Assessing the impact of visitors on airborne particle deposition in the Giant Gypsum Geode of Pulpí (SE Spain)

BackgroundThe health effects of biological aerosols on the respiratory system are unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the association of airborne particle, protein, and endotoxin with emergency department visits for asthma in Kyoto City, Japan.MethodsWe collected data on emergency department visits at a hospital in Kyoto from September 2014 to May 2016. Fine (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) and coarse (≥ 2.5 μm) particles were collected in Kyoto, and protein and endotoxin levels were analyzed. The association of the levels of particles, protein, endotoxin, and meteorological factors (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and air pressure) with emergency department visits for asthma was estimated.ResultsThere were 1 to 15 emergency department visits for asthma per week, and the numbers of visits increased in the autumn and spring, namely many weeks in September, October, and April. Weekly concentration of protein in fine particles was markedly higher than that in coarse particles, and protein concentration in fine particles was high in spring months. Weekly endotoxin concentrations in fine and coarse particles were high in autumn months, including September 2014 and 2015. Even after adjusting for meteorological factors, the concentrations of coarse particles and endotoxin in both particles were significant factors on emergency department visits for asthma.ConclusionsOur results suggest that atmospheric coarse particles and endotoxin are significantly associated with an increased risk of asthma exacerbation.

This study analyzed the size distribution of airborne particulate matter (PM) and 13 metallic elements associated with it. PM samples were collected using an eight-stage cascade impactor in a busy urban area of an industrial city, Korea during four seasons. Most of the fine and coarse particle mass was concentrated in the size range of 0.7–1.1 µm and 9–10 µm, respectively. PM mass showed two peaks in spring: The first peak was observed for the smallest particles (< 0.7 µm) and the second one was found in the coarse particles (2.1–10 µm). However, fine particles (0.7–2.1 µm) showed the highest PM concentrations in winter. In the distribution analysis of 13 metals in PM, three main groups were determined: (i) heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Mn, Ni and Cr) which were present in high concentrations in fine particles (< 2.1 µm) particularly at the size of 0.4–0.7 µm, (ii) light metals (Na, Ca, K, Al) and Fe which had high concentrations in coarse particles, and (iii) other heavy metals (Pb, Mg and Cu) showing high concentrations at sizes larger than 5.8 µm. The concentrations of Cd, Mn and Ni in the size range of 0.4–0.7 µm of the airborne particles and their total levels obtained by summing up the concentrations of the 8 classified size groups were exceeded the proposed thresholds or tolerance levels of the toxic heavy metals. The mass concentrations of Cd, Mn and Ni decreased with increasing particle size, except the size range of 9–10 µm, in PM10. The levels of Pb in PM10 did not show the size characteristics shown in Cd, Mn and Ni and also was below its tolerance level. Principal sources of 13 metallic elements in PM included natural sources and local anthropogenic sources such as non-ferrous metal smelting, oil combustion, welding, vehicular traffic and road dust.

Hypertension Editors' Picks: Air Pollution.

Introduction Concentrations of fine outdoor particles have been associated with increased prevalence of acute symptoms in numerous studies. We assessed relationships between health symptoms in office workers and indoor concentrations of particles, using data collected from a representative sample of 100 U.S. office buildings in the U.S. EPA BASE study. Methods We assessed associations in these office buildings between two types of building-related symptoms (defined as occurring at least weekly and improving when away from the building)-lower respiratory and mucous membrane-and indoor concentrations of fine or coarse particles. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for associations between the two outcomes and quartiles of particle concentrations, adjusted for a variety of person-related and environment-related variables, including potential confounding variables such as characteristics of filtration systems as well as other risk factors for the outcomes. Results Indoor concentrations of fine and coarse particles were very low for all buildings (minimum, median and maximum were, for fine particles, 1.0, 7.2, and 22.5 μg/m3, and for coarse particles, 0.2, 3.9, and 16.3 μg/m3). In unadjusted analyses, indoor fine particles were not associated with either outcome, but the higher quartiles of concentrations of indoor coarse particle were inconsistently associated with elevated risk for both outcomes. In multivariate adjusted models, neither indoor fine nor coarse particles were significantly associated with prevalence of building-related mucus membrane symptoms (p-values = 0.62, 0.52) or lower respiratory symptoms (p-values = 0.74, 0.66). Point estimates for quartiles of indoor fine particle concentrations and building-related lower respiratory symptoms, however, showed a monotonic increase in risk: ORs = 1.0. 1.2, 1.2, 1.4, despite all 95% confidence intervals including 1.0. Discussion The lack of clear associations in these buildings between indoor particle concentrations and building-related symptoms is not surprising, given the low concentrations of particles observed. The suggestion of a positive relationship for indoor fine particles, however, is intriguing. Future analyses will include refinement of models and assessment of relationships within potentially susceptible subgroups such as previously diagnosed asthmatics.

A chemical element mass balance (CEB) receptor model was used to determine the contnbutions from coal combustion, cement and limestone, mobile sources, refuse incineration, soil, and steel industries to the ambient particulate matter in Chicago. Twenty-four hour average measurement were made of inhalable particulate (IP) matter consisting of fine particles (FP) diameter &lt; 2.5 μm and coarse particles (CP) diamerer &gt; 2.5 μm but &lt; 15 μm; sulfur (as SO4-- ), and the concentration of Al, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Se, Si, Ti, V and Zn for both size fractions; and SO2, temperature, wind speed and wind direction on 17 days during a 4 month period from May to August 1984. The CEB was applied as an independent analysis to each sampling day. The average FP, CP and IP concentrations were 21.0 μg/m3,28.4 μg/m3 and 49.4 μg/m3 respectively. Based on study period average, coal, limestone, mobile, refuse, soil and steel contributes 0.40 μg/m3, 7.7 μg/m3, 5.1 μg/m3, 7.8 μg/m3, 5.5 μg/m3 and 1.2 μg/m3 of the JP respectively. The contribution from the unexplained particulate matter were 16.3 μg/m3, 5.9 μg/m3 and 21.6 μg/m3 for the FP, CP and IP respectively. This suggests that the aerosol is concentrated in the small size fractions contributes by the secondary pollutants. On average, the model was able to explain 22.2%, 79.3% and 56.3% of the FP, CP and IP respectively for the Chicago site.

Sources and chemical composition of atmospheric fine and coarse particles in the Helsinki area

Identifying the sources, composition, and temporal variability of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5–10) particles is a crucial component in understanding particulate matter (PM) toxicity and establishing proper PM regulations. In this study, a Harvard Impactor was used to collect daily integrated fine and coarse particle samples every third day for 9 years at a single site in Boston, MA. In total, 1,960 filters were analyzed for elements, black carbon (BC), and total PM mass. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used to identify source types and quantify their contributions to ambient PM2.5 and PM2.5–10. BC and 17 elements were identified as the main constituents in our samples. Results showed that BC, S, and Pb were associated exclusively with the fine particle mode, while 84% of V and 79% of Ni were associated with this mode. Elements mostly found in the coarse mode, over 80%, included Ca, Mn (road dust), and Cl (sea salt). PMF identified six source types for PM2.5 and three source types for PM2.5–10. Source types for PM2.5 included regional pollution, motor vehicles, sea salt, crustal/road dust, oil combustion, and wood burning. Regional pollution contributed the most, accounting for 48% of total PM2.5 mass, followed by motor vehicles (21%) and wood burning (19%). Source types for PM2.5–10 included crustal/road dust (62%), motor vehicles (22%), and sea salt (16%). A linear decrease in PM concentrations with time was observed for both fine (–5.2%/yr) and coarse (–3.6%/yr) particles. The fine-mode trend was mostly related to oil combustion and regional pollution contributions. Average PM2.5 concentrations peaked in summer (10.4 µg/m3), while PM2.5–10 concentrations were lower and demonstrated little seasonal variability. The findings of this study show that PM2.5 is decreasing more sharply than PM2.5–10 over time. This suggests the increasing importance of PM2.5–10 and traffic-related sources for PM exposure and future policies.Implications: Although many studies have examined fine and coarse particle composition and sources, few studies have used concurrent measurements of these two fractions. Our analysis suggests that fine and coarse particles exhibit distinct compositions and sources. With better knowledge of the compositional and source differences between these two PM fractions, better decisions can be made about PM regulations. Further, such information is valuable in enabling epidemiologists to understand the ensuing health implications of PM exposure.

Chemical characterization of coarse particulate matter in the Desert Southwest – Pinal County Arizona, USA

In this article experimental results of the bulk behavior of concentrated suspensions of coarse and fine (colloidal) particles in a Newtonian fluid (water) are presented. Different rheological behaviors can be observed depending on both the solid concentrations in fine and coarse particles and the shear velocity. For suspensions concentrated in coarse particles that are poor in fine particles, the bulk behavior is frictional for low shear velocities and viscous for sufficiently large shear velocities. In the converse case, for mixtures rich in fine particles, the bulk behavior is viscoplastic. A more complex time-dependent behavior can be observed when the viscoplastic force exerted by the dispersion on coarse particles roughly balances the force of gravity. The diversity in bulk behavior is explained by the specific role played by the contact between coarse particles.

A significant fraction of daily personal exposure to air pollutants occurs during commuting in transport microenvironments (TMEs). We carried out systematic mobile monitoring on a pre-defined route to assess personal exposure levels of particulate matter (PM) in four TMEs (bus, car, cycle and walk). Measurements were made during morning peak (MP), afternoon off-peak (OP) and evening peak (EP) hours in a typical UK town, Guildford. The objectives were to quantify the real-time exposure to fine and coarse particles, identify the factors influencing their spatiotemporal variation and estimate the respiratory deposition doses (RDD). The mean PM10 concentrations were 90 ± 63, 23 ± 9, 14 ± 17 and 63 ± 76 μg m−3 for bus, car, cycle and walk modes, respectively. The average ratios of PM2.5/PM10 were 0.32, 0.90, 0.67 and 0.36 for bus, car, cycle and car journeys, respectively. The mean concentrations of coarse particles (PM2.5-10) followed the trend: bus > walk > cycle > car. In contrast, mean concentrations of submicron (PM1) and fine particles (PM2.5) were usually high in the car while lowest for cyclists. RDD depend on the physical activity, particle size distribution and thus deposited fraction are not always proportional to the ambient concentration. RDD for coarse particles were largest for the walk mode (56 ± 14 μg h−1), followed by buses (31 ± 2 μg h−1), cycle (12 ± 3 μg h−1) and cars (1.2 ± 0.3 μg h−1). The corresponding RDD of fine particles were comparable for both walk (5.5 ± 0.3 μg h−1) and cycle (5.1 ± 1.2 μg h−1), followed by bus (4.1 ± 0.7 μg h−1) and car (2.0 ± 0.2 μg h−1). Car mode experienced both the least concentrations and RDD for coarse particles. It also had the lowest RDD for fine particles despite high concentrations. Physical activity of car commuters is modest compared with walking and cycling, which makes the rank ordering of RDD different than those of exposure concentrations. Hence the management of commuting exposures should consider potential dose and not just exposure concentration for curtailing adverse health effects related to commuting. RDD for pedestrian and cycle modes were not the lowest among the measured modes but opportunities such as an increased distance between the heavily trafficked roadways and pedestrians/cyclists should be considered in urban planning to reduce potential doses.

Size fractionated speciation of sulfate and nitrate in airborne particulates in Beijing, China

Daily average concentrations of fine, coarse particulates and TSP samples have been measured simultaneously at daytime and nighttime periods by using Universal and PS-1 sampler in suburban area of central Taiwan from June to August 1999. The samples were analyzed by using atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the fine and coarse particulate concentrations of metallic elements (Ca, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cr). The concentration of PM_(2.5) and TSP showed a decreased trend for the daytime period. The fine particle concentrations were almost greater than and were about two times as that of coarse particulate concentrations. The averaged fine particulate concentrations at daytime are higher than at nighttime. Ca and Fe were mostly in the coarse particulate mode. The correlation coefficients were 0.63 and 0.69 for elements Ca and Fe in the coarse particle mode for day and night period, receptively. Pb showed a similar distribution ratios with Mn for the fine to coarse particle ratios at both day and night period. Pb and Mn are highly correlated for the day (R = 0.78) and night period (R = 0.61) at particle size ＜ 2.5 μm. Cu and Zn were mainly in fine particle mode at both day and night period. Fe and Ca consist of the major parts of all the elements. Element Mn is the lowest composition among the rest of the heavy metals.

Dry deposition flux and particle concentration of mass, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl− and SO4 2‐were measured by dry deposition plates and NRI (Noll Rotary Impactor), MOUDI (Micro‐Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor), respectively in the ambient air of Chung‐Hsing University and Tung‐Hai University in central Taiwan from November 1995 to January 1996. AAA‐680/G flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to measure the metals Ca2+ and Mg2+ and a I. C. (DIONEX DX‐100 Ion Chromatography) was used to measure the ions Cl− and SO4 2‐ species. The CHU sampling site was divided into two parts to discuss the influence of coarse particle on the concentration and deposition velocities. The average mass concentration (without NRI sampler) for thefine and coarse particles were 21.6, 23.8 and 19.8, 21.6 μg/m3 in CHU and THU sampling site, respectively. By the same token, the average mass concentration (with NRI sampler) for the fine and coarse particles were 26.4 and 30.9 μg/m3 in CHU sampling site, separately. The results indicated that the average deposition velocities were 1.34, 1.11, 1.19, 0.11 and 0.27 (cm/sec) for mass, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl− and SO4 2‐, respectively in CHU area with NRI sampler. And the results also displayed the average deposition velocities were 1.58, 1.23, 1.64, 0.52 and 0.58 (cm/sec) for mass, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl− and SO4 2‐, separately in CHU sampling site without NRI sampler. The deposition velocities were 3.93, 2.69 and 2.23 (cm/sec) for mass, Ca2+ and Mg2+, respectively in THU sampling site without NRI sampler. Thus, this study showed that the coarse particle did have significant influence on the urban and suburban area of central Taiwan. In the ambient air of CHU the correlation coefficient of average wind speed with average mass flux (R2) is 0.65 This phenomena can be further verified by the sampling site of THU (R2 = 0.76). The results indicated that fine particles (dp < 2.5 μm) occupied only about 4.65% and 7.20% for mass in CHU and THU sampling site, respectively. The calculated dry deposition coarse particle flux (dp > 2.5 μm) is much higher than dry deposition fine particle flux for mass even though the concentration distribution for the coarse and fine particle are insignificantly different. The calculated results displayed coarse particle occupied the majority (> 91.6%) of the total dry deposition in either urban or suburban area for mass, metal (Ca2+, Mg2+) and ions (Cl−, SO4 2‐). The correlation coefficient (R2) of total mass flux and coarse / fine particle concentration are 0.76 and 0.076, separately. And the results suggest that the magnitude of the flux is strongly dependent on coarse particle concentration and independent of the fine particle concentration.

Changes in concentrations of fine and coarse particles under the CO2-induced global warming

BackgroundParticulate matter air pollution has been associated with adverse health effects. The fraction of ambient particles that are mainly responsible for the observed health effects is still a matter of controversy. Better characterization of the health relevant particle fraction will have major implications for air quality policy since it will determine which sources should be controlled.The RUPIOH study, an EU-funded multicentre study, was designed to examine the distribution of various ambient particle metrics in four European cities (Amsterdam, Athens, Birmingham, Helsinki) and assess their health effects in participants with asthma or COPD, based on a detailed exposure assessment. In this paper the association of central site measurements with respiratory symptoms and restriction of activities is examined.MethodsAt each centre a panel of participants with either asthma or COPD recorded respiratory symptoms and restriction of activities in a diary for six months. Exposure assessment included simultaneous measurements of coarse, fine and ultrafine particles at a central site. Data on gaseous pollutants were also collected. The associations of the 24-hour average concentrations of air pollution indices with the health outcomes were assessed in a hierarchical modelling approach. A city specific analysis controlling for potential confounders was followed by a meta-analysis to provide overall effect estimates.ResultsA 10 μg/m3 increase in previous day coarse particles concentrations was positively associated with most symptoms (an increase of 0.6 to 0.7% in average) and limitation in walking (OR= 1.076, 95% CI: 1.026-1.128). Same day, previous day and previous two days ozone concentrations were positively associated with cough (OR= 1.061, 95% CI: 1.013-1.111; OR= 1.049, 95% CI: 1.016-1.083 and OR= 1.059, 95% CI: 1.027-1.091, respectively). No consistent associations were observed between fine particle concentrations, nitrogen dioxide and respiratory health effects. As for particle number concentrations negative association (mostly non-significant at the nominal level) was observed with most symptoms whilst the positive association with limitation of activities did not reach the nominal level of significance.ConclusionsThe observed associations with coarse particles are in agreement with the findings of toxicological studies. Together they suggest it is prudent to regulate also coarse particles in addition to fine particles.