Effects Of Urban Air Pollution Research Articles

Effects of Urban Air Pollution on Emergency Room Admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The authors assessed the relation between sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants (black smoke, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone) and daily emergency room admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Barcelona, Spain, during 1985-1986. Barcelona is a Mediterranean city of 1.7 million inhabitants that has air pollution levels lower than standard values. A weak but statistically significant association between emergency room admissions and levels of sulfur dioxide, black smoke, and carbon monoxide was observed. Daily emergency room admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increased by 0.02 and 0.01 for each microgram of sulfur dioxide and black smoke per cubic meter, respectively, and 0.11 for each milligram of carbon monoxide per cubic meter, after adjusting for meteorologic and temporal variables. Similar estimations were obtained after controlling for the autocorrelation effect by means of time series analysis. In addition, when the data were stratified by season, the effects remained in summer. This strengthened the conclusion that the relation observed in winter, spring, and throughout the study period was indeed real. After truncating the data according to sulfur dioxide or black smoke levels, the authors still found effects for these pollutants at levels below the air quality guideline of 100 micrograms/m3 established by the World Health Organization. The consistency of these results with other recent toxicologic and epidemiologic observations suggest that current air pollution standards do not totally protect public health with a margin of safety in specific places.

Urban air pollution and solar energy

The design and performance of solar energy systems for many potential applications (industrial/residential heat, electricity generation by solar concentration and photovoltaics) will be critically affected by local insolation conditions. The effects of urban air pollution are considered and reviewed. A study of insolation data for Alhambra, California (9 km south of Pasadena) shows that, during a recent second-stage photochemical smog alert (greater than or equal to 0.35 ppm ozone), the direct-beam insolation at solar noon was reduced by 40%, and the total global by 15%, from clean air values. Similar effects have been observed in Pasadena, and are attributable primarily to air pollution. Effects due to advecting smog have been detected 200 km away, in the Mojave Desert. Preliminary performance and economic simulations of solar thermal and photovoltaic power systems indicate increasing nonlinear sensitivity of life cycle plant cost to reductions in insolation levels due to pollution.

Effects of Urban Air Pollution on School-Age Children

From November 1977 to March 1978, forced expiratory volumes (FEVs) of 78 second graders living in a high sulfur dioxide and smoke pollution area were compared with FEVs of 70 second graders living in a clean air area. The incidence of acute respiratory diseases in these children and their families was also comparatively studied during the same period. Indoor and outdoor measurements of sulfur dioxide and smoke, as well as additional measurements of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sulfate were conducted. The results of the study suggest that at the actual average annual exposure to sulfur dioxide, smoke, and SPM of 70-80 microgram/m3, 60-80 microgram/m3, and 130-200 microgram/m3, respectively, with frequent exposures to three to five times higher daily sulfur dioxide and smoke concentrations and two times higher daily concentrations of SPM during the heating season, certain effects on the ventilatory functions and occurrence of acute respiratory diseases can be expected.

Air-Quality Standards

To the Editor.— In discussing Health Effects of Urban Air Pollution, Mitchell et al (242:1163, 1979) seem to take the view that current national ambient air quality standards, as adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency, for carbon monoxide (CO) are justified for sea level, but that an eight-hour CO standard of 6 ppm should be substituted in high-altitude areas. Adjustment of the basic CO standard to accommodate for high-altitude effects is reasonable, but, for sea level areas, the present 9 ppm, eight-hour CO standard, which may be exceeded only once a year, is already more stringent than can be justified by cost-benefit analysis. The difference between using a 15 ppm, eight-hour CO standard and a 9 ppm, eight-hour CO standard is an increase of 1% in COHb concentration. Can one truly argue that this makes any real difference to a person's health if it happens five to ten times a year

Health Effects of Urban Air Pollution

Urban air pollution, when sufficiently severe, can cause death in humans; these deaths occur preponderantly among those with increased susceptibility. Pollution--carbon monoxide and oxidants in particular--is capable of aggravating preexisting chronic heart and lung diseases. Pollution and tobacco (especially cigarette) smoke act synergistically in a causative role in chronic bronchitis and in an aggravating role in emphysema. Susceptibility to the effects of urban air pollution varies widely, with the most susceptible being fetuses, the newborn, the elderly, the infirm, those with chronic heart and lung diseases, and those who smoke. The carbon monoxide standards for sea level are probably too lenient for an altitude of 1,500 m and above. Using a broad definition of health, which takes into account concepts such as quality of life and social and mental well-being, few metropolitan residents would deny that their health is compromised by air that is malodorous, that irritates mucous membranes, and that obscures beautiful scenery.

Health effects of urban air pollution. Special consideration of areas at 1,500 m and above

Health effects of urban air pollution. Special consideration of areas at 1,500 m and above

Biological effects of urban air pollution: Riverside summary.

Animals were raised in rooms ventilated with ambient air or air passed through absolute particulate and activated charcoal filters. Average ambient concentration for 2½ years of oxidant was 0.057 ppm and of carbon monoxide was 1.7 ppm. Pulmonary alkaline phosphatase in exposed rats and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in exposed rabbits were lower. Pneumonitis was significantly more prevalent in mice from ambient air. Male, but not female, C57BL mice survived significantly longer in filtered air. A/J mice in ambient air were heavier and survived longer. Old guinea pigs during ten-minute exposures had identical pulmonary resistance to filtered air and equal increases due to 0.5 ppm of sulfur dioxide, but those from filtered air showed significantly greater response to 0.5 ppm of ozone. Decreased running activity of male C57BL mice was highly correlated with oxidant concentration.

Chest films: atypical becomes typical.

Excerpt With the increasing prevalence of chronic lung disease in the general population, related not only to smoking and possible effects of urban air pollution but also to aging of the population...

The effects of urban air pollution on health.

An impressive body of scientific information points to the inescapable conclusion that the levels of pollutant contamination existing today in many American cities are sufficient to produce profound health consequences. This review describes the relationship between pollutant emission, atmospheric cleansing processes, and ambient air pollutant concentrations. Toxicologic studies involving the administration of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate suspensions to both animals and man are reviewed and demonstrate that single pollutants cannot explain the irritant potential of the urban atmosphere. A number of important epidemiologic studies are presented which emphasize the relationship between human illness and atmospheric pollution, Synthesis of both toxicologic and epidemologic studies leads to the conclusion that the noxious nature of the environment is due to a complicated "mix" of pollutant and meteorologic factors.

Biological effects of urban air pollution. 3. Lung tumors in mice.

Various strains of mice were exposed to ambient or filtered Los Angeles air. Filters removed most pollutants except nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. Maximum levels during 1962--64 were: oxidants--< 0.5 ppM, NO/sub 2/--< 0.6 ppM, NO--1.2 ppM, CO--40 ppM, hydrocarbons--12 ppM, SO/sub 2/--0.02 ppM. Monthly averages were approximately an order of magnitude less. Aging mice exposed to ambient air seemed to have more lung adenomas although results were highly variable and significance could only be demonstrated by various groupings of site and age.