Air Quality Atmosphere and Health最新文献

Airborne microplastics (MPs), measuring less than five millimeters in size, have gained substantial attention due to their omnipresence in the environment, including the atmosphere, and their potential impact on both human health and ecosystems. This comprehensive literature review synthesizes current knowledge on the sources, distribution, and health risks associated with airborne MPs. The significant rise in global plastic production has concerns about its harmful effects on the environment and human health. Microplastics, being pervasive across various ecosystems, can traverse the food chain. They also have the potential to disperse through the air. Various studies have emphasized the role of airborne MPs as carriers for toxic substances, impacting environmental and human health. This review delineates the sources of atmospheric MPs, stemming from primary sources such as commercial products and secondary sources from larger plastic degradation. Moreover, a comprehensive understanding of MPs’ size, shape, and polymeric composition is crucial for a thorough assessment of their potential impact on human health. Notably, while airborne MPs tend to encompass a variety of shapes, including fibers, fragments, and granules, their health implications vary. Fibrous MPs, despite their visibility, raise concerns due to entanglement and prolonged residence within organisms. However, research suggests that most of the airborne MPs consist of smaller particles, highlighting the need for further investigation into their impact on health. Although advancements have been made in understanding airborne MPs, substantial gaps remain. Standardized sampling methods, comprehensive risk assessments, and long-term epidemiological studies are essential to unravel the health implications of prolonged exposure to these omnipresent particles. This literature review underlines the need for continued research to fully comprehend the sources, distribution, and health risks posed by airborne microplastics, offering insights into potential mitigation strategies and future research directions.

Air pollution is a persistent issue that arises worldwide. Mitigating this issue poses a significant challenge due to endless industrialization activities, rising construction works and vehicle emissions on the road. Particulate matter (PM₁₀) with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 µm is one of the primary pollutants that significantly impact human health. Identifying the spatial pattern of PM₁₀ yields spatially homogenous areas and reveals the most polluted sites and potential PM₁₀ sources of pollution. Typically, traditional clustering is used to achieve the objective. This study proposed a different clustering approach by opting topological data analysis (TDA) technique, namely the Mapper algorithm, to investigate for the spatial patterns of PM₁₀ behavior between 52 air quality monitoring stations in Malaysia. A topological clustering approach produces a topological graph revealing the homogenous region with similar PM₁₀ behavior and a more profound understanding of geographical relationship is achieved through the graph. The topological graph depicts better visualization of cluster similarities pertaining to the study areas compared to traditional clustering, highlighting the advantage of such an approach in investigating the spatial patterns of air pollutants.

As an important precursor of ozone (O₃), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have garnered significant attention in recent years. In this study, VOCs were monitored by a real-time online instrument for three years (from April to September 2020–2022) in Jinzhong, Taiyuan Basin, and comprehensively reported the components characteristics, sources, and ozone formation potential (OFP). The interannual variation in VOCs concentration increased from 11.2 ± 8.2 ppbv in 2020 to 12.9 ± 9.2 ppbv in 2021 and 13.3 ± 8.9 ppbv in 2022. Alkanes were the major VOC groups, accounting for 55.8-64.6% of the total. However, alkenes were the primary contributors to OFP, accounting for 64.3-74.2%. After meteorological normalization, the concentrations of alkanes, alkynes, and aromatics were slightly higher than the observed concentrations, indicating that meteorological conditions favored the dispersion of pollutants. Based on positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, coking sources (28.4-30.7%), LPG/NG usage (17.9-30.5%), and vehicle exhaust (17.5-23.2%) were the major sources of VOCs during the three year observation period. The contributions of solvent usage, biogenic sources, and combustion sources increased with each year. Coking sources (47.5-52.7%) and vehicular emissions (23.2-32.3%), particularly ethylene, were major contributors to OFP. The analysis of potential source regions for VOCs concentration pointed to the southwest region (Qingxu, Wenshui, Xiaoyi, and Jiexiu) as a key emitter of VOCs. Therefore, the study recommends effective mitigation of ozone issues in Jinzhong and the downwind areas of the Taiyuan Basin by controlling coking sources and vehicular emissions, particularly targeting ethylene emissions.

The present empirical analysis takes into account a panel of BRICS data between 2000 and 2022 to probe the influence and the extent of digitalization (DIG), economic growth (GDP), governance (GOV), and renewable energy (RE) with PM2.5 air pollution in BRICS. Under the examination, the panel is investigated for numerous diagnostic tests where we confirmed a long-run co-integration among the studied variables. The econometric technique of the Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQREG) analysis supports that GDP is inimical, conversely, digitalization (DIG), renewable energy (RE), and effective governance (GOV) illustrate heterogeneous influences on PM2.5 air pollution. Moreover, the robustness test of the Robust Least Square (RLS) Fully-Modified (OLS), and Dynamic (OLS) confirms and validates the prior outcomes of the Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQREG) method. The results indicate that, with the exception of GDP, the explanatory factors effectively reduce PM2.5 air pollution in BRICS countries. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the BRICS member state should give top priority to the development of green and sustainable energy and enhance digitalization (DIG) by importing high-tech solutions. This approach would alleviate the burden on environmental quality. Additionally, the presence of effective governance will play a crucial role in coordinating various institutions, thereby maximizing the benefits derived from the deployment of renewable energy sources.

Although the influence of tourism on the environment is a frequently studied topic, examining the impact of tourism diversification on carbon emissions is a recent area of research. In this context, this study examines the impacts of tourism diversification, income, energy consumption, research and development expenditures, and population density on carbon emissions in New Zealand for the period 1981–2020 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach. The results illustrate that income, lower tourism diversification, and energy consumption increase carbon emissions, while an upsurge in population density and research and development expenditures minimizes environmental degradation. According to the findings, New Zealand’s intensification of tourism in certain areas increases the environmental damage. It is therefore recommended that the New Zealand government promote tourism diversification and research and development expenditures to achieve environmental sustainability goals.

PM_2.5 pollution is problematic in megacities on the western coast in South Korea (Seoul, Incheon, and Gwangju). As these megacities are located downwind of China, their air quality is easily affected by local and long-range transport sources. PM_2.5 samples collected in Seoul (n = 222), Incheon (n = 221), and Gwangju (n = 224) from September 2020 to March 2022, were chemically characterized. Dispersion normalized positive matrix factorization was applied to these PM_2.5 speciated data to provide source apportionments. Nine common sources (including secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, biomass burning, mobile, and waste incinerator) were identified at all sites. The conditional bivariate probability function helped to identify each site’s local sources. Joint potential source contribution function analysis identified northeast China and Inner Mongolia as potential source areas of long-range transport pollutants affecting all sites. Forced lifestyle changes due to the pandemic such as limited gatherings while increased recreational activities may have caused different patterns on the biomass burning source. The constraints on old vehicles during the policy implementation periods likely reduced the mobile source contributions in cities that adopted the policy. Secondary nitrate accounted for 40% of the PM_2.5 mass at all sites, implying a significant impact from NO_X sources. While the current policy focuses primarily on controlling primary emission sources, it should include secondary sources as well which may include precursor emissions control. Healthier air quality would be achieved if the policy effects are not limited to local, but also to foreign sources in regions upwind of Korea by intergovernmental collaboration.

There are wide racial disparities in lung cancer incidence, treatment, and outcomes. Previous studies have shown the impact of structural racism and the built environment on lung cancer outcomes in Black communities. The current study sought to understand the mediation of airborne pollutants between racial segregation and lung cancer incidence in the United States. Lung cancer incidence data for Black/white populations from 2014 to 2018 were obtained from the CDC. We assessed the impact of segregation on lung cancer incidence and the mediating effects of pollutants SO₂, NO₂, PM_2.5, O₃, and CO in the pathway. We estimated the indirect effect of each pollutant on the interaction between segregation and cancer outcomes. We found that segregation was associated with an 11% increase in lung cancer incidence among Black individuals (IRR 1.11, 95%CI 1.08,1.14) and a 7% increase in white lung cancer incidence (IRR 1.07, 95%CI 1.05,1.09). For Black lung cancer rates, this effect was mediated by SO₂/ NO₂ (23%), PM_2.5 (9.2%), and smoking (36%). For white lung cancer rate, the effect was mediated through SO₂/ NO₂ (25%), PM_2.5 (15%), O₃/CO (4%), and smoking (37.4%). Air pollution is an important mediating factor on lung cancer incidence in more segregated areas, suggesting that the increased pollution in more segregated areas likely also affects white residents, leading to higher levels of lung cancer compared to their counterparts in less segregated areas. Policies targeting polluting sources in segregated areas will be important in reducing lung cancer incidence and disparities therein.

Haze has a severe impact on public health and daily life. The effective monitoring of atmospheric environment and regional air quality can be achieved through the comprehensive utilization of ground-based stations and satellite observations. By analyzing pollutant data, ground-based lidar observations, VIIRS and CALIPSO satellite images, meteorological data, and backward trajectory patterns, the three winter aerosol pollution events are studied in the Hefei region from 2018 to 2020. The results reveal similar median PM_2.5 concentrations during the three aerosol pollution events, approximately 82 µg/m³, with aerosol extinction coefficients of about 0.8 and AOD values consistently exceeding 1. However, the formation processes and pollution mechanisms of the three haze events are different. Furthermore, the favorable meteorological conditions for aerosol pollution in the Hefei region during winter are the combined effects of surface cold high-pressure systems and low wind speeds. This study reveals the mechanisms underlying different aerosol pollution events in the winter season of the Hefei region, providing new reference and perspectives for aerosol pollution research and prevention.

Urban areas in developing countries are facing challenges in air quality management due to high spatio-temporal variations in emission sources. This complexity requires innovative ways of assessment and management of air quality within the city. The present work provides a roadmap for hybrid monitoring-based air quality assessment and local air quality management plan (LAMP) for urban hotspot. In this study, fixed and mobile economical portable sensors (EPS) are deployed around a continuous ambient air quality monitoring station (CAAQMS) to assess the trends in air quality of the area. The pre-evaluated EPS are used to accurately capture the hyperlocal variations in the pollution level around an expensive regulatory monitoring station in Delhi, India. The micro-meteorology around the CAAQMS is also taken into account by fixing additional weather stations in different directions. The findings indicate high monthly variations in PM_2.5 (160-201 µg/m³) and NO₂ (41–56 µg/m³) concentrations within a small 2 km radial area around a CAAQMS. The polarplot analysis indicates that local sources are responsible for pollution level. Based on correlation analysis, PM_2.5 dispersion around CAAQMS is correlated well with relative humidity (RH) (r² = 0.58). It is also observed that green area enhance RH and reduce ambient temperature which ultimately influences the pollutant dispersion. This robust assessment of air quality variations at micro scale brings the need for designing of effective and efficient mitigation measures at the local level for hotspots.

As students spend the bulk of their time indoors, the study’s goals were to estimate the daily personal exposures of students to PM_2.5, estimate contributions to personal exposure from different micro-environments, and allocate the contributions of PM_2.5 sources to the outdoor and indoor environment. Between July and October 2019, college students aged 16 to 20 were personally monitored for PM_2.5 concentrations. PM_2.5 personal concentrations for college students ranged from 215.6 to 121.4 µgm^-3, with an average of 137.5 ± 41.9 µgm^-3. Personal environmental monitors (PEM) were used to test PM_2.5 and its metal compositions of Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe, Cr, Cd, Mn, Ba, Cu, and Hg. Using the positive matrix factorization along with geo-accumulation index and enrichment factor analysis, other sources responsible for the production of particle pollution have also been identified. According to the findings of the factor analysis, anthropogenic activities, traffic emissions, tobacco or cigarette smoke, and metal processing, all play a significant role in the production of metal-bound PM_2.5 particle pollution emissions. Based on the non-cancer risk findings for metals, ingestion of metals via inhalation was not a potentially high chronic risk. But the carcinogenic risks of metals like Cd, Ni, and Cr represent a health risk. Future studies should focus more on investigating the specific epidemiological effects of exposure to heavy metals in fine particles.