Respirable Suspended Particulates Research Articles

Exposure to carbon monoxide, respirable suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds while commuting by bicycle

A portable air sampling system has been used to assess exposures to various substances while commuting by bicycle in an urban area. The major source of pollutants in this situation is motor vehicle exhaust emissions. Carbon monoxide, measured by electrochemical detection, was found at peak concentrations in excess of 62 ppm, with mean values over 16 individual 35-mm journeys being 10.5 ppm. Respirable suspended particulates, averaged over each journey period, were found at higher concentrations (mean 130 {mu}g m{sup {minus}3}) than would be expected in indoor situations. Mean exposure to benzene (at 56 {mu}g m{sup {minus}3}) and other aromatic volatile organic compounds was also relatively high. The influence of wind conditions on exposure was found to be significant. Commuting exposures to carbon monoxide, respirable suspended particulates, and aromatic VOCs were found to be higher than exposures in a busy high street and on common parkland.

The Effectiveness of Smokeless Stoves in Reducing Indoor Air Pollution in a Rural Hill Region of Nepal

Personal exposure levels to respirable suspended particulates during cooking periods were monitored in twenty households in a rural community of the hill region of Nepal. Filters for gravimetric analysis were exposed in households with traditional stoves (without flue) and then again after the introduction of smokeless (with flue) cook stoves. Drager Tube analyses of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde levels were also conducted. Data from this longitudinal study provide convincing evidence of the cause-effect relation- ship between the introduction and use of smokeless stoves and the resulting decrease in domestic smoke pollution. A household survey revealed that all cooks, but one, found that the smokeless stove emitted less smoke than the traditional stove and seventy-five percent of the cooks preferred the smokeless stove to the traditional stove.

Indoor air pollution, tobacco smoke, and public health.

An experimental and theoretical investigation is made into the range and nature of the exposure of the nonsmoking public to respirable suspended particulates from cigarette smoke. A model incorporating both physical and sociological parameters is shown to be useful in understanding particulate levels from cigarette smoke in indoor environments. Observed levels of particulates correlate with the predictions of the model. It is shown that nonsmokers are exposed to significant air pollution burdens from indoor smoking. An assessment of the public health policy implications of these burdens is presented.

The effects of woodburning on the indoor residential air quality

Data from suburban residences in the Boston metropolitan area reveal a potential adverse impact on indoor air quality from woodburning in woodstoves and fireplaces. Ambient pollutant concentrations at each residence were compared to corresponding pollutant levels indoors at three locations (kitchen, bedroom, and activity room). Individual gaseous pollutant samples were averaged on an hourly basis while 24-h integrated samples of particulate matter were obtained. Ten gaseous pollutants were sampled along with total suspended particulates (TSP). Chemical analyses further determined ten components of TSP including trace metals, benzo- a-pyrene(B) aP, respirable suspended particulates (RSP), and water soluble sulfates and nitrates. Monitoring lasted two weeks at each residence and was conducted under occupied, real-life, conditions. Observed, elevated indoor concentrations of TSP, RSP, and B aP are attributed to woodburning. Data indicate that average indoor TSP concentrations during woodburning periods were about three times corresponding levels during nonwoodburning periods. The primary 24-h national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for TSP was exceeded once indoors during fireplace use, and the secondary, 24-h TSP NAAQS, was also exceeded indoors by RSP concentrations. Indoor B aP concentrations during woodstove use averaged five times more than during nonwoodburning periods. At this stage, results are only indicative, but the potential impact from elevated indoor concentrations of TSP, RSP, and B aP, attributed to woodburning, may have long-term health implications.

Panel studies of acute health effects of air pollution: I. Cardiopulmonary symptoms in adults, New York, 1971–1972

Over 300 elderly panelists, either well or with reported cardiopulmonary symptoms, participated in a study linking aggravation of symptoms to fluctuations in ambient air pollutants and daily temperature in New York City. Increasing temperatures aggravated symptoms in heart disease panelists; clear and consistent relationships of temperature to symptoms in the well, lung disease, or combined heart and lung disease panelists were not apparent. Elevated levels of suspended nitrates, suspended sulfates, sulfur dioxide, and respirable suspended particulates were associated with exacerbations of symptoms in the well elderly panel; a similar but much weaker pattern of effects on the lung disease panel appeared. It was not possible to identify more precisely the responsible pollutants. Symptoms of heart disease appeared to be related only to suspended nitrate and total suspended particulate levels in addition to temperature. The data did not suggest a threshold for these health effects nor did the data support the hypothesis that those panelists more severely afflicted with cardiopulmonary conditions would be more sensitive to air pollution. The effect of method of panel selection on the estimation of dose-response relationships, and the concept of day-to-day fluctuations in symptom rates were discussed.