Effects Of Traffic-related Pollution Research Articles

Concentration of heavy metals in street dust: an implication of using different geochemical background data in estimating the level of heavy metal pollution

Geochemical background data are used to distinguish between the sources of heavy metal (natural or anthropogenic) and to categorize the level of heavy metal pollution. In this study, we present the results of using different geochemical backgrounds (BG1–BG3) to establish the level of heavy metal pollution in street dust in Warsaw, Poland. We applied individual and collective indicators calculated with respect to the following backgrounds: (1) upper continental crust (UCC) (BG1), (2) the regional geochemical background established for Quaternary surface deposits of the Mazovian region (Poland) (parent geological material occurring in the studied area, Warsaw, Poland) (BG2), and (3) the minimal values of the concentration of heavy metals determined for the real street dust sample collectives from Warsaw (BG3). The assessment of the heavy metals pollution of street dust significantly depended on the background values used in the calculation of individual and collective indicators. Street dust was classified as unpolluted for almost all the heavy metals based on the values of indicators calculated for UCC data. The effect of traffic-related pollution was detected more precisely based on the values of indicators calculated for BG2 and BG3. The naturally elevated concentrations of heavy metals in UCC data can be responsible for the underestimation of pollution impact in street dust. When relatively low concentration of heavy metals is only observed, the application of BG2 or BG3 background data, which better correspond to the geogenic material in street dust, allows to realistically reflect the level of pollution from moving vehicles.Graphic abstract

Heavy metal accumulation in rosemary leaves and stems exposed to traffic-related pollution near Adana-İskenderun Highway (Hatay, Turkey).

Pollution has become a problem on a global scale and poses a significant risk in terms of human health and natural ecosystems. Generally, the biggest sources of pollution are municipal and industrial facilities. However, traffic-related air pollution cannot be overlooked as a dangerous source either. There have been various methods of interventions to measure and reduce the risk and effects of traffic-related pollution. In the case of measuring, the use of certain plant species that can accumulate pollutants in their tissues is considered a practical solution. In this study, the aim is to find out the metals that are accumulated in rosemary leaves and stems and the rosemary leaves. In other words, the leaves and the stems are to be used as a biomonitors to reveal the rate of metal pollution along the highway. We try to identify the accumulation ability of traffic-related heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) of the Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) which is used in the refuge and slopes along the highway connecting Adana with İskenderun (Hatay). Our findings concluded that the rosemary could have a decent capacity to accumulate Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in both leaves and stem. We therefore believe that R. officinalis is a great tool in determining the amount of traffic-related pollution in urban areas.

Work-exposure to PM10 and aromatic volatile organic compounds, excretion of urinary biomarkers and effect on the pulmonary function and heme-metabolism: A study of petrol pump workers and traffic police personnel in Kolkata City, India

ABSTRACTThis study focused work-exposure to particulate matter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biological monitoring of major VOCs (BTEX) to observe the significant effects of traffic related pollutants on respiratory and hematological systems of workers engaged in two occupational settings, petrol pumps and traffic areas of Kolkata metropolitan city, India. PM10 was assessed by personal sampling and particle size distribution by 8-stage Cascade Impactor. VOCs were analysed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and five urinary metabolites, trans trans- mercapturic acid (tt-MA), S-phenyl mercapturic acid (SPMA), hippuric acid (HA), mandelic acid (MA) and methyl hippuric acid (MHA) of VOCs, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Pulmonary functions test (PFT) was measured Spirometrically. ∂-aminoleavulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG) in lymphocytes were measured spectrophometrically following column chromatographic separation. High exposure to PM10, having 50% of particles, ≤ 5.0 µm in both the occupational settings. Exposure to toluene was highest in petrol pumps whereas benzene was highest (104.6 ± 99.0 μg m−3) for traffic police personnel. Workplace Benzene is found many fold higher than the National ambient standard. Air-benzene is correlated significantly with pre- and post-shift tt-MA (p < 0.001) and SPMA (p < 0.001) of exposed workers. Blood cell counts indicated benzene induced hematotoxicity. ALA and PBG accumulation in lymphocytes indicated alteration in heme-metabolism, especially among traffic police. Significant reduction of force exploratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) of fuel fillers are observed with increased tt-MA and SPMA. Study revealed PFT impairments 11.11% (6.66% restrictive and 2.22% obstructive and combined restrictive and obstructive type, each) among petrol pumps and 8.3% obstructive type among traffic police.

Editorial to the Special Issue “urban use of rocks” in Environmental Earth Science

Urban rocks are so diverse that it is common for geology students to be forced on field trips along the streets of university towns and cities. They joke that this is simply to save money, but in reality the stone of the urban fabric has often been carefully gathered, is finely polished and presented at a convenient elevation. It reflects a balance between the availability of suitable local stone and the important decorative and durable character of materials brought from greater distances. This book includes the description (Perez-Monserrat et al. 2012) of the Geomonumental Route project undertaken by the Instituto de Geologia Economica of CSIC (Spain) and Istituto per i Beni Archeologici e Monumentali of CNR (Italy), which explores the Madrid bridges’ route over the Guadarrama river built with granitic material from the Guadarrama mountains and a route via the 16th century coastal towers of the Apulia region in southern Italy. The volume collects chapters about urban geology that arose out of presentations within Monuments under threat, a session that was part of the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, April 2012. These chapters present the outcomes of recent research that has examined the choice, testing, exposure and sensitivity of building stones to the urban environment. As such it should be valuable for those undertaking research and studying the geology of our urban fabric. Traditional aggressive air pollutants have been decreasing in cities, but they have left thick black crusts from the late 20th century (Gulotta et al. 2012). However, even low sulphur dioxide concentrations can lead to observable deterioration (Graue et al. 2013) and the rate of attack can seem proportionately faster as deposition when concentrations are low (Wiese et al. 2012). While sulphur dioxide and smoke from coal has been decreasing, the effects of traffic-related pollutants, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, are particular apparent along busy streets (Auras et al. 2013). These environments, less polluted by sulphur but rich in nitrates can encourage biological growth and freshly cleaned surfaces can be rapidly recolonized (Hallmann et al. 2012). Improved air quality has led to interests in other mechanisms of damage such as the changing levels of moisture (Stuck et al. 2013), perhaps associated with secondary porosity (Doncel-Lopez et al. 2012) or expansion processes in volcanic tuff rocks (Wedekind et al. 2012). It is likely that climate change may cause water to penetrate more deeply into porous stone (McCabe et al. 2013). There has been a heightened interest in salt weathering through S. Siegesmund (&) Geoscience Center, University of Gottingen, Goldschmidtstr. 3, 37077 Gottingen, Germany e-mail: ssieges@gwdg.de

Traffic-related air pollution and pediatric asthma in Durham County, North Carolina

Past studies have shown that traffic-related air pollution may increase pediatric asthma prevalence. We analyzed the relationship between distance of a child’s home to roadways and asthma prevalence in Durham County, North Carolina (NC). Data for children aged 5–12 years and with permanent addresses in Durham County were taken from the Decision Support Repository, an electronic warehouse of all patient records in the Duke University Hospital System. Records were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Controlling for child race, age, sex, and household median income at the block group level, children who lived <75 m away from a local road were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with asthma. Our model did not show a relationship between the distance of a home to roadways and pediatric asthma prevalence for homes located at farther distances from local roads, or at any distance from NC State highways, US highways, or interstates. Our results indicate that traffic-related air pollution is not a major determinant for pediatric asthma prevalence in Durham County. As a generally low pollution area, the effects of traffic-related pollution may be less pronounced in Durham than in higher pollution areas. However, limitations in our modeling methods may have hindered our ability to detect a relationship. As the best strategy for decreasing the effects of traffic-related air pollution is to reduce other risk factors, Durham County can now take steps to break the cycle of disadvantage and disability of pediatric asthma, no matter the effect of traffic-related air pollution.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TRAFFIC-RELATED BLACK CARBON EXPOSURE AND THE CONNER’S CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TEST (CPT) AMONG URBAN CHILDREN IN A PROSPECTIVE BIRTH COHORT

Background and Aims: Associations between ambient air pollution exposure and children’s cognitive domains are only beginning to be examined and analyses have not accounted for community-level psychosocial stressors that may co-vary with pollution exposures. We assessed the relationship of exposure to black carbon (BC), a marker of traffic particles, with attention and vigilance domains while adjusting for exposure to community violence (ETV), among 192 children aged 6-12 years in a Boston-based prospective birth cohort. Methods: BC levels were estimated using a validated spatio-temporal land-use regression model based on residence during the child’s lifetime, then categorized into quartiles. Exposure to violence (ETV) in these neighborhoods was ascertained using the My Exposure to Violence survey, which was categorized into tertiles. Attention and vigilance were measured using the Conner’s Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Primary outcomes included: omission errors, commission errors, hit reaction time (HRT), HRT standard error (SE), HRT block change, and HRT SE block change (higher scores indicating worse performance or slower reaction time). Multiple regression analyses were used to determine effects of BC levels on outcomes. Results: Children were primarily Hispanic (55%) and Caucasians (42%). We found a positive association between BC levels with commission errors and HRT (p&lt;0.05), adjusting for age, gender, maternal education, ETV, and blood lead level. Higher-level ETV was associated with lower commission errors (p&lt;0.05). Additional inclusion of children’s IQ, prenatal smoking, and postnatal secondhand smoke exposure did not alter these results. Gender-stratified analysis suggested that the effects of BC on CPT measures were stronger in boys (p&lt;0.05) for both commission errors and HRT, than in girls (p&gt;0.2). Conclusions: In this population of urban children, we found a relationship between increased BC exposure with increased commission errors and slower reaction time. Effects of traffic-related pollution on attention domains may be stronger in boys.