China has been experiencing fine particle (i.e., aerodynamic diameters ≤ 2.5 μm; PM2.5) pollution and acid rain in recent decades, which exert adverse impacts on human health and the ecosystem. ...Recently, ammonia (i.e., NH₃) emission reduction has been proposed as a strategic option to mitigate haze pollution. However, atmospheric NH₃ is also closely bound to nitrogen deposition and acid rain, and comprehensive impacts of NH₃ emission control are still poorly understood in China. In this study, by integrating a chemical transport model with a high-resolution NH₃ emission inventory, we find that NH₃ emission abatement can mitigate PM2.5 pollution and nitrogen deposition but would worsen acid rain in China. Quantitatively, a 50% reduction in NH₃ emissions achievable by improving agricultural management, along with a targeted emission reduction (15%) for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, can alleviate PM2.5 pollution by 11−17% primarily by suppressing ammonium nitrate formation. Meanwhile, nitrogen deposition is estimated to decrease by 34%, with the area exceeding the critical load shrinking from 17% to 9% of China’s terrestrial land. Nevertheless, this NH₃ reduction would significantly aggravate precipitation acidification, with a decrease of as much as 1.0 unit in rainfall pH and a corresponding substantial increase in areas with heavy acid rain. An economic evaluation demonstrates that the worsened acid rain would partly offset the total economic benefit from improved air quality and less nitrogen deposition. After considering the costs of abatement options, we propose a region-specific strategy for multipollutant controls that will benefit human and ecosystem health.
The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model is widely used to generate backward trajectories in given starting locations. However, differences exist between ...trajectories generated from the model with different input datasets. In this study, backward trajectories in Hong Kong in the entire year of 2011 are derived by HYSPLIT model. Two sets of Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) output data associated with different horizontal and vertical resolutions (GDAS1 and GDAS0P5) are used as drivers in an attempt to quantify the differences between the results and discover the underlying reasons responsible for discrepancy. The results reveal that the significant differences between back trajectories generated from the two GDAS datasets can be mainly attributed to different vertical velocity calculation methods due to the absence of vertical velocity in GDAS0P5 dataset. The HYSPLIT trajectories are also sensitive to the horizontal and vertical resolutions of the input meteorological data, but to lesser extents. Results of cluster analysis indicate that when the air mass is from the north, northeast, or west with a long-to-medium range, the HYSPLIT backward trajectories are sensitive to the vertical advection calculation method and data resolution, whereas when the air mass is from the south or southwest with a long range, the trajectories are more likely to remain unchanged with the shifting of vertical velocity or data resolution. By comparing the vertical velocities with the observations and the performance in retrieving PM contributions from different directions, we conclude that GDAS1 dataset is more plausible in backward trajectory analysis in the Pearl River Delta.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious global public health challenge, but there is limited information on the connection between air pollution and risk of CKD.
The aim of this study was to ...investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of less than Formula: see text (Formula: see text) and the development of CKD in a large cohort.
A total of 100,629 nonCKD Taiwanese residents age 20 y or above were included in this study between 2001 and 2014. Ambient Formula: see text concentration was estimated at each participant's address using a satellite-based spatiotemporal model. Incident CKD cases were identified by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than Formula: see text. We collected information on a wide range of potential confounders/modifiers during the medical examinations. Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs).
During the follow-up, 4,046 incident CKD cases were identified, and the incidence rate was 6.24 per 1,000 person-years. In contrast with participants with the first quintile exposure of Formula: see text, participants with the fourth and fifth quintiles exposure of Formula: see text had increased risk of CKD development, adjusting for age, sex, educational level, smoking, drinking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, and self-reported heart disease or stroke, with an HR 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.11 (1.02, 1.22) and 1.15 (1.05, 1.26), respectively. A significant concentration-response trend was observed (Formula: see text). Every Formula: see text increment in the Formula: see text concentration was associated with a 6% higher risk of developing CKD (HR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.10). Sensitivity and stratified analyses yielded similar results.
Long-term exposure to ambient Formula: see text was associated with an increased risk of CKD development. Our findings reinforce the urgency to develop global strategies of air pollution reduction to prevent CKD. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3304.
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Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
City air quality monitoring (AQM) network are typically sparsely distributed due to high operation costs. It is of the question of how well it can reflect public health risks to air pollution given ...the diversity and heterogeneity in pollution, and spatial variations in population density. Combing high-resolution air quality model, spatial population distribution and health risk factors, we proposed a population-health based metric for AQM representativeness. This metric was demonstrated in Hong Kong using hourly modelling data of PM.sub.10, PM.sub.2.5, NO.sub.2 and O.sub.3 in 2019 with grid cells of 45m * 48m. Individual and total hospital admission risks (%AR) of these pollutants were calculated for each cell, and compared with those calculated at 16 monitoring sites using the similarity frequency (SF) method. AQM Representativeness was evaluated by SF and a population-health based network representation index (PHNI), which is population-weighted SF over the study-domain. The representativeness varies substantially among sites as well as between population- and area-based evaluation methods, reflecting heterogeneity in pollution and population. The current AQM network reflects population health risks well for PM.sub.10 (PHNI = 0.87) and PM.sub.2.5 (PHNI = 0.82), but is less able to represent risks for NO.sub.2 (PHNI = 0.59) and O.sub.3 (PHNI .sub.= 0.78). Strong seasonal variability in PHNI was found for PM, increasing by >11% during autumn and winter compared to summer due to regional transport. NO.sub.2 is better represented in urban than rural, reflecting the heterogeneity of urban traffic pollution. Combined health risk (%AR.sub.total) is well represented by the current AQM network (PHNI = 1), which is more homogenous due to the dominance and anti-correlation of NO.sub.2 and O.sub.3 related %AR. The proposed PHNI metric is useful to compare the health risk representativeness of AQM for individual and multiple pollutants and can be used to compare the effectiveness of AQM across cities.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Co-benefits for energy saving and healthy indoor environment from HVAC retrofit.•The retrofitted HVAC system achieved 50% energy saving.•Generally acceptable thermal comfort in both winter and ...summer.•Outdoor ingress reduced by up to 90%, 80% and 60% for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.•Upgraded pleated filter reduce PM ingress substantially.
Retrofit on existing buildings for better energy performance is widely desired due to large share of building energy consumption. Meanwhile, the importance of thermal comfort and air pollution exposure has attracted increasing attention for occupant health, productivity and sustainable development. Heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are responsible for a substantial proportion of energy use in buildings and are closely related to indoor environment quality. This study examined the energy consumption and indoor environment in a commercial office building with a retrofitted HVAC system. The retrofitting measures included a sensor-based building management system, dehumidification of outdoor air, and a two-stage particle filtration system. Energy data were collected before and after the retrofit. Field measurements were conducted in both winter and summer to evaluate the thermal comfort and indoor exposure to air pollutants in the retrofitted area. An experiment was designed to assess the benefits of upgraded filters on exposure to ambient particles during summer. By combining all of these measures, the retrofitted HVAC system was able to reduce energy use by 50% while maintaining generally acceptable indoor thermal comfort. Most of the time, the indoor particle levels complied with the World Health Organization's guidelines. The upgraded filtration system with a pleated filter reduced outdoor PM ingress by 30% to 60% more than the aluminum filter used before the retrofit. Co-benefit assessment provides insights into sustainability in building development during a retrofit by holistically examining energy use and the environment.
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In this study, the trend of PM2.5 concentrations and its adverse health effects in China from 2001 to 2017 are estimated utilizing 1-km high-resolution annual satellite-retrieved PM2.5 data. PM2.5 ...concentrations for most of the provinces/cities remained stable from 2001 to 2012; however, following the issue of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) by the central government of China, a dramatic decrease in PM2.5 concentrations from 2013 to 2017 occurred. Premature mortality caused by PM2.5 dropped from 1,078,800 in 2014 to 962,900 in 2017. The PM2.5 caused 17-year average mortality ranges from 3800 in Hainan Province to 124,800 in Henan Province. The health cost benefits gained by the reduction of PM2.5 pollution amounted to US $193,800 in 2017 (compared to the costs due to PM2.5 concentrations in 2013), amounting to 1.58% of the total national GDP. The impacts of urbanization on PM2.5 concentration and mortality are analyzed. The PM2.5 concentration and its induced mortality density in dense urban areas are much higher than those in rural areas. The aggravation of PM2.5 associated premature mortality in urban areas is mainly due to the larger amount of emissions and to urban migration, and 6500 deaths in 2014 could have been avoided were the population ratios in dense-urban/normal-urban/rural areas to be reversed to the ones in 2001. It is recommended that people with respiratory-related diseases live in rural areas, where the pollutant concentration is relatively low.
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•PM2.5 concentrations have shown a sharply decreasing trend during the period from 2013 to 2017 in China.•The premature mortality associated with PM2.5 concentrations dropped from 1,078,800 in 2014 to 962,900 in 2017.•The health cost avoided in 2017 as a result of the reduction of PM2.5 concentrations amounted to 1.58% of the national GDP.•The mortality density in dense urban areas is much higher than that in rural area.•The urban migration can increase the premature mortality caused by PM2.5 indirectly.
Over the past decade, a range of sensor technologies became available on the market, enabling a revolutionary shift in air pollution monitoring and assessment. With their cost of up to three orders ...of magnitude lower than standard/reference instruments, many avenues for applications have opened up. In particular, broader participation in air quality discussion and utilisation of information on air pollution by communities has become possible. However, many questions have been also asked about the actual benefits of these technologies. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive literature search including both the scientific and grey literature. We focused upon two questions: (1) Are these technologies fit for the various purposes envisaged? and (2) How far have these technologies and their applications progressed to provide answers and solutions? Regarding the former, we concluded that there is no clear answer to the question, due to a lack of: sensor/monitor manufacturers' quantitative specifications of performance, consensus regarding recommended end-use and associated minimal performance targets of these technologies, and the ability of the prospective users to formulate the requirements for their applications, or conditions of the intended use. Numerous studies have assessed and reported sensor/monitor performance under a range of specific conditions, and in many cases the performance was concluded to be satisfactory. The specific use cases for sensors/monitors included outdoor in a stationary mode, outdoor in a mobile mode, indoor environments and personal monitoring. Under certain conditions of application, project goals, and monitoring environments, some sensors/monitors were fit for a specific purpose. Based on analysis of 17 large projects, which reached applied outcome stage, and typically conducted by consortia of organizations, we observed that a sizable fraction of them (~ 30%) were commercial and/or crowd-funded. This fact by itself signals a paradigm change in air quality monitoring, which previously had been primarily implemented by government organizations. An additional paradigm-shift indicator is the growing use of machine learning or other advanced data processing approaches to improve sensor/monitor agreement with reference monitors. There is still some way to go in enhancing application of the technologies for source apportionment, which is of particular necessity and urgency in developing countries. Also, there has been somewhat less progress in wide-scale monitoring of personal exposures. However, it can be argued that with a significant future expansion of monitoring networks, including indoor environments, there may be less need for wearable or portable sensors/monitors to assess personal exposure. Traditional personal monitoring would still be valuable where spatial variability of pollutants of interest is at a finer resolution than the monitoring network can resolve.
•Extensive review of low-cost sensing technologies for air quality monitoring.•Low-cost sensors were considered fit for many specific purposes.•The technologies helped to expand the conversations with communities.•More works are required to achieve the full potential of the technologies.
Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution may increase blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. However, epidemiological evidence is scarce and inconsistent.
We investigated the ...associations between long-term exposure to PM with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5μm (PM
), blood pressure, and incident hypertension in a large Taiwanese cohort.
We studied 361,560 adults ≥18y old from a large cohort who participated in a standard medical examination program during 2001 to 2014. Among this group, 125,913 nonhypertensive participants were followed up. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was used to estimate the 2-y average PM
concentrations at each participant's address. Multivariable linear regression was used in the cross-sectional data analysis with the 361,560 participants to investigate the associations between PM
and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP), and Cox proportional hazard regression was used in the cohort data analysis with the 125,913 participants to investigate the associations between PM
and incident hypertension.
Each 10-μg/m
increment in the 2-y average PM
concentration was associated with increases of 0.45 mmHg 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40, 0.50, 0.07 mmHg (95% CI: 0.04, 0.11), and 0.38 mmHg (95% CI: 0.33, 0.42) in SBP, DBP, and PP, respectively, after adjusting for a wide range of covariates and possible confounders. Each 10-μg/m
increment in the 2-y average PM
concentration was associated with an increase of 3% in the risk of developing hypertension hazard ratio=1.03 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.05). Stratified and sensitivity analyses yielded similar results.
Long-term exposure to PM
air pollution is associated with higher blood pressure and an increased risk of hypertension. These findings reinforce the importance of air pollution mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2466.
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Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Summer-spring predominance of tuberculosis (TB) has been widely reported. The relative contributions of exogenous recent infection versus endogenous reactivation to such seasonality remains poorly ...understood. Monthly TB notifications data between 2005 and 2017 in Hong Kong involving 64,386 cases (41% aged ≥ 65; male-to-female ratio 1.74:1) were examined for the timing, amplitude, and predictability of variation of seasonality. The observed seasonal variabilities were correlated with demographics and clinical presentations, using wavelet analysis coupled with dynamic generalised linear regression models. Overall, TB notifications peaked annually in June and July. No significant annual seasonality was demonstrated for children aged ≤ 14 irrespective of gender. The strongest seasonality was detected in the elderly (≥ 65) among males, while seasonal pattern was more prominent in the middle-aged (45-64) and adults (30-44) among females. The stronger TB seasonality among older adults in Hong Kong suggested that the pattern has been contributed largely by reactivation diseases precipitated by defective immunity whereas seasonal variation of recent infection was uncommon.
Many countries have dedicated to the mitigation of air pollution in the past several decades. However, evidence of beneficial effects of air quality improvement on chronic kidney disease (CKD) ...remains limited. We thus investigated the effects of dynamic changes (including deterioration and improvement) in air quality on the incidence of CKD in a longitudinal study in Taiwan. During 2001–2016, this study recruited a total of 163,197 Taiwanese residents who received at least two standard physical examinations. The level of fine particle matter (PM2.5) was estimated using a high-resolution (1 km2) satellite-based spatio-temporal model. We defined changes of PM2.5 concentrations (ΔPM2.5) as the difference between the two-year average measurements during follow-up and during the immediately preceding visit. The time-dependent Cox regression model was adopted to evaluate the relationships between ΔPM2.5 and the incidence of CKD after adjusting for a series of covariates. The concentrations of PM2.5 in Taiwan peaked around 2004 and began to decrease since 2005. We observed an approximate linear concentration–response relationship of ΔPM2.5 with CKD incidence. Every 5 μg/m3 decrease in the ambient concentration of PM2.5 was associated with a 25% reduced risk of CKD development hazard ratio (HR): 0.75; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.78. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the improvement of PM2.5 air quality might be associated with a lower risk of CKD development. Our findings indicate that reducing air pollution may effectively prevent the development of CKD.
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