality indices currently in use have been criticized because they do not capture additive effects of multiple pollutants, or reflect the apparent no-threshold concentration-response relationship between air pollution and health. We propose a new air quality health index (AQHI), constructed as the sum of excess mortality risk associated with individual pollutants from a time-series analysis of air pollution and

This exposure study addresses the validity of the exposure assessment method of an epidemiological study of traffic-related air pollution and childhood cancer. In particular, this paper concerns the question of whether the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO,) outside the front door is a valid marker of the exposure of the child living at the address. The study includes 100 children living on streets with dense traffic in central parts of Copenhagen and 100 children living in rural areas. Preliminary results, based on 25% of the study subjects, suggest that both the outdoor NO,-concentration and the exposure of the children are two to three times higher in Copenhagen than in the rural districts. Moreover, the results suggest that the NO,-concentration outside the front door is a poor marker of the exposure of the children in Copenhagen, but a marker of some relevance for the exposure of the children in rural districts. The preliminary results must be treated with caution, as among other things, the analysis did not consider seasonal changes and indoor NO,-sources such as passive smoking. candles, and gas appliances.

Current broadband sensors are not capable of separating the initial stages of forest damage. The current investigation evaluates the potential of hyperspectral data for detecting the initial stages of forest damage at the canopy level in the Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) forests of Czech Republic. Hyperspectral canopy reflectance imagery and foliar samples were acquired contemporaneously for 23 study sites in August 1998. The sites were selected along an air pollution gradient to represent the full range of damage conditions in even-aged spruce forests. The changes in canopy and foliar reflectance, chemistry and pigments associated with forest damage were established. The potential of a large number of spectral indices to identify initial forest damage was determined. Canopy hyperspectral data were able to separate healthy from initially damaged canopies, and therefore provided an improved capability for assessment of forest physiology as compared to broadband systems. The 673-724 nm region exhibited maximum sensitivity to initial damage. The nine spectral indices having the highest potential as indicators of the initial damage included: three simple band ratios, two derivative indices, two modelled red-edge parameters and two normalized bands. The sensitivity of these indices to damage was explained primarily by their relationship to foliar structural chemical compounds, which differed significantly by damage class.

Malta is known for its limestone megalithic temples of which many are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A variation of this limestone was historically, and until very few years ago, a primary building material in Malta. The temples are subject to various environmental influences which until recently have led to several collapses due in part to serious stone surface and infill loss. As a protection measure, open-sided shelters have been built over three of these temples. This work assesses the degrading influence of air pollution (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particle matter, sulfur dioxide, and acidity in rain) on the temples, in combination and comparison with the influence of other environmental factors (relative humidity, temperature, precipitation, moisture, sea salt, wind) and in this respect evaluates the potential protective effect of the shelters. The variation in air pollution weathering of limestone exposed outdoor in Malta was calculated by exposure-response functi...

Background: Different laboratory assays are used to detect and measure specific IgE antibodies. No standard exists to assess their analytic performance. Objective: We sought to analyze reported specific IgE results from different laboratories on the same serum samples for their accuracy and precision. Methods: Blinded serum samples (26) containing variable levels of specific IgE to 17 common aeroallergens were sent on 3 different occasions through normal channels to 6 laboratories that used 5 different test procedures. Six samples were presented as a dilution series. Laboratory-assay performance was assessed by analyzing the reported results (n = 12,708) by using ordinary least squares regression with slope coefficients, the t statistic, SEs, confidence intervals, and R 2 values. These were compared with a theoretic ideal assay as the reference. Results: Analysis revealed that one system used in two different laboratories performed nearly as well as the ideal standard, with an overall average slope (0.97; range, 0.91-1.01), SE (0.05; range, 0.02-0.16), R 2 value (93%; range, 0.64-0.99), and coefficient of variation (10.3%; range, 6%-14%). Extensive variability was observed in the other 4 laboratory-assay systems with respect to overall average slope (0.76; range, 0.11-1.24), SE (0.19; range, 0.03-0.95), R 2 value (53%; range, 0.00-0.98), and coefficient of variation (19%; range, 5%-49%). For some specific allergens, some laboratories-assays were not able to detect serial dilutions of the same sample. Conclusions: One commercial system used in two different laboratories performed nearly as well as the ideal standard. Four of the laboratories-assays for specific IgE antibodies demonstrated substandard overall performance with multiple instances of poor precision and accuracy, particularly for certain allergens, such as weeds and molds.

Although passive sampling has been previously used for the monitoring of volatile and semi-volatile contaminants in air, there are limited data on the use of this technique coupled with bioassays based on specific biological responses. Biological responses including those mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptor as well as (anti-)estrogenicity and (anti-)androgenicity of samples from four Eastern European countries (Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia) were determined. To address the potential differences of specific toxic potencies of pollutant mixtures in ambient air in Eastern Europe, each country was characterized by a single more remote location that served to determine regional background conditions and one location in more urbanized and industrialized locations, which were defined as "impacted" areas. Besides samples from Lithuania, a significant gradient in concentrations of AhR-mediated potency from background and impacted localities was observed. Greatest potencies were measured in samples from impacted locations in Romania and Slovakia. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that were quantified accounted for 3-33 % of the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents determined by use of the bioassay. No significant estrogenic potency was detected but anti-estrogenic effects were produced by air from two background locations (Lithuania, Slovakia) and three impacted locations (Lithuania, Romania, and Serbia). Anti-androgenic potency was observed in all samples. The greatest antiestrogenic potency was observed at the background location in Slovakia. Anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic potencies of studied air samples were probably associated with compounds that are not routinely monitored. The study documents suitability of passive air sampling for the assessment of specific toxic potencies of ambient air pollutants.

Epiphytic lichens are efficient air pollution bio monitors as they obtain nutrients, water and pollutants from the atmosphere. The aim of this study was at analyzing the surface of hyphae and the surface of the lichens Evernia prunastri (unwashed and washed in distilled water). Mass percentage of 26 selected elements: C, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb and Bi was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS). Mass percentage of: Na, Mg, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb was below the limit of detection of the applied method. The mass percentage of all other determined elements on the hyphae and surface of lichen was higher in unwashed samples, except for C, O, P, Fe, Cl, Ca and Cu. The elemental analysis of the unwashed lichen surface showed the prevalence of: O, C, Si, Cu and
Bi. Results obtained in the unwashed and washed lichen samples showed that the cleaning with water can be used in order to eliminate adhering materials. Indeed, most of elements of interest for the environmental contamination accumulated by the lichens were not
removed. SEM images showed particles that are flat, with irregular shape and edges, generally smooth and rounded indicating that the particles deposited were dry aerosol particles.

This paper examines methods of environmental justice assessment with Geographic Information Systems, using research on the spatial correspondence between asthma and air pollution in the Bronx, New York City as a case study. Issues of spatial extent and resolution, the selection of environmental burdens to analyze, data and methodological limitations, and different approaches to delineating exposure are discussed in the context of the asthma study, which, through proximity analysis, found that people living near (within specified distance buffers) noxious land uses were up to 66 percent more likely to be hospitalized for asthma, and were 30 percent more likely to be poor and 13 percent more likely to be a minority than those outside the buffers. r

Emission rates and emission factors of particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in the emissions of three prevalent mosquito coil brands available in the market in India, under controlled conditions in an environmental chamber. The emission rates varied between the brands and ranged between 2.0 ± 1.9 to 27.1 ± 1.5 lg h -1 for brand A, 3.4 ± 1.1 to 32.3 ± 1.2 lg h -1 for brand B and 3.1 ± 1.0 to 72.2 ± 1.1 lg h -1 for brand C for different compounds. Five and six ring PAHs were not detected, however four and three ring PAHs dominated. Three ring PAHs contributed 24 %, 42 % and 29 %, while four ring compounds contributed 53 %, 35 % and 61 % to total PAHs in the three brands. Carcinogenic PAH compounds were also present in the emissions, indicating the potential risks associated with the inhalation of coil smoke.

Formaldehyde is a toxic, carcinogen, mutagen and teratogen compound that is widely released into the atmosphere worldwide. The toxicity effect of formaldehyde on microorganisms is a serious obstacle on the path of using biological treatment methods. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of air velocity on the efficiency of a Biotrickling Filter Reactor (BTFR) for removal of formaldehyde from an air stream. A BTFR and Bioscience Laboratory Respirometer were employed for continuous and batch experiments, respectively. Three gas flow rates including 90, 291 and 1512 L/h were used to find out the effect of velocity on the formaldehyde removal efficiency of the BTFR. Monod model was modified to be capable of predicting the BTFR cases having very high formaldehyde removal efficiency. The results showed that for the gas flow rates of 90, 291 and 1512 L/h in BTFR, formaldehyde removal efficiency of 95, 97 and 99% were achieved, respectively. These results showed that higher air flow velocity lead to higher removal of formaldehyde from air in a BTFR. A very slow formaldehyde removal was observed during batch experiment where the gas velocity is set equal zero. This study demonstrated that the mass transfer in gas phase is an important step in formaldehyde treatment in a BTFR. Very slow formaldehyde removal in the batch system which can be ascribed to the very low mass transfer rate in gas phase confirms the fact that this rate is a controlling step in overall removal rate in BTFR.

The main purpose of this paper is to present the study of tra$c emissions impact on the Lisbon region air quality. Two approaches of emission data generation with high spatial and temporal resolution are presented and compared. Main roads were processed as line sources and hot on-road emissions were calculated based on daily mean tra$c and emission factors distinguished for several road classes and vehicle types. Also, the disaggregation of national CORINAIR inventory has been performed on the basis of statistical information of fuel consumption and population density. The comparison of emission data obtained by these two approaches demonstrates a good agreement for total values, but a signi"cant di!erence for spatial distribution of the data. To ensure completeness of the data, to improve their spatial resolution and also to analyse the impact of the tra$c emissions, a combination of the two approaches was applied to generate the emission data used by a photochemical numerical system to simulate the atmospheric circulation and the air pollution pattern in Lisbon under summer meteorological conditions, having di!erent emission scenarios. It was possible to conclude that an air pollution abatement strategy is urgently needed and it should take into account the strong contribution of road tra$c emissions to the Lisbon air pollution levels.

This paper presents two models for the description of air pollutant concentrations in road tunnels due to traffc. Turbulence is assumed to depend on both atmospheric turbulence and vehicle's motion. Emissions are calculated with the COPERT90 methodology . Up to 34 different vehicle categories can be considered at the same time, with an arbitrary number of vehicles travelling inside the tunnel. Emissions are calculated as a function of the position inside the tunnel and of the time. Three pollutants can be simulated with the current version of the models, CO, NO, and VOC. It is also possible to consider vehicles with null emissions. The models are able to consider the effects ofan arbitrary number ofsinks. Flow rates and outdoor concentrations are a function ofthe time for each sink.

High-altitude populations using biofuels for household energy may be at health risk due to a combination of altitudinal stress and indoor exposures to biomass smoke. In this article, the authors measure indoor and outdoor breathing level concentrations of PM 2.5 and CO during periods of meal preparation in a convenience sample of homes above 3000 m in Cusco, Peru. From July 10 to 21, 2005, 237 measurements were taken during a pilot study at 41 residences. Results show the highest levels of PM 2.5 and CO occurred during the early morning in the kitchen when dung and wood were used. Additionally, findings suggest that residential biomass fuel combustion in Cusco results in elevated indoor PM 2.5 and CO exposure levels that are of potential human health concern, an issue that may be exacerbated by the physiological impact of living in a high-altitude environment.

Invasion of exotic forest pests and pathogens is a serious environmental problem for many forests throughout the world, and has been especially damaging to forests of eastern North America. We studied the impacts of an exotic pest/pathogen complex, the beech bark disease (BBD), in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, USA. In this region, BBD has caused a decline in the basal area of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) over the last 60 years and this decline has been accompanied by an increase in the basal area of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We studied the impacts of the BBD on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling using a series of stands that represented a sequence of disease impact and beech replacement by sugar maple. Our study showed that these longterm changes in tree species composition can lead to important changes in C and N cycling in the ecosystem, including an increase in litter decomposition, a decrease in soil C:N ratio, and an increase in extractable nitrate in the soil and nitrate in soil solution. Rates of potential net N mineralization and nitrification did not change across the BBD sequence, but the fraction of mineralized N that was nitrified increased significantly. Many of the observed changes in ecosystem function are larger in magnitude than those attributed to climate change or air pollution, suggesting that the impacts of invasive pests and pathogens on tree species composition could be one of the most important factors driving changes in C and N cycling in these forests in the coming decades.

The likely health effects of climate change make it one of the most pressing global public health issues of our time. Effects range from more intense and frequent cyclones, flooding, and heat waves through to changing infectious disease patterns, food and water insecurity, sea-level rise, and economic and social disruption. The governments of almost all developed nations are now focusing their attention on national policy responses to the threat of climate change. In New Zealand, it is currently unclear what path our current government will take to contribute to the global response and fulfil our Kyoto obligations. In this paper we discuss the main carbon pricing options currently under consideration, and their implications for health and health inequities in New Zealand. We summarise the literature about the likely health and equity implications of different kinds of carbon pricing policy. A health sector voice in these significant policy decisions is vital to ensuring a policy tha...

Lung and skin are the organs directly exposed to environmental pollution. Ozone (O 3 ) is a toxic, oxidant air pollutant, and exposure has been shown to induce antioxidant depletion as well as oxidation of lipids and proteins within the outermost skin layer (stratum corneum) and the lung respiratory tract lining fluids (RTLFs). To further define skin and lung responses to O 3 exposure, SKH-1 hairless mice were exposed to either 0.8 ppm of O 3 (a level occasionally reached in very polluted areas) or ambient air 6 h/day for 6 consecutive days. O 3 exposure resulted in the depletion of atocopherol in lung and plasma and induction in both skin and lung of heme oxygenase 1, cyclooxygenase 2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. O 3 -exposed animals showed a similar extent of upregulation of COX-2 and PCNA in lung and skin, whereas HO-1 was more responsive in skin than in lung (7-fold induction vs. 2-fold induction). In addition to these measures of response to oxidative stress, O 3 exposure led to the activation of nuclear factor nB measured as InBa phosphorylation in both tissues. We conclude that in this model, O 3 at high pollutant levels is able to affect both lung and skin biology, inducing depletion of a-tocopherol and inducing stress-related responses in both skin epidermis and respiratory tract epithelium. D

Mensurar a QAU frente aos aspectos ambientais sugere correlações do ser humano frente às inter-relações com o espaço urbano da cidade, a fim de determinar ou exprimir qualidade(s). A coleta de opiniões da população vislumbra a trilogia AFETO-COGNIÇÃO-COMPORTAMENTO, pautada no potencial informativo do espaço do bairro e da cidade do Salvador, onde a percepção é passada pelo espírito de entendimento ou comportamento das pessoas, suas crenças e conhecimento relativo do lugar, no domínio das suas atividades psíquicas, sentimentais, emocionais e volitivas.

Objective: To assess the relationship of air pollution and hematologic parameters in a population-based sample of children and adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009-2010 among school students randomly selected from different areas of Isfahan city, the second largest and most air-polluted city in Iran. The association of air pollutants levels with hemoglobin, platelets, red and white blood cells (RBC and WBC, respectively) levels was determined by multiple linear and logistic regression analyses, after adjustment for age, gender, anthropometric measures, meteorological factors, and dietary and physical activity habits. Results: The study participants consisted of 134 students (48.5% boys) with a mean age of 13.10±2.21 years. While the mean Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was at moderate level, the mean particulate matter ≤ 10 µm (PM 10) was more than twice the normal level. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that PSI and most air pollutants, notably PM 10 , had significant negative relationship with hemoglobin and RBC count, and positive significant relationship with WBC and platelet counts. The odds ratio of elevated WBC increased as the quartiles of PM 10 , ozone and PSI increased, however these associations reached to significant level only in the highest quartile of PM 10 and PSI. The corresponding figures for hemoglobin and RBC were in opposite direction. Conclusions: The association of air pollutants with hematologic parameters and a possible pro-inflammatory state is highlighted. The presence of these associations with PM 10 in a moderate mean PSI level underscores the necessity to reexamine environmental health policies for the pediatric age group.

In recent years, urban air quality in developing countries such as Nigeria has continued to degenerate and this has constituted a major environmental risk to human health. It has been shown that an increase in ambient particulate matter (PM 10) load of 10 µg/m 3 reduces life expectancy by 0.64 years. Air Quality Index (AQI) as demonstrated in this study shows how relatively clean or polluted the boundary layer environment of any location can be. The study was designed to measure the level of suspended particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) for dry and wet seasons, compute the prevalent air quality index of selected locations in Abuja with possible health implications. Suspended particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) was assessed using handheld aerosol particulate sampler. The US Oak Ridge National AQI was adopted for the eleven (11) locations sampled and monitored. The study results showed that the air quality of the selected areas in Abuja were generally good and healthy. Dry season,...

Understanding the impact on human health during peak episodes in air pollution is invaluable for policymakers. Particles less than PM2.5 can penetrate the respiratory system, causing cardiopulmonary and other systemic diseases. Statistical regression models are usually used to assess air pollution impacts on human health. However, when there are databases missing, linear statistical regression may not process well and alternative data processing should be considered. Nonlinear Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are not employed to research environmental health pollution even though another advantage in using ANN is that the output data can be expressed as the number of hospital admissions. This research applied ANN to assess the impact of air pollution on human health. Three well-known ANN were tested: Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) and Echo State Networks (ESN), to assess the influence of PM2.5, temperature, and relative humidity on hospital admissions d...

 Lahore, Gujranwala, and Okara are the most polluted city based on PM2.5  Jhang, Multan, and Vehari are the most polluted cities based on AOD  Aerosols, nighttime lights, population, cropland, and fire show same spatial patterns  Pakistan's entire population is exposed to long-term PMx (x = 1, 2.5, & 10)  Pakistan's air quality is mainly affected by local anthropogenic sources Highlights (for review) 2

Aktnct-The deterioration of carbovus rocks in urban arvascan be roughly class&d in three kii of feature patterns visibly distinguishable on the rock surfk~. In this paper the three ditkcnt kinds of deterioration are described and inWpretai in terms of the prWpal mc&a&ns kading t0 their formption. The way liquid water controls both the rate and the morphology of the deterioration crust formed On tbc stone as observed in the field. indicates that local rainfkll is a critical tktor in determining the type of deterioration. It appears that thedi%rcnt weathering observed actually dependson the way the interaction of rain with the surface occurs, at one extreme a complete washout of the surface, to the other where the surface is only very slightly wetted. The wetting rcsultine from moisture condensation on the stone surface appears to play a very minor role compared wiih that die to rainfall.

Introduction The change in light intensity that takes place when an ambient air sample is drawn into the detection chamber of a chemiluminescence monitor generates changes in the concentrations of several species, such as NO 2 , NO and O 3 . Although this phenomenon has been known for several decades, there is still no commonly accepted approach on when or how to correct for it in NO 2 and O 3 readings. Discussion In this work, we have assessed the expanded uncertainty of two chemiluminescence NO x analysers commercially available according to EN 14211:2005, with the aim of establishing the maximum allowable standard uncertainty due to the reaction between NO and O 3 in the sampling system.

Ecological regression studies are widely used to examine relationships between disease rates for small geographical areas and exposure to environmental risk factors. The raw data for such studies, including disease cases, environmental pollution concentrations and the reference population at risk, are typically measured at a variety of levels of spatial aggregation but are accumulated to a common geographical scale to facilitate statistical analysis. In this traditional approach heterogeneous exposure distributions within the aggregate areas may lead to biased inference, while individual attributes such as age, gender and smoking habits must either be summarized to provide area level covariate values or used to stratify the analysis. This paper presents a spatial regression analysis of the effect of traffic pollution on respiratory disorders in children. The analysis features data measured at disparate, non-nested scales, including spatially varying covariates, latent spatially varying risk factors, and case-specific individual attributes. The problem of disparate discretizations is overcome by relating all spatially varying quantities to a continuous underlying random field model. Case-specific individual attributes are accommodated by treating cases as a marked point process. Inference in these hierarchical Poisson/gamma models is based on simulated samples drawn from Bayesian posterior distributions, using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods with data augmentation.

Air pollution is a major problem in the industrial areas. Cement dust is one of the important environmental pollutants. In this study the possibility of dust recycling especially kiln dust which has significant importance regarding air pollution in the cement plant, was examined. Tehran cement factory is one of the most important Iranian factories which is located in Tehran. This factory produces high volume of pollutants that are released to in environment. The possibility of reusing of kiln by pass returned dust has been examined in this factory. Different percentages of kiln by-pass dust of this factory were added to products and outcomes of its presence in parameters such as chemical compound, granulation, primary and final catch time, volume expansion, consumed water and resistance of mortar were surveyed. The result indicated that by adding the amounts of 3-8 dust the mortar resistance increase, but adding more than 15%, the mortar resistance has been decreased. Survey in consumed water proved that adding dust to cement, the trend for consuming water is decreased. After dust addition dust, primary and final catch time were compared in different samples and data which showed decrease in dust added samples. Cements with dust added showed increase in auto clave expansion. Overally, results proved that, the best percentage rate of dust addition to the cement was 15%.

Background and Purpose-Current evidence suggests that stroke mortality and hospital admissions should be higher in areas with elevated levels of outdoor air pollution because of the combined acute and chronic exposure effects of air pollution. We examined this hypothesis using a small-area level ecological correlation study. Methods-We used 1030 census enumeration districts as the unit of analysis and examined stroke deaths and hospital admissions from 1994 to 1998, with census denominator counts for people Ն45 years. Modeled air pollution data for particulate matter (PM 10 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and carbon monoxide (CO) were interpolated to census enumeration districts. We adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic deprivation, and smoking prevalence. Results-The analysis was based on 2979 deaths, 5122 admissions, and a population of 199 682. After adjustment for potential confounders, stroke mortality was 37% (95% CI, 19 to 57), 33% (95% CI, 14 to 56), and 26% (95% CI, 10 to 46) higher in the highest, relative to the lowest, NO x , PM 10 , and CO quintile categories, respectively. Corresponding increases in risk for admissions were 13% (95% CI, 1 to 27), 13% (95% CI, Ϫ1 to 29), and 11% (95% CI, Ϫ1 to 25). Conclusion-The results are consistent with an excess risk of stroke mortality and, to a lesser extent, hospital admissions in areas with high outdoor air pollution levels. If causality were assumed, 11% of stroke deaths would have been attributable to outdoor air pollution. Targeting policy interventions at high pollution areas may be a feasible option for stroke prevention. (Stroke. 2005;36:239-243.)