Concentrations Of Major Air Pollutants Research Articles

Coordinated Control of Carbon Emission Reduction and Air Quality Improvement in the Industrial Sector in Hunan Province

Climate warming and air pollution are the main environmental problems in China. This study used China's Carbon Accounting Database, energy economic model, and air quality model to analyze the potential carbon emission peaking path and synergistic air quality improvement gain in the industrial sector in Hunan Province. Based on China's Carbon Accounting Database and the local industry/energy statistical yearbooks in Hunan, the total CO2 emissions in Hunan Province in 2019 were 310.6 Mt, of which the industrial sector accounted for over 70% of the emissions, mainly from the production and supply of electricity, steam, and heat; the production of non-metallic minerals; and the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals. Three potential industrial carbon emission peaking scenarios were analyzed using the LEAP energy economic model, including the business-as-usual scenario (peaking by 2030), moderate emission reduction scenario (peaking by 2028), and aggressive emission reduction scenario (peaking by 2025), by employing different economic growth rates, energy technology progress, and energy structures of the industrial sector. Furthermore, by combining the anthropogenic air pollutant emission inventory and the regional air quality model WRF-Chem, we analyzed the air quality improvement associated with various carbon emission peak paths. The results showed that the annual mean concentrations of major air pollutants had decreased in the three scenarios, especially in the Chang-Zhu-Tan Region. The aggressive emission reduction scenario was the most effective scenario, followed by the moderate emission reduction scenario and the business-as-usual scenario. Manufacturing was the sector with the most significant synergistic effect of pollution and carbon reduction. When carbon emission peaks were achieved, the annual average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in Hunan Province could be synergistically reduced by 0.6-1.8 μg·m-3 and 1.8-8.9 μg·m-3, respectively. Our findings offer important insights into carbon emission peaking and can provide useful information for potential mitigation actions.

Elucidating the Impacts of Meteorology and Emission Changes on Concentrations of Major Air Pollutants in Major Cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region Using a Machine Learning De-weather Method

This study applied a de-weather method based on a machine learning technique to quantify the contribution of meteorology and emission changes to air quality from 2015 to 2021 in four cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region. The results showed that the significant reductions in PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 emissions(57.2%-68.2%, 80.7%-94.6%, and 81.6%-96.1%, respectively) offset the adverse effects of meteorological conditions, resulting in lower pollutant concentrations. The meteorological contribution of maximum daily 8-h average O3(MDA8_O3) showed a stronger effect than that of others(23.5%-42.1%), and meteorological factors promoted the increase in MDA8_O3 concentrations(4.7%); however, emission changes overall resulted in a decrease in MDA8_O3 concentrations(-3.2%). NO2 and MDA8_O3 decreased more rapidly from 2019 to 2021, mainly because the emissions played a stronger role in reducing pollutant concentrations than from 2015 to 2018. However, emissions changes had weaker reduction effects on PM2.5 and SO2 from 2019 to 2021 than from 2015 to 2018. De-weather methods could effectively seperate the effects of meteorology and emission changes on pollutant trends, which helps to evaluate the real effects of emission control policies on pollutant concentrations.

Exposure to air pollution and gains in body weight and waist circumference among middle-aged and older adults

IntroductionEmerging research suggested a nexus between air pollution exposure and risks of overweight and obesity, while existing longitudinal evidence was extensively sparse, particularly in densely populated regions. This study aimed to quantify concentration-response associations of changes in weight and waist circumference (WC) related to air pollution in Chinese adults. MethodsWe conceived a nationally representative longitudinal study from 2011 to 2015, by collecting 34,854 observations from 13,757 middle-aged and older adults in 28 provincial regions of China. Participants' height, weight and WC were measured by interviewers using standardized devices. Concentrations of major air pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) predicted by well-validated spatiotemporal models were assigned to participants according to their residential cities. Possible exposure biases were checked through 1000 random simulated exposure at individual level, using a Monte Carlo simulation approach. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to estimate the relationships of air pollution with weight and WC changes, and restricted cubic spline functions were adopted to smooth concentration-response (C-R) curves. ResultsEach 10-μg/m3 rise in PM2.5, NO2 and O3 was associated with an increase of 0.825 (95% confidence interval: 0.740, 0.910), 0.921 (0.811, 1.032) and 1.379 (1.141, 1.616) kg in weight, respectively, corresponding to WC gains of 0.688 (0.592, 0.784), 1.189 (1.040, 1.337) and 0.740 (0.478, 1.002) cm. Non-significant violation for linear C-R relationships was observed with exception of NO2-weight and PM2.5/NO2-WC associations. Sex-stratified analyses revealed elevated vulnerability in women to gain of weight in exposure to PM2.5 and NO2. Sensitive analyses largely supported our primary findings via assessing exposure estimates from 1000 random simulations, and performing reanalysis based on non-imputed covariates and non-obese participants, as well as alternative indicators (i.e., body mass index and waist-to-height ratio). ConclusionsWe found positively robust associations of later-life exposure to air pollutants with gains in weight and WC based on a national sample of Chinese adult men and women. Our findings suggested that mitigation of air pollution may be an efficient intervention to relieve obesity burden.

Impact of Meteorological Conditions and Human Activities on Air Quality During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Northeast China

During the lockdown implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, human activities have drastically reduced, providing a valuable opportunity to study and compare the impact of meteorological conditions and human activities on air quality. In this study, large-scale weather circulation, local meteorological conditions, and the impact of human activities are comprehensively considered, and changes in the concentration of major air pollutants in the northeast during this period are systematically studied. The large-scale weather circulation patterns that mainly affect the northeast region are divided into nine types by using the T-mode Principal components analysis objective circulation classification method. It is found that the northeast region is located at the edge of weak high pressure (Types 1, 2, and 7) and at the rear of high pressure (Type 4) and has higher concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO; in cyclonic weather systems, low vortices (Types 3 and 5) and under the influence of the updraft (Type 6) in front of the trough, the ozone concentration is higher. The changes in the concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, CO, SO2, and O3 in the three cities, namely Shenyang, Changchun, and Harbin, during the lockdown period are compared, and it is found that the concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, CO, and SO2 have a tendency to first decrease and then increase, while the changes of O3 concentration are cyclical and increased significantly during this period. This demonstrates that pollutants such as PM2.5, NO2, CO, and SO2 are more susceptible to human activities and local meteorological conditions, and changes in O3 concentration are more closely related to changes in weather circulation types. Finally, the FLEXPART-WRF model is used to simulate the pollution process of nine circulation types, which confirms that particulate pollution in the northeast is mainly affected by local emissions and local westward sinking airflow.

Spatio-Temporal Variations of Lower Tropospheric Pollutants and Their Relationship With Meteorological Factors in Karachi, Pakistan

Purpose: Karachi is the third most populous city globally, inhabiting over 20 million people. Its air quality is hardly ever comprehended despite ever-increasing vehicular and industrial emissions. The present paper investigates the outdoor concentrations of 10 air pollutants, viz. NO, NO2, NOx, SO2, CO, O3, CH4, methane carbon, non-methane hydrocarbons, and total hydrocarbons at three sites of the city and their relationship with meteorological parameters. Method: All ten air pollutants were measured continuously for 24 hours at all three city sites by the Air Quality Monitoring Station, equipped with the Horiba AP-370 series, which has a built-in calibration solenoid valve for calibration simply by connecting the calibration gas. The meteorological parameters were measured simultaneously by the device installed outside the station. The data were then transferred to a computer for analysis. Results: The results demonstrate that these pollutants severely affected the city’s air quality. The annual mean concentrations of both NO2 and SO2 exceeded the WHO guidelines at some sites. The city experiences varied concentrations of major air pollutants because three fuels, viz. diesel, gasoline, and compressed natural gas operate the motor vehicles in this conurbation. The study also correlates the air pollutants with each other and with meteorological factors. All three nitrogen oxides are related to each other at all three sites, with SO2 at Defense Housing Authority, CO at North Nazimabad, and meteorological factors at Sohrab Goth and Defense Housing Authority. Conclusion: The higher air pollution in the city is due to the adoption of lenient vehicular emission standards. Stringent emission standards cannot be adopted because of the non-availability of low or zero sulfur fuel. Moreover, ineffective regulation of exiting standards also contributes to higher vehicular emissions in the city.

Impact of the temporary closure of a major bridge on local air quality in two large German cities: an accountability study

Despite recent achievements in reducing the contribution of road traffic to air pollution, agreed pollutant standards are exceeded frequently in large parts of Europe. Previous studies assessed the effectiveness of traffic interventions in improving local air quality. However, little research exists on the effect of closures of short road sections over longer periods. The multi-week maintenances on the Theodor Heuss Bridge, the main connection over the river Rhine between the German cities Mainz and Wiesbaden, offered the opportunity to investigate its effect on local air pollution. We measured ambient concentrations of major air pollutants and meteorological parameters at the Theodor Heuss Bridge before, during, and after its closure on 800 m in early 2020. We carried out time-series and closure-dependent evaluations of pollutant concentrations at the bridge accounting for wind direction. Furthermore, we performed regression analyses accounting for wind speed additionally. We compared the results with data from surrounding monitoring stations. We recorded higher concentrations at the Theodor Heuss Bridge compared to outside the closure, especially for particulate matter, nitric oxide, and black carbon. Only with wind from specific directions, we could detect reductions of concentrations during the closure for many pollutants as nitrogen dioxide (− 9.8%; 95% confidence interval: − 10.8– − 8.7%), but not for particulate matter. Since we found similar meteorology-dependent pollution reductions during the closure at both the bridge and the surrounding monitoring stations, we assume that regional meteorological factors overlaid a potential closure-related effect on local air quality. These factors must be accounted for in accountability studies on interventions focusing on short roads.

Effect of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic on air quality of most polluted cities of Punjab (India)

In the last month of 2019, the outbreak of a viral disease named COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China. The disease has spread in most of the countries of the world and it was declared as a global pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Many countries implemented countrywide lockdown. COVID-19 has forced many countries to observe complete lockdown. This complete lockdown has improved the air quality significantly due to less human activities. In India, a complete lockdown of 21 days was implemented in phase I (March 25, 2020 to April 14, 2020) to avoid the spread of corona virus disease. Further, this lockdown was extended to phase II (April 15, 2020–May 3, 2020), phase III (May 4–17, 2020) and phase IV (May 18–31, 2020) with some relaxations in restrictions. In the present work, we have analyzed the data of major air pollutants PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and O3 from the three most polluted cities of Punjab for March 03–24, 2020 (before lockdown) vs. March 25, 2020 to May 31, 2020 (during lockdown divided into four phases). Further, an extensive comparison of the mean concentration of major air pollutants has been made for the different phases of lockdown including before lockdown period with the same periods in 2019. It is observed that the concentration of PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and SO2 has reduced significantly ~50% after first phase of lockdown. As observed in this study, there is an urgent need for interventions across northern India to knockdown air pollutant levels by more than 40% or so by adopting cleaner fuel technology and avoiding poor combustion activities.

Association between exposure to air pollutants and the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases visits.

The topic of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has attracted more and more attention. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to air pollutants is associated with IBD, yet the results are inconsistent and study about daily exposure is few. This study evaluated the association between daily air pollution and IBD in Hefei, China.Daily IBD admission data were obtained from two hospitals in Hefei from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. Daily concentrations of major air pollutants were provided by the Hefei Environmental Protection Bureau. Meteorological data were collected from China Meteorological Data Network. Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) considering both the lag effects of exposure factors and nonlinear relationship of exposure-reaction was used to assess the effect of daily air pollutants exposure on IBD admission.During the study period, totally 886 cases of IBD were recruited, including 313 cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) and 573 cases of Crohn's disease (CD). The findings showed PM2.5, O3, and CO exposure significantly increased the risk of IBD. Mean concentrations of PM2.5, O3, and CO in Hefei were 43.85ug/m3, 100.78ug/m3, and 0.76mg/m3, respectively. Each increase of 10mg/m3 in PM2.5/O3 and 0.1mg/m3 in CO increased the risk of IBD. The strongest effects of these three pollutants on IBD were observed in lag2-lag3 (RR = 1.037, 95% CI: 1.005-1.070%), lag3 (RR = 1.020, 95% CI: 1.002-1.038%), and lag2 (RR = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.003-1.071%), respectively. In warm seasons, PM2.5, O3, and CO had a stronger effect increased the risk of IBD, which were observed in lag2 (RR = 1.104, 95% CI: 1.032-1.181%), lag2 and lag5 (RR = 1.023, 95% CI: 1.002-1.044%; RR = 1.036, 95% CI: 1.004-1.069%), and lag2 (RR = 1.071, 95% CI: 1.012-1.133%), respectively.Air pollutant (PM2.5, O3, and CO) exposure could increase the risk of IBD, while the most susceptibility seasons for the exposure were mainly in warm seasons. The results of this study suggest that air pollutants increase the risk of IBD patients in Hefei, China, providing a basis for developing countries to improve effective prevention of IBD, and a potential opportunity to avoid part of the risk of the onset or recurrence of IBD. This study contributes to the knowledge of the association between air pollution and IBD, but the associations need to be verified by further studies.

Characteristics and sources of atmospheric pollutants in typical inland cities in arid regions of central Asia: A case study of Urumqi city.

The arid zone of central Asia secluded inland and has the typical features of the atmosphere. Human activities have had a significant impact on the air quality in this region. Urumqi is a key city in the core area of the Silk Road and an important economic center in Northwestern China. The urban environment is playing an increasingly important role in regional development. To study the characteristics and influencing factors of the main atmospheric pollutants in Urumqi, this study selected Urumqi’s daily air quality index (AQI) data and observation data of six major pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), breathable particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3_8h) from 2014 to 2018 in conjunction with meteorological data to use a backward trajectory analysis method to study the main characteristics of atmospheric pollutants and their sources in Urumqi from 2014 to 2018. The results showed that: (1) From 2014 to 2018, the annual average of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2 and CO concentrations showed a downward trend, and O3_8h concentrations first increased, then decreased, and then increased, reaching the highest value in 2018 (82.15 μg·m-3); The seasonal changes of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2 and CO concentrations were characterized by low values in summer and fall seasons and high values in winter and spring seasons. The concentration of O3_8h, however, was in the opposite trend, showing the high values in summer and fall seasons, and low values in winter and spring seasons. From 2014 to 2018, with the exception of O3_8h, the concentration changes of the other five major air pollutants were high in December, January, and February, and low in May, June, and July; the daily changes showed a “U-shaped” change during the year. The high-value areas of the "U-shaped" mode formed around the 50th day and the 350th day. (2) The high-value area of AQI was from the end of fall (November) to the beginning of the following spring (March), and the low-value area was from April to October. It showed a U-shaped change trend during the year and the value was mainly distributed between 50 and 100. (3) The concentrations of major air pollutants in Urumqi were significantly negatively correlated with precipitation, temperature, and humidity (P<0.01), and had the highest correlation coefficients with temperature. (4) Based on the above analysis results, this study analyzed two severe pollution events from late November to early December. Analysis showed that the PM2.5/PM10 ratio in two events remained at about 0.1 when the pollution occurred, but was higher before and after the pollution (up to 1.46). It was shown that the pollution was a simple sandstorm process. Backward trajectory analysis clustered the airflow trajectories reaching Urumqi into 4 categories, and the trajectories from central Asia contributed the maximum values of average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations.

Analysis on the Characteristics of Air Pollution in China during the COVID-19 Outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious global threat to human health. In China, the government immediately implemented lockdown measures to curb the spread of this virus. These measures severely affected transportation and industrial production across the country, resulting in a significant change in the concentration of air pollutants. In this study, the Euclidean distance method was used to select the most similar meteorological field during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Changes in the concentration of air pollutants in China were analyzed under similar meteorological background conditions. Results indicate that, compared with data from 2015–2019, air quality in China significantly improved; with the exception of ozone (O3), the concentration of major air pollutants declined. Compared with baseline conditions, the reduction of air pollutants in China from 25 January to 22 February 2020 (Period 2) was the most significant. In particular, NO2 decreased by 41.7% in the Yangtze River Delta. In Period 2, the reduction of air pollutants in areas other than Hubei gradually decreased, but the reduction of NO2 in Wuhan reached 61.92%, and the reduction of air pollutants in various regions after February 23 was significantly reduced. By excluding the influence of meteorological factors and calculating the contribution of human activities to atmospheric pollutants by linear fitting, in Period 2 the effect of artificial controls on NO2 in Wuhan attained 30.66%, and reached 48.17% from 23 February to 23 March (Period 3). Results from this investigation provides effective theoretical support for pollution prevention and control in China.

The concentration of major air pollutants during the movement control order due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many governments across the world to implement some form of lockdown to minimalize the spread of the virus. On 18th March 2020, the Malaysian government put into action an enforced movement control order (MCO) to reduce the numbers of infections. This study aims to investigate the concentrations of air pollutants during the MCO in the Klang Valley. The concentrations of air pollutants were recorded by the continuous air quality monitoring system (CAQMS) operated by the Department of Environment. The results showed that there were significant reductions (p < 0.05) of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and CO during the MCO compared with the same periods in 2019 and 2018. The highest percentage of reduction during the MCO was recorded by NO2 with a percentage reduction of between −55 % and −72 %. O3 concentrations at several stations showed an increase due to the reductions of its precursors such as NO. Further investigation using diurnal patterns of air pollutant concentrations both before and during the MCO showed that NO2 and CO were both reduced significantly during the rush hours, indicating the reduction in motor vehicles on the roads as a consequence of the MCO influenced the levels of these pollutants.

Emission and migration of PCDD/Fs and major air pollutants from co-processing of sewage sludge in brick kiln

The annual output of sewage in China is increasing rapidly and continues to grow, so there is an urgent need for a treatment other than landfills. Among various treatment methods, brick production coprocessing of sewage sludge is technically and economically advantageous. The emission characteristics of typical brick kiln coprocessing of sewage sludge with an annual production of 60 million bricks were studied. The major air pollutants and PCDD/Fs in gas and soil were determined. Particulate matter and SO2 contributed most before treatment, with concentrations of (1.017 ± 0.089) × 104 mg/Nm3 and (2.770 ± 0.251) × 103 mg/Nm3, respectively. After cleaning, the average emitted concentrations of major air pollutants were permissive and homogeneous: 58.13 ± 5.51 mg/Nm3 for NOx, 30.15 ± 9.12 mg/Nm3 for HCl, 28.63 ± 14.33 mg/Nm3 for SO2, 23.76 ± 3.31 mg/Nm3 for particulate matter, and 356.8 ± 99.1 for odor. The PCDD/Fs in the exhaust gas and ambient air showed similar distributions and fingerprint characteristics. The annual emission amounts of the PCDD/Fs were 0.265 g/year and 0.0393 g TEQ/year. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated that PCDD/Fs were most relevant to HCl, and particulate matter might be important to SO2 and fluoride. Further relativity studies showed that the brick kiln was a source of PCDD/Fs but not a main source of major air pollutants to the surrounding environment. All the above pollutants from the brick kiln were permissive with relevant national standards. The results could help with pollution inventories for the brick and tile industry and sewage sludge disposal process.

Identification of Air Pollution Index of certain local available plants at industrial area on the basis of Air Pollution Tolerance index

Air pollution is a grave problem which affects the health of living organisms (human, animal and plants). Plants act as bio indicator and reduces air pollution due to their physiological and biochemical characteristic. The study was conducted at Talkatora industrial area, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The ambient air quality status and annual average concentration of major air pollutants (SO2, NO2 and PM2.5) was monitored for 2019 at the Industrial site. The annual average concentration of PM2.5 was reported 119.54 μg/m3, and for NO2 was 42.69μg/m3which is higher than the prescribed CPCB limits. The concentration of gaseous pollutant (SO2) is found to be within the permissible range of 50μg/m3 at the industrial site as concentration of sulphur dioxide was 13.34 μg/m3. Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) of 6 plant species which was pick out from both experimental as well as control site was calculated to determine their biochemical parameters viz. Total chlorophyll content, leaf extract pH, ascorbic acid and RWC (relative water content). According to APTI Ficus religiosa and Azadirachta indica were tolerant species as their APTI was greater than 17 and P. pinnata be the sensitive species reporting APTI lower than 11. In Pearson correlation of biochemical parameter, it shows that Ascorbic acid (R2 = 0.9763) shows significance correlation with APTI.

Numerical Simulation of Meteorological Conditions and Air Quality above Tomsk, West Siberia

This paper presents the simulation results of meteorological and air quality parameters for the Siberian city of Tomsk predicted by mesoscale meteorological and chemical transport models. Changes in the numerically predicted wind velocity fields, temperature, and concentration of major air pollutants were modelled in detail for the selected dates, when anticyclonic weather with cloud free and calm wind conditions was observed in Tomsk. The simulation results have shown that stable or neutral atmospheric stratification with light wind and low ambient air temperature (−30, −20 °C) are the most unfavorable meteorological conditions leading to the near surface pollutants accumulation. The numerical calculation results were compared with observation data from the Joint Use Center (JUC) “Atmosphere” of V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics (IAO) and showed good agreement.

An Emerged Challenge of Air Pollution and Ever-Increasing Particulate Matter in Pakistan; A Critical Review

This study, for the first time, aims to evaluate the situation of air quality in Pakistan critically; through a detailed assessment of sources, policies, and key challenges to identify the plausible way forward. Air pollution and particulate matter have merged as a global challenge in recent years because of its growing health and socio-economic risks. The intensity and impacts of these risks have become more pronounced, especially in developing countries like Pakistan that lack adequate warning, protection, and management systems. Various epidemiological studies have linked poor air quality with different health disorders and increasing death rates. In Pakistan, mortality rates as a result of exposure to increased levels of air pollutants, especially particulate matter, are alarming. According to the World Bank’s estimates, Pakistan’s annual burden of disease from outdoor air pollution is responsible for around 22,000 premature adult deaths and 163,432 DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) lost. The concentration of major air pollutants in Pakistan, such as NOx, O3, and SO2 have also been increasing significantly over the last two decades. Several studies are also reporting multiple instances of air quality around the major cities of Pakistan being consistently exceeding the national guidelines. During teh year 2019 PM2.5 cocnentrations in the city of Lahore revealed that almost every single day was in exceedance of the WHO and national air quality standards. Although the substantial effects of these rising pollutant concentrations in Pakistan have been stated in a few studies, however, the total extent, nature of contributing factors, and consequences remain inadequately understood. This study aims to use data available from monitoring stations, satellites, and literature to highlight the gaps in our understanding and emphasize the critical challenges associated with poor air quality faced in Pakistan. Topmost is the lack of air quality monitoring systems followed by poor initiatives by policymakers and enforcement agencies. A way forward while addressing these key challenges is also discussed, which focuses on the development of flexible monitoring, new technologies, and monitoring approaches in addition to communications among the various public, private agencies, and all relevant stakeholders.

Analysis of related factors and disease costs of respiratory infection and environmental pollution in children.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, air pollution and the number of children with respiratory tract infections increased. This also increased the burden related to the treatment of disease, so the government and relevant departments need to strengthen their management.OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to quantitatively analyze the relationship between respiratory infection and air quality in children and gain insight into the burden of related diseases.METHODS: Data regarding outpatient and emergency department visits in children of 14 years or younger in 16 public and private medical institutions were collected for four months. Routine air quality monitoring data in Shanghai from the same period were correlated with these medical data by descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis.RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between respiratory tract infections in 73376 children and Air Quality Index (AQI), PM2.5, SO and NO levels. The total medical expense per patient was 80.22 yuan, and the average compensation ratio of medical insurance per patient was 18.95%. The increase in AQI and the concentration of major air pollutants will lead to increased medical treatment for children with respiratory diseases.CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the intensity of air pollution control should be increased, so that the special period of childhood respiratory protection is strengthened. Moreover, child medical insurance coverage should also be moderately increased to safeguard the rights and interests of children’s health.

Air Pollution Monitoring and Prediction System

Environmental Air Pollution Monitoring System is used for monitoring the concentrations of major air pollutants using gas sensors. The main target of this project is to monitor the air quality using sensors and analyze the existing trends in air pollution and make prediction about future. The major objective is to inform the public about the quality of air, raise the awareness and also to develop warning systems for the prevention of undesired air pollution episodes and to create awareness in order to reduce the amount of air pollution caused due to various sources. The system is also used to get the approximate quantity of pollutants present in air thereby giving awareness to the people of that specific region. Thus, the amount of pollution caused due to various sources can be reduced, leading a healthier and safer environment

Changes of chemical composition and source apportionment of PM2.5 during 2013–2017 in urban Handan, China

China implemented the National Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan since 2013, aiming at significantly improving air quality in major areas and cities in 2017. To investigate the changes of the characteristics of PM2.5 and its major chemical components, formation mechanisms, and sources apportionment during 2013–2017 in urban Handan, which was one of the top polluted cities in China, we analyzed the chemical compositions of PM2.5 samples for the entire year of 2013 and 2017, as well as a comprehensive dataset including continuous online hourly observations of the meteorological parameters and major air pollutants, i.e., SO2, NO2, and O3 in this study. Potential Source Contribution function (PSCF) analysis was applied to investigate the potential source regions contributing to high PM2.5 pollution episodes. The results showed that the concentration of major air pollutants except ozone decreased, and the proportion of PM2.5 decline in Handan (37.0%) had reached the requirements (25%) of the National Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan. The major chemical compositions of PM2.5 decreased significantly, but the percentage of secondary organic aerosols increased from 37.0% in 2013 to 40.0% in 2017. The higher proportion of secondary components implied more severe secondary pollution. The PSCF analysis indicated that the significant local contribution and short-range transport in the surrounding areas were the major sources of heavy pollution episodes in Handan. This study highlights the importance of emission reduction of atmospheric organic compounds and joint control actions on a regional basis during heavy pollution episodes.

Study of the Effects of Air Pollutants on Human Health Based on Baidu Indices of Disease Symptoms and Air Quality Monitoring Data in Beijing, China.

There is an increasing body of evidence showing the impact of air pollutants on human health such as on the respiratory, and cardio- and cerebrovascular systems. In China, as people begin to pay more attention to air quality, recent research focused on the quantitative assessment of the effects of air pollutants on human health. To assess the health effects of air pollutants and to construct an indicator placing emphasis on health impact, a generalized additive model was selected to assess the health burden caused by air pollution. We obtained Baidu indices (an evaluation indicator launched by Baidu Corporation to reflect the search popularity of keywords from its search engine) to assess daily query frequencies of 25 keywords considered associated with air pollution-related diseases. Moreover, we also calculated the daily concentrations of major air pollutants (including PM10, PM2.5, SO2, O3, NO2, and CO) and the daily air quality index (AQI) values, and three meteorological factors: daily mean wind level, daily mean air temperature, and daily mean relative humidity. These data cover the area of Beijing from 1 March 2015 to 30 April 2017. Through the analysis, we produced the relative risks (RRs) of the six main air pollutants for respiratory, and cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. The results showed that O3 and NO2 have the highest health impact, followed by PM10 and PM2.5. The effects of any pollutant on cardiovascular diseases was consistently higher than on respiratory diseases. Furthermore, we evaluated the currently used AQI in China and proposed an RR-based index (health AQI, HAQI) that is intended for better indicating the effects of air pollutants on respiratory, and cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases than AQI. A higher Pearson correlation coefficient between HAQI and RRTotal than that between AQI and RRTotal endorsed our efforts.

Risk of concentrations of major air pollutants on the prevalence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in urbanized area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Rapid urbanisation in Malaysian cities poses risks to the health of residents. This study aims to estimate the relative risk (RR) of major air pollutants on cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisations in Kuala Lumpur. Daily hospitalisations due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases from 2010 to 2014 were obtained from the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM). The trace gases, PM10 and weather variables were obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia in consistent with the hospitalisation data. The RR was estimated using a Generalised Additive Model (GAM) based on Poisson regression. A “lag” concept was used where the analysis was segregated into risks of immediate exposure (lag 0) until exposure after 5 days (lag 5). The results showed that the gases could pose significant risks towards cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisations. However, the RR value of PM10 was not significant in this study. Immediate effects on cardiovascular hospitalisations were observed for NO2 and O3 but no immediate effect was found on respiratory hospitalisations. Delayed effects on cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisations were found with SO2 and NO2. The highest RR value was observed at lag 4 for respiratory admissions with SO2 (RR = 1.123, 95% CI = 1.045–1.207), followed by NO2 at lag 5 for cardiovascular admissions (RR = 1.025, 95% CI = 1.005–1.046). For the multi-pollutant model, NO2 at lag 5 showed the highest risks towards cardiovascular hospitalisations after controlling for O3 8 h mean lag 1 (RR = 1.026, 95% CI = 1.006–1.047), while SO2 at lag 4 showed highest risks towards respiratory hospitalisations after controlling for NO2 lag 3 (RR = 1.132, 95% CI = 1.053–1.216). This study indicated that exposure to trace gases in Kuala Lumpur could lead to both immediate and delayed effects on cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisations.