Atmosphere最新文献

The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC), located in Fernald, Ohio, USA, released radon (Rn) as a byproduct of the processing of uranium materials during the years from 1951 to 1989. Rn is a colorless, odorless gas that emits charged alpha radiation that interacts with cells in the lung and trachea-bronchial tree, leading to DNA damage, mutations, and tumor initiation. The purpose of this project was to use evidence collected by the Fernald Dosimetry Reconstruction Project and other sources to estimate the outdoor Rn exposure to individuals in the community immediately surrounding the FMPC during the years of plant operation. Using previously tabulated source terms, diffusion and meteorological data, and self-reported detailed residential histories, we estimated radon exposure for approximately 9300 persons who lived at more than 14,000 addresses. The results indicated that a portion of the population cohort experiences mean annual Rn exposure exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action limit of 4 pCiL^-1. These exposure estimates support the analysis of the incidence of lung cancer in the Fernald Community Cohort (FCC).

Light-duty trucks (LDTs) are often used to tow trailers. Towing increases the load on the engine, and this additional load can affect exhaust emissions. Although heavy-duty towing impacts are widely studied, data on LDT towing impacts is sparse. In this study, portable emissions measurement systems (PEMSs) were used to measure in-use emissions from three common LDTs during towing and non-towing operations. Emission rates were characterized by operating modes defined in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) model. The measured emission rates were compared to the default rates used by MOVES, revealing similar overall trends. However, discrepancies between measured rates and MOVES predictions, especially at high speed and high operating modes, indicate a need for refinement in emissions modeling for LDTs under towing operations. Results highlight a general trend of increased CO2, CO, HC, and NOx when towing a trailer compared to non-towing operations across nearly all operating modes, with distinct CO and HC increases in the higher operating modes. Although emissions were observed to be notably higher in a handful of scenarios, results also indicate that three similar LDTs can have distinctly different emission profiles.

Subsurface contamination can migrate upward into overlying buildings, exposing the buildings' inhabitants to contaminants that can cause detrimental health effects. This phenomenon is known as vapor intrusion (VI). When evaluating a building for VI, one must understand that seasonal and short-term variability are significant factors in determining the reasonable maximum exposure (RME) to the occupants. RME is a semi-quantitative term that refers to the lower portion of the high end of the exposure distribution-conceptually, above the 90th percentile exposure but less than the 98th percentile exposure. Samples were collected between December 2020 and April 2022 at six non-residential commercial buildings in Fairbanks, Alaska. The types of samples collected included indoor air (IA); outdoor air; subslab soil gas; soil gas; indoor radon; differential pressure; indoor and outdoor temperature; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) parameters; and other environmental factors. The buildings in close proximity to the volatile organic compound (VOC) source/release points presented less variability in indoor air concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) compared to the buildings farther down gradient in the contaminated groundwater plume. The VOC data pattern for the source area buildings shows an outdoor air temperature-dominated behavior for indoor air concentrations in the summer season. HVAC system operations had less influence on long-term indoor air concentration trends than environmental factors, which is supported by similar indoor air concentration patterns independent of location within the plume. The use of soil temperature and indoor/outdoor temperatures as indicators and tracers (I&Ts) across the plume as predictors of the sampling period could produce a good estimation of the RME for the building occupants. These results, which show the use of soil temperature and indoor/outdoor temperatures as I&Ts, will help advance investigative methods for evaluation of VI in similar settings and thereby improve the protection of human health in indoor environments.

Numerical simulation studies of the dispersion of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the air have increased over the last two decades in parallel with the interest in understanding its role as a precursor of non-sea salt aerosols in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere. Here, we review recent numerical modeling studies that have included DMS emissions, their atmospheric oxidation mechanism, and their subsequent impacts on air quality at regional and global scales. In addition, we discuss the available methods for estimating sea-air DMS fluxes, including parameterizations and climatological datasets, as well as their integration into air quality models. At the regional level, modeling studies focus on the Northern Hemisphere, presenting a large gap in Antarctica, Africa, and the Atlantic coast of South America, whereas at the global scale, modeling studies tend to focus more on polar regions, especially the Arctic. Future studies must consider updated climatologies and parameterizations for more realistic results and the reduction in biases in numerical simulations analysis.

Evidence from megacity registry data regarding the independent association between ambient temperature and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, after accounting for Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM_2.5), remains scarce. In this study, we collected 308,116 CVD mortality cases in Shanghai from 2015 to 2020. The distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was utilized. The daily PM_2.5 concentration was transformed using a natural spline (ns) function and integrated into the model for adjustment. The DLNM analysis revealed that the exposure-response curve between daily temperature and CVD mortality approximated an inverted "J" shape, consistent for both women and men. The minimum mortality temperature (MMT) for total CVD mortality was 25 °C, with an MMT of 26 °C for females and 24 °C for males. The highest relative risk (RR) of CVD mortality was 2.424 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.035, 2.887] at the lowest temperature of -6.1 °C, with 2.244 (95% CI: 1.787, 2.818) for female and 2.642 (95% CI: 2.100, 3.326) for male. High temperatures exert acute and short-term effects, with the peak risk occurring on the day of exposure. In contrast, the risk from low temperature peaks on day 3 of the lag time and subsequently declines until days 16-21. This study offers evidence-based support for the prevention of temperature-induced CVD mortality.

High temperatures and air pollution exposure are individually known risks to human health, with amplifying adverse health effects during periods of co-exposure. This study compared co-occurring individual-level exposures to particulate matter (PM₅, aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 5 micrometers) and heat among women in residential and agricultural settings in Guatemala. We measured personal and ambient exposure to PM₅, temperature, and humidity among 21 female sugarcane workers in the fields and on their off days. We measured similar exposures among a group of 30 community members not involved in sugarcane work. We collected 171 personal PM₅ measurements across 18 sampling days. The median workday personal PM₅ concentration was 271 μg/m³, which was 3.6-fold higher than ambient area levels in the fields. The median personal PM₅ concentration was 95.8 ug/m³ for off-work days and 83.5 ug/m³ for community days. The average workday individual-level temperature and humidity were 39.4°C and 82.4%, respectively, with significantly lower temperatures on off-work and community days. The women workers and community members were exposed to high levels of PM₅ and heat in both occupational and residential settings. Research needs to consider individual-level exposures at both work and home to help tailor more effective comprehensive prevention efforts to reduce risks.