Multi Scale Analysis of Particulate and Gaseous Pollutants in Hyderabad: Trends, Correlations, and Machine Learning Enhanced Predictive Insights

Epidemiologic studies report associations between particulate air pollution and increased mortality from pulmonary diseases. This study was performed to examine whether the exposure to ambient gaseous and particulate air pollution leads to an alteration of the differential white blood cell count in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases like chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. A prospective panel study was conducted in Erfurt, Eastern Germany, with 12 repeated differential white blood cell counts in 38 males with chronic pulmonary diseases. Hourly particulate and gaseous air pollutants and meteorological data were acquired. Mixed models with a random intercept adjusting for trend, meteorology, weekday, and other risk variables were used.In this explorative analysis, we found an immediate decrease of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in response to an increase of most gaseous and particulate pollutants. Lymphocytes increased within 24 h in association with all gaseous pollutants but showed only minor effects in regard to particulate air pollution. Monocytes showed an increase associated with ultrafine particles, and nitrogen monoxide. The effect had two peaks in time, one 0–23 h before blood withdrawal and a second one with a time lag of 48–71 h. The increase of particulate and gaseous air pollution was associated with multiple changes in the differential white blood cell count in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases.

Assessment of particle and gaseous emissions and reductions from gasoline direct injection passenger car and light-duty truck during passive regeneration

In order to address the role that the ambient air pollution mix, comprised of gaseous pollutants and various physical and chemical measures of particulate matter, plays in exacerbating cardiorespiratory disease, daily measures of fine and coarse particulate mass, aerosol chemistry (sulfates and acidity), and gaseous pollution (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide) were collected in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the summers of 1992, 1993, and 1994. These time series were then compared with concurrent data on the number of daily admissions to hospitals for either cardiac diseases (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and dysthymias) or respiratory diseases (tracheobronchitis, chronic obstructive long disease, asthma, and pneumonia). After adjusting the admission time series for long-term temporal trends, seasonal variations, the effects of short-term epidemics, day of the week effects, and ambient temperature and dew point temperature, positive associations were observed for all ambient air pollutants for both respiratory and cardiac diseases. Ozone was least sensitive to adjustment for the gaseous and particulate pollution measures. However, the association between the health outcomes and carbon monoxide, fine and coarse mass, sulfate levels and aerosol acidity could be explained by adjustment for exposure to gaseous pollutants. Increases in ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide equivalent to their interquartile ranges corresponded to an 11% and 13% increase in daily hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac diseases, respectively. The inclusion of any one of the particulate air pollutants in multiple regression models did not increase these percentages. Particle mass and chemistry could not be identified as an independent risk factor for the exacerbation of cardiorespiratory diseases in this study beyond that attributable to climate and gaseous air pollution. We recommend that effects of particulate matter on health be assessed in conjunction with temporally covarying gaseous air pollutants.ImagesFigure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 1.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.Figure 2.

In order to address the role that the ambient air pollution mix, comprised of gaseous pollutants and various physical and chemical measures of particulate matter, plays in exacerbating cardiorespiratory disease, daily measures of fine and coarse particulate mass, aerosol chemistry (sulfates and acidity), and gaseous pollution (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide) were collected in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the summers of 1992, 1993, and 1994. These time series were then compared with concurrent data on the number of daily admissions to hospitals for either cardiac diseases (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and dysthymias) or respiratory diseases (tracheobronchitis, chronic obstructive long disease, asthma, and pneumonia). After adjusting the admission time series for long-term temporal trends, seasonal variations, the effects of short-term epidemics, day of the week effects, and ambient temperature and dew point temperature, positive associations were observed for all ambient air pollutants for both respiratory and cardiac diseases. Ozone was least sensitive to adjustment for the gaseous and particulate pollution measures. However, the association between the health outcomes and carbon monoxide, fine and coarse mass, sulfate levels and aerosol acidity could be explained by adjustment for exposure to gaseous pollutants. Increases in ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide equivalent to their interquartile ranges corresponded to an 11% and 13% increase in daily hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac diseases, respectively. The inclusion of any one of the particulate air pollutants in multiple regression models did not increase these percentages. Particle mass and chemistry could not be identified as an independent risk factor for the exacerbation of cardiorespiratory diseases in this study beyond that attributable to climate and gaseous air pollution. We recommend that effects of particulate matter on health be assessed in conjunction with temporally covarying gaseous air pollutants.

The dense roadway network leads to high emissions of air pollutants per unit area, causing adverse environmental and health impacts. Various approaches to mitigating these air pollutions have been proposed, and one of the notable strategies is the use of vegetation for air purification. Vegetation is known to remove particulate and gaseous pollutants through various processes such as stomatal uptake, physical impaction and adsorption, and blocking by surfaces. Additionally, urban forests can contribute to improving air quality by reducing the urban heat island effect, potentially leading to slower chemical reactivities for secondary pollutants. However, air pollutant removal efficiencies of urban forests can be controlled by various factors such as vegetation type, leaf density, size, location, and seasonal and meteorological conditions. Moreover, the complex urban canopy and built environments can lead to spatiotemporally heterogeneous distributions of air pollutants, adding uncertainty to the assessment of the air purification capacity of urban forests.In this study, we conducted high-resolution measurements with an air quality sensor network to evaluate air pollution mitigation capacity of an urban forest that sits in a densely road-networked area. Air quality sensors were installed inside and outside the urban forests to monitor concentrations of both gaseous (CO, NO, NO2, O3) and particulate pollutants (PM2.5 and number density) across different seasons. Here, we present the preliminary results of our findings obtained from four intensive measurement campaigns in different seasons.AcknowledgmentsThis research was supported by Particulate Matter Management Specialized Graduate Program through the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute(KEITI) funded by the Ministry of Environment(MOE)Keywords: urban forest, air pollution mitigation, sensor network, field measurements, seasonal variations

Effects of gaseous and solid constituents of air pollution on endothelial function

Association between air pollution and development of atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis of observational studies

Periodic and continuous monitoring of the air pollutants becomes a very important activity for all researchers worldwide. In Sambalpur, one of the major towns in the Western flanks of Odisha State in Eastern India, a work was envisaged to measure the gaseous and particulate pollutants and compute the air pollution index (API) at four representative sampling stations (Budharaja, Modipara, Sakhipara and Kacheri) based on the guidelines of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi. The gaseous pollutants were analyzed by passing them through their respective absorbing reagents, while the particulate pollutants were studied gravimetrically for a period of 1 year (August 2015–July 2016) with a frequency of twice per week. The results revealed that the gaseous pollutants (NO2 from 14.64 to 19.19 and SO2 from 3.22 to 5.29 µg/m3) are well within the National Permissible Standards, but the particulate matters (PM10 from 67.34 to 95.08 and PM2.5 from 36.38 to 64.00 µg/m3) are above the annual permissible limit set by the CPCB. Therefore, the API fluctuated between 37.94 and 57.30. Meteorology and wind rose had some role to play in the pollutant dispersal and dilution, besides being aided by the topography and anthropogenic activities of the area. The air quality of the area swung from light air pollution to moderate air pollution condition, which is primarily attributed to the particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5). Therefore, continuous, periodic monitoring with attention to source reduction in these pollutants and green belt development are the need of the hour.

An ecological type nonlinear mathematical model is proposed to study the removal of gaseous pollutants and two distinct particulate matters by precipitation scavenging in the atmosphere. The atmosphere during precipitation consists of five interacting phases namely the raindrops phase, the gaseous pollutants phase, the smaller particulate matters phase, the larger particulate matters phase and the absorbed phase of gaseous pollutants. We assume that gaseous pollutants are removed from the atmosphere by the processes of impaction as well as by absorption while particulate matters are assumed to be removed by impaction process. The model is analyzed using stability theory of nonlinear differential equations. It is shown that, under appropriate conditions, the pollutants can be removed from the atmosphere and their removal rates would depend mainly upon the rates of emission of pollutants, rate of rain drops formation and the rate of raindrops falling on the ground. If the rate of precipitation is very high, all the pollutants (gaseous as well as particulate matters) would be removed completely from the atmosphere. A numerical study is also performed to study the dynamics of the model system. The results are found to be in line with the experimental observations published in the literature.

Human-greenspace interactions with outdoor air: Landscape metric and PLS-SEM approach

ObjectiveTo systematically review the evidence around the effect of ambient levels of particulate and gaseous pollutants, and the risk of hospitalisation with bronchiolitis for infants under two years of age.DesignSystematic review of observational epidemiological studies including cohort, time series, case crossover and case control study designs.Data sourcesMedline, Scopus, and Web of Science searched to November 2017 with no language restrictions.Eligibility criteriaStudies investigating impact of air pollution levels on particulate pollutants (diameter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) or <10 μm (PM10) and gaseous pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3)) on hospital admission for bronchiolitis.Main outcome measureRisk of hospitalisation from bronchiolitis.ResultsEight studies were eligible for review. Long term exposure to PM2.5 may be associated with increased risk of hospitalisation for bronchiolitis. SO2 may also be associated with hospitalisation, but results for other pollutants are inconsistent between studies. In three of the five studies that showed a positive association between air pollutants and hospitalisation, measured concentrations were below World Health Organization (WHO) recommended levels.ConclusionsCertain particulate and gaseous pollutants may have a clinically relevant effect on hospital admissions for bronchiolitis in children below age two years old. Large cohort or time series studies are needed to examine this possible association.ProtocolThe protocol can be found at PROSPERO (CRD42017080643).

The aim of the study was to assess the ambient particulate matter (PM) Pollution in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria. The objectives were to assess the PM, relative humidity (RH), temperature (Temp), and gas pollutant (CO2, SO2, NO2, and O3) levels at four separate locations in Ilaro. It also assesses the toxicity potential (TP), looks at the primary sources of PM pollution, and takes the effects of meteorological on the pollutants. SentinAir sensors were used at four sampling points to detect the ambient levels of the criterion pollutants according to the guidelines. The overall 24-h values for NO2, SO2, O3, CO2, PM2.5, PM1, and PM10 were found to be 568 ppm, 7.40 µg/m3, 10.46 µg/m3, and 11.13 µg/m3, respectively. The O3 levels in this study are lower than the 100 µg/m3 limit value that is advised by the WHO for 8 h. The potential for toxicity differs significantly throughout the locations. A high TP above 1 denotes a high danger of pollution, meaning that places (junctions) where people and cars move around, where there is cement dust, where there is a forest fire, where waste is burned, and where other man-made activities occur are hazardous to both human and environmental health. For every site, SO2 concentration levels show a very consistent pattern, albeit they change with time. Significant associations were observed between the contaminants and the climatic variable. The PCA eigenvalues are greater than 1 at p > 0.05. The study concluded that PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 exceeds the WHO standard, the findings imply that the sources of pollution are comparable. This study provides evidence that the quality of the air in the studied locations may be negatively impacted by human activities. The findings underscore the need for targeted mitigation strategies to address the pollutants problems.

Adverse respiratory effects and allergic susceptibility in relation to particulate air pollution: flirting with disaster.

Air pollution is a leading environmental risk factor for premature death globally. People are typically exposed to gaseous and particulate pollutants simultaneously in the real-world. People spend various time in different microenvironments, including home, office, transit, others and outdoor. Health risks caused by air pollution exposure differ among individuals due to differences in activity, microenvironmental concentration, as well as toxicity of pollutants. Most of the existing individual exposure studies were conducted on particulate matter (PM). Limited information is available on personal exposure variability for gaseous pollutants (i.e., NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;) due to complexity and difficulty in measuring those pollutants. Using added health risk (AR) model, we evaluated short-term health risk of NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; based on ambient concentrations in urban areas with dense traffic and less urbanized areas. Although PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; has a significant long-term health risk, NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; are more predominant in short-term health risk than PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt;. Thus, with the recent technological advancement, we measured real-world personal exposure to both gaseous and particulate pollutants using next generation sensors across 21 participants in their daily life. We quantified health risk of combined exposure to NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; using AR model. Inter-and intra-individual variability in health risks and sources of variations were investigated using linear mixed-effects models and correlation analysis, respectively. Daily time-integrated AR for combined NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; (TIAR&lt;sub&gt;combine&lt;/sub&gt;) ranged by a factor of 2.5 among participants and by a factor of 1.0 to 2.5 for a given person across measured days. Several factors were identified to be significantly correlated with daily TIAR&lt;sub&gt;combine&lt;/sub&gt;, with the top 5 factors including NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; concentrations at home, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; concentrations at office and ambient PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; concentrations. The results on the sources of variability in daily personal health risk are great potentials that could help in targeting interventions to reduce daily health damage related to air pollution. Based on the results, participants were exposed to 64% of daily TIAR&lt;sub&gt;combine&lt;/sub&gt; at home. Infiltration of outdoor pollutants is an important source of people’s exposure at home. Thus, identifying sources that lead to variations in outdoor infiltration can help in targeting interventions to reduce home exposure. We measured simultaneous indoor and outdoor NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; concentrations using next generation sensors from 55 home campaigns to identify key factors affecting infiltration of gaseous and particulate pollutants. We identified key controllable sources of variability in infiltration factors (F&lt;sub&gt;inf&lt;/sub&gt;) in NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; and PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; using stepwise multiple linear regression. Ventilation practices (e.g., window opening duration and air-conditioning (AC) on/off) have significant impacts on outdoor infiltration of PM&lt;sub&gt;2.5&lt;/sub&gt; and NO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, accounting for 48% and 20% of the variations in F&lt;sub&gt;inf&lt;/sub&gt;, respectively. Use of air purifiers explained an additional 8%-9% of variations in F&lt;sub&gt;inf&lt;/sub&gt; for these two pollutants. For O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;, homes with AC on were significantly associated with lower infiltration than homes with AC off. Thus, people can reduce infiltrated ambient air pollution in the homes by changing their ventilation practices (e.g., window close and use of AC) and using air purifiers. It is recommended to close windows and turn on AC during high air pollution episodes to protect sensitive people (e.g., children, elderly, and people with underlying respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) from exposure to high pollution.

Impacts of long-term ambient particulate matter and gaseous pollutants on circulating biomarkers of inflammation in male and female health professionals