Air Quality Atmosphere and Health最新文献

We present the first implementation of the WRF-CMAQ modeling system in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (MABA). Since model configuration significantly influences simulated concentrations, sensitivity tests are essential. This study examines the influence of key factors on nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃) concentrations. Six experiments are conducted over one winter and one spring week combining static and dynamic initial and boundary conditions (IC/BC) by changing the number of nested domains and two ozone values in the lateral boundary profiles ([O₃]_b). Model behavior is assessed at the location of two monitoring stations and within the MABA domain. Results indicate that NO₂ and O₃ are sensitive to domain set up and [O₃]_b with the latter having a more significant effect, leading to weekly mean differences of up to 22% for NO₂ and 40% for O₃. Sensitivity to the first model layer height (20 m and 50 m) is also assessed, revealing weekly mean differences up to 18% for NO₂ and 38% for O₃, with larger impacts around peak values. These differences appear to be primarily related to atmospheric dispersion and result in both higher NO₂ concentrations and stronger horizontal gradients across the MABA with the lower layer. We find that the configuration with four nested domains, [O₃]_b = 20 ppb and a 20 m first layer height yields acceptable results for the MABA. While longer runs are needed for a more robust performance assessment, our initial results suggest an acceptable behavior of CMAQ in this modeling domain.

Near-surface ozone (O₃) pollution adversely impacts crop productivity and public health, yet its effects on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding regions (“2 + 36” cities) remains understudied. To address this gap, based on city-scale hourly O₃ concentration data from 2020 to 2022, we employed dose–response and health impact assessment methods to quantify the effects of O₃ pollution on crop yields, human health, and related economic costs in the “2 + 36” cities. The results revealed that: (1) The annual mean O₃ concentrations were 166.97–175.97 μg/m³, with Accumulated O₃ exposure over a threshold of 0.04 ppm (AOT40) values of 9.54–12.49 ppm h for wheat and 10.59–11.77 ppm h for maize during the critical growth periods. (2) The relative yield loss (RYL) for wheat ranged from 19.55% to 26.38%, with crop production losses (CPL) of 1643.40–2386.87 × 10⁴ t, whereas maize had an RYL of 6.11%–6.79% and CPL of 414.1–445.96 × 10⁴ t. (3) O₃ pollution caused significant premature mortality, with annual estimates of approximately 38,500 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and up to 69,973 all-cause deaths. (4) The economic cost losses (ECL) for wheat and maize were 6.61–10.14 billion USD and 1.54–1.87 billion USD, respectively, while premature mortality-related ECL reached 69.25–122.05 billion CNY. Our findings call for integrated policies—including stringent emission controls, O₃-resistant crop cultivation, and enhanced public health monitoring—to mitigate the diverse impacts of O₃ pollution in the “2 + 36” cities.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of various adverse health outcomes in offspring, such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and congenital malformations. Moreover, a few studies have found an association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and increased risk of childhood cancer. This historical cohort included 216,730 infants, with median follow-up time of 13.3 years. Air pollution data were obtained for Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), Particulate Matter with a diameter of 10 micrometers or less (PM₁₀), Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x), and Ozone (O₃). Using Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Kriging procedure, exposure to these pollutants during the first trimester of pregnancy and for the entire pregnancy were assessed for each woman according to her place of residence. The infants’ cohort database was linked with the Israel National Cancer Registry using the infants’ personal identification number. A multivariable Poisson model was used to assess the risk of childhood cancer. A total of 453 cases of childhood cancer were identified, with an incidence rate of 1.57 per 10,000 person-years. No significant association was found between exposure during the entire pregnancy to SO₂, PM₁₀, NO_X, or O₃ and childhood cancer (Relative Risk [RR] = 1.15, 95%CI; 0.87–1.50; RR = 0.98, 95%CI; 0.45–2.10; RR = 1.21, 95%CI; 0.26–5.62; RR = 0.85, 95%CI; 0.61–1.19, respectively). The same results were found for first-trimester exposures. Similar results were found when considering cancer incidence among children up to 2 and 5 years of age. Regarding leukemia, no significant association was observed; however, larger sample size is needed to provide adequate power to detect differences in specific types of cancer, even if they exist. No significant association was found between exposure during pregnancy and overall childhood cancer although some pollutants showed a potential of increase, further studies with a larger cohort would be needed to confirm the findings due to the low rate of childhood cancer.

A prospective observational study was conducted in Bhubaneswar city for 50 normal individuals in different age groups (≥20 to ≤70 years) already exposed to urban air pollution. They were segregated into three different categories such as female/male; short/prolonged exposure and age (le) 40/ >40. The focus was to investigate any probable impact of prolonged exposure on anthropometric: Body mass index, central systolic/diastolic blood pressure (CSBP/CDBP), peripheral systolic/diastolic blood pressure (PSBP/PDBP), biochemical: Malondialdehyde and Oxidizes Low-Density Lipoprotein (MDA, Ox-LDL), pulmonary: Forced expiratory volume in first second/ Forced vital capacity (FEV₁/FVC) and cardiovascular: brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), sympathovagal ratio (LF/HF) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) parameters among the groups. Biochemical and pulmonary parameters were within normal range. Average baPWV was higher for males and prolonged exposure category compared to their respective counterparts. LF/HF indicated sympathetic dominance in males and prolonged exposure in age group > 40 years. RHI showed a deviation from the normal range in all three categories indicating endothelial dysfunction. The metal profile of serum and water-soluble particulate matter (PM_2.5) was investigated using ICP-MS and ICP-OES, respectively. Concentrations of serum metals namely Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, and I were also reported for the first time in the Indian population. Nevertheless, Cu/Zn ratio indicates a deviation from the normal range (1:1) in females (1.59), prolonged exposure group (1.38) as well as in the age group >40 years (1.42), which is well correlated with endothelial dysfunction (RHI) in the study. Further, a statistical significance of p<0.05 was observed for RHI in the short/ prolonged exposure group, LF/HF ratio, and Fe, Cu, and Cu/Zn ratio in the Female/male category for serum metal.

In recent years, extreme weather events have been frequent due to climate change and have significantly impacted on public health. However, studies on temperature-related health in Northwest China remain limited. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between daily average temperature and respiratory and circulatory diseases from 2018 to 2020 in Dingxi, Northwest China. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was performed to evaluate the delayed effects of daily average temperature on both diseases for up to 21 days. The results revealed that the effect of high temperature was strongest on the same day (lag0) for respiratory diseases and lag3 for circulatory diseases, with the relative risk (RR) values of 1.10 (95%CI: 1.01–1.19) and 1.08 (95%CI: 1.03–1.13), respectively. The risk of low temperatures was greater for circulatory diseases, with a 25.46% relative risk (RR) increase when the daily average temperature decreased from − 7 °C to -13 °C. However, the lagged effect for respiratory diseases was longer, with an RR of 1.96 (95%CI: 1.03–3.73) for the cumulative effect of low temperatures at lag0-21. In respiratory diseases, females and those < 65 years are more strongly affected by low temperatures. High temperatures significantly impacted individuals aged ≥ 65 years with circulatory diseases. This study points out the significant differences in the impact of temperature on human health in Dingxi, a city in northwest China, which can help policymakers implement mitigation and adaptation measures.

This study employs a comprehensive modeling approach that combines the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model with the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) to gain insights into the intricate dynamics of GHGs flux and concentration. The primary objective is to conduct high-resolution simulations of GHGs transport, dispersion, and concentrations spanning from 2015 to 2049 under future climate scenario over Madrid (Spain) region. The global climate scenarios datasets are provided by the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Dynamical downscaling is done by the WRF model to increase the spatial resolution of the climate data. The results of the atmospheric simulations illuminate the impact (future– present) of emission source distribution and climate data on GHG concentrations. Additionally, the incorporation of the vegetation photosynthesis and respiration model provides valuable perspectives on the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the global carbon cycle and their influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Achieving coordinated control of road traffic pollutants and carbon emissions through emission allowance allocation is critical for urban sustainability. However, the existing methods used for road traffic emission allowance allocation often overlook the variability in individual vehicle travel behavior, multigas interrelationships, and the time-varying nature of travel, leading to limited incentives for efficiency improvements and imbalances in allocated allowances relative to preset multigas targets. To address these limitations, a digital twin-driven framework for the dynamic and coordinated allocation of urban-level individual vehicle multigas emission allowances is proposed. The framework leverages high-resolution travel, multigas emission, and allowance allocation states for individual vehicles derived through digital twin modeling. Using data envelopment analysis, candidate sets of benchmarks representing the optimal emission efficiency for multiple gases are established. The framework then dynamically selects the optimal coordinated benchmark that minimizes disparities in the allocated multigas allowances and computes the coordinated allowances in real time. The experiments results demonstrate that, compared with traditional methods, the proposed method provides stronger incentives for efficiency improvements and reduces imbalances in multigas allowance allocation. This method supports the enhancement of traffic emission efficiency and the implementation of integrated pollution reduction and carbon neutrality policies.

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires a comprehensive understanding of the environmental factors influencing progress. This study examines the relationship between key environmental indicators—natural resource depletion, CO₂ emissions, heating degree days, land surface temperature, methane emissions, nitrous oxide emissions, and renewable energy consumption—and the attainment of SDGs across 31 OECD countries from 2003 to 2020. Using the Dynamic panel model for linear relationships and panel quantile regression for nonlinear dynamics, evidence of cointegration and regional heterogeneity is found. Specifically, CO₂ emissions, heating degree days, and renewable energy consumption positively affect SDGs in the long run. However, natural resource depletion, nitrous oxide emissions, and land surface temperature have negative impacts, with methane emissions showing no effects. Robustness tests using quantile regression confirm these relationships hold across different distribution levels. Policy implications include the need for strategies to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions, while promoting renewable energy consumption to support SDG progress. Further research should focus on overcoming data limitations and integrating additional environmental factors to refine these findings.

The Middle Eastern countries of Iran and Iraq are critical regions for warming analysis due to their vulnerability to extreme heat impacts. This study examines surface heat zone dynamics across Iran and Iraq, focusing on MODIS land surface temperature (LST). Both countries exhibited a sharp trend of expanding extreme heat areas from 2002 to 2023, with 47.03% of Iraq and 44.54% of Iran area experiencing an LST increase of up to 2.5 °C. The highest rise was observed over drying wetlands and barelands undergoing desertification. Patch-level spatial analysis showed that the patch areas of Dense Forest, Bareland, and Water classes, along with the physical structure of Woodland, Built-up, and Agricultural areas, can statistically explain the rise or drop in LST over the study period. A Cellular Automata model was calibrated using DEM and MODIS LULC data to simulate high-temperature zone expansion for 2035. Results showed that the central west-east belt spanning both countries is projected to experience the most significant rise to higher LST classes, affecting more than 50% of the region’s surface area by 2035. This research underscores the urgency of integrated land-use planning and climate adaptation strategies to mitigate the rapid progression of warming in these vulnerable arid regions.

In recent years, the number of studies on in vitro lung bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has increased; however, physiological parameters for these tests have yet to be optimized. This study aims to (1) evaluate the effect of adding cholesterol to synthetic lung fluid on PTEs bioaccessibility, and to (2) assess the effect of other selected test parameters on bioaccessibility. The bioaccessibility of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn have been investigated using seven formulations of Gamble’s solution (GS, with/without cholesterol/DPPC) and one artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF) on two reference materials (SRM 2691, BGS 102). The bioaccessibility of certain PTEs increased in GS modified with 5% DPPC (e.g., V in BGS 102 from 2.87 to 8.35%), 0.25% cholesterol (e.g., Cr in SRM 2691 from 27.3 to 31.5%), and 2% DPPC + 0.25% cholesterol (e.g., Cu in BGS 102 from 43.9 to 46.2%). Using DPPC + cholesterol may be recommended for bioaccessibility testing. The effect of the tested solid-to-liquid ratio (S/L) was sample/element-specific. Overall, lower S/L led to higher bioaccessibility in ALF (e.g., for Pb: 94.8% at 1/500 vs. 36.5% at 1/100). The peak bioaccessibility was reached at a 4-week extraction, suggesting a longer testing duration when feasible. Higher agitation (100 vs. 20 rpm) increased the bioaccessibility of some PTEs (e.g., 91.0% vs. 79.7% for Cd in BGS 102). Method modifications would prove valuable when used together with highly needed in vivo validation studies for in vitro lung bioaccessibility.