Particulate air pollution in a small settlement: The effect of local heating

Mass concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and black smoke (BS) were measured in April 2003 during a 3-week campaign in a small village and at a nearby background location in the central part of the Czech Republic. In a pilot analysis, concentrations of selected trace elements (Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Cd, Sb, Cs, Pb) in the collected aerosol were determined by means of ICP-MS. Average concentrations of both PM fractions and BS were higher in the village (37, 26 and 26 μg m⁻³) than at the background location (26, 19 and 11 μg m⁻³) for PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and BS, respectively. Both PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were reasonably correlated in the village (r = 0.80) and also at the background location (r = 0.79). Correlation between same fractions from the village and from the background site were even higher (r = 0.97 and r = 0.95 for the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, respectively) suggesting that most of the aerosol in both locations may be influenced by similar sources. The ratio between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 showed that sources in the village contributed about 33% and 35% to local aerosol concentration for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, respectively. When the data from the two rural locations were compared with corresponding 24-h averages of PM₁₀ concentrations obtained for the period of the campaign from fixed site monitors situated near larger towns, the highest concentration was found in Prague the Czech capital (49 μg m⁻³) followed by a district town Beroun (41 μg m⁻³) and the village (37 μg m⁻³). The lowest PM₁₀ concentration was found in the village background (26 μg m⁻³). Elemental analysis revealed higher concentrations for most of the elements characteristic of combustion aerosol (namely Zn, Pb, As, Mn and Ti) in the PM collected in the village. The results support the idea that traditional heating in villages may contribute a great extent to local air pollution and may represent an important problem.     

Influence of transboundary air pollution on air quality in southwestern China

Air pollution is a grand challenge of our time due to its multitude of adverse impacts on environment and society,with the scale of impacts more severe in developing countries,including China.Thus,China has initiated and implemented strict air pollution control measures over last several years to reduce impacts of air pollution.Monitoring data from Jan 2015 to Dec 2019 on six criteria air pollutants(SO2,NO2,CO,O3,PM2.5,and PM1o)at eight sites in southwestern China were investigated to understand the situation and analyze the impacts of transboundary air pollutants in this region.In terms of seasonal variation,the maximum concentrations of air pollutants at these sites were observed in winter or spring season depending on individual site.For diurnal variation,surface ozone peaked in the afternoon while the other pollutants had a bimodal pattern with peaks in the morning and late afternoon.There was limited trans-port of domestic emissions of air pollutants in China to these sites.Local emissions enhanced the concen-trations of air pollutants during some pollution events.Mostly,the transboundary transport of air pollution from South Asia and Southeast Asia was associated with high concentrations of most air pollu-tants observed in southwestern China.Since air pollutants can be transported to southwestern China over long distances from the source regions,it is necessary to conduct more research to properly attribute and quantify transboundary transport of air pollutants,which will provide more solid scientific guidance for air pollution management in southwestern China.     

An integrated analysis of air pollution from US coal-fired power plants

The United States is one of the world's leaders in electricity production, generating about 4116 billion kWh in 2021, of which coal accounted for 21.8% of the total. This study applies an integrated approach using both terrestrial and satellite data to specifically examine emissions from coal-fired power plants and its spatial extent. The study also highlights the effectiveness of government policies to reduce emissions. It was found that emission of pollutants from the country's energy sector has been steadily declining, with annual emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) decreasing from the US electric power sector between 1990 and 2020 by 93.4% and 84.8%, respectively, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) by 37% between 2007 and 2020. Although overall emissions from coal-fired power plants are declining, some individual plants have yet to install environmental equipment to control emissions. According to US government data, major emitters of SO₂, NO_x, and CO₂ in the US are the Martin Lake power plant in East Texas, the Labadie power plant near St. Louis, Missouri, and the James H Miller Jr plant near Birmingham, Alabama. This study also integrates TROPOMI satellite data to detect point emissions from individual power plants. While the highest levels of measured pollutants were over the country's major cities and areas of fossil fuel extraction, TROPOMI could clearly distinguish the pollution caused by power plants in more rural areas. Although the US has made great strides in reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants, these plants still represent a major source of pollution and remain a major concern. Totally eliminating coal as a power source will be difficult with the higher power demands resulting from the transition to electric automobiles.     

An analysis of River Derwent pollution and its impacts

As the major water catchment in Hobart city, the River Derwent provides water services to Hobart residents; however, water quality of the River Derwent is becoming unreliable. The aims of this paper are to identify the major water issues in the river and to reveal its impacts on Hobart residents and ecosystem. A methodology of secondary data analysis has been involved; which covers a wide range of existing dissertations. Through all the analysis of data, heavy metals, contaminated sediment and overload nitrogen can be regarded as three main causes of the water pollution. Moreover, the impacts of the water pollution are proved to be significant and perennial. On the basis of the analysis result, water pollution tends to be a tough issue that requires a great amount of time and efforts to deal with.     

太原市大气环境污染规律分析

对近年来太原市大气环境监测结果进行分析，揭示了太原市大气环境主要污染物种类、污染水平及时空分布。     

某铀矿山环境空气中氡污染现状调查

介绍了2005～2008年期间,用REM-III型氡析出率仪和DHZM-I型氡及其子体连续监测仪对某铀矿山的工作场所和居民区分别进行土壤(岩石)氡析出率和环境空气中氡浓度的测量,并应用适当的估算模式估算氡吸入所致公众年有效剂量。结果表明,随着对辐射环境治理工作的加强和人们环保意识的提高,在所监测的工作场所中,大部分监测点的氡浓度没有超过国家规定的限值;在居民区,也没有发现任何监测点的个人剂量超过核工业辐射环境质量评价规定的限值。     

闭坑后矿区空气污染特征的研究

煤矿开采结束后，矿区环境恢复是当前的紧迫任务。闭坑矿区的污染源较多，固体废弃物、残煤的自燃、地表植被的破坏等都会对周围大气环境产生严重污染。通过对某露天矿区的现场监测、检测结果显示污染物主要是总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)、一氧化碳(CO)、二氧化硫(SO2)和氮氧化物(NOx)，而臭氧(O3)则符合国家环境空气质量标准。研究表明：TSP的含量远远超出二级国家环境空气质量标准。因此为主要污染物。在每年春夏之交和秋冬之交两个时期会出现两个污染高峰期，表现出明显的季节特征，与气象条件紧密相关；气体污染物高峰期均处在冬季前后，在每年的夏季浓度最低，并且它们的变化关系具有一定的相关性，变化规律基本相同；CO、SO2的浓度与烟雾出现次数呈正比关系，二者的变化规律基本相同，主要是由于残煤自燃引起的；由于远离汽车尾气污染的影响，NOx主要是由于农事活动和人为活动引起的；研究还发现冬季燃煤量的增加会对监测结果产生影响。同时，对煤矸石的再生利用进行了研究。由于这些方法不但变废为宝，而且用量大、可操作性强，具有广阔的应用前景，可以完全解决矿山固体废弃物对环境的污染问题，对净化矿区环境有良好的效果。     

A physically based spatiotemporal method of analyzing flood impacts on urban road networks

Natural Hazards - A landslide susceptibility map (LSM) is an imperative element in the planning of sustainable development practices and geo-environmental conservations in mountainous terrains. In...     

Assessment of air pollution originating from copper smelter in Bor (Serbia)

Air quality monitoring was performed at the measuring sites in the urban-industrial and suburban zone during the period 2005–2007 in Bor (Serbia). Arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper and sulphur dioxide are predominantly of industrial origin as a result of copper production in the study area. The smelter, which is a part of the Mining-Metallurgical Complex Bor, is the major pollution source. As and SO₂ are the pollutants which pose the biggest threat for the inhabitants of the Bor area, since the measured concentrations exceed the proposed limit values. The obtained concentrations showed that the endangered areas are in close vicinity of the smelter, as well as in the directions of the prevailing winds. By grouping these pollutants into separate clusters, the results of cluster analysis confirmed high loads of As and SO₂ in the air. The results of principal component analysis showed that copper production has major influence on air pollution.     

Geological impacts on groundwater pollution: a case study in Khuzestan Province

The main aims of this study were to examine the sources of pollution with an emphasis on geogenic sources and to predict the groundwater quality with reasonable accuracy. For this purpose, factor analysis/principal component analysis and partial least squares regression were used to analyze a data set of groundwater quality containing 17 parameters measured at 45 different sampling wells in Andimeshk Aquifer during 2006–2013 time period. Factor analysis identified three factors, which were responsible for the data structure explaining 78.3 % of the total variance of the data set. There were various sources of groundwater contamination, based on factor analysis, in which geological formations next to agricultural activities had the most influential effects. Partial least squares regression could predict the quality of groundwater according to the value of water quality index. The amounts of R-squared (0.79) and MSE (0.21) using seven PLS components showed that this method has been successful in the prediction of water quality in the study area.     

Long-term impacts of dust storms on transport systems in south-eastern Iran

Natural Hazards - Dust storms are frequent in the Sistan region of south-eastern Iran and cause a wide range of problems, but few studies have assessed their negative impacts. This paper makes an...     

Effects of industrial air pollution on the respiratory health of children

There is growing concern regarding to the possible effects of air pollution on respiratory health of children in Eleme industrial area of Port-Harcourt Nigeria. A total of 250 children were sampled from six primary schools with pre-nursery facilities for a period of 18 months. Subjects were divided into two zones (A and B), monitored and examined on weekly basis. The effects of four criteria pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide) on the respiratory health of the children were examined with reference to symptoms and diseases such as cough, cold, bronchitis, sinusitis and phlegm. Data were obtained from surveys of socioeconomic status of parents of subjects, three air monitoring stations and on-the-spot measurements of these pollutants and their association with symptoms and diseases analyzed. Results showed that there was a strong association between air pollution and symptoms and diseases among children. The effect was strongest among children below 2 years of age (adjusted OR = 3.5, 95%, CI 1.7-8.3) in the highly polluted zone than in the less polluted area. The higher the age of children, the lesser the susceptibility to these pollutants. These general results constitute a starting point for further research on long-term exposure to industrial air pollution and call for an urgent enforcement of regulatory standards to protect the most vulnerable groups in most of the growing metropolises of the country.     

Geological evolution of offshore pollution and its long-term potential impacts on marine ecosystems

Populations and metropolitan centers are accumulated in coastal areas around the world. In view of the fact that they are geographically adjacent to coasts and intense anthropogenic activities, increasing global offshore pollution has been an important worldwide concern over the past several decades and has become a very serious problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Due to offshore pollution, various geological disasters occur in high frequency, including intensified erosion and salinization of coastal soils, frequent geological collapses and landslides and increasing seismic activities. Moreover, offshore pollution shows increasingly serious impacts on the topography and geomorphology of offshore and coastal areas, including coastal degradation, retreating coastlines and estuary delta erosion. Offshore sedimentation processes are strongly influenced by the pH changes of terrestrial discharges, and sedimentary dynamics have become extremely acute and complex due to offshore pollution. The seabed topography and hydrodynamic environment determine the fate and transport of pollutants entering offshore regions. Coastal estuaries, port basins and lagoons that have relatively moderate ocean currents and winds are more likely to accumulate pollutants. Offshore regions and undersea canyons can be used as conduits for transporting pollutants from the continent to the seabed. It is particularly noteworthy that the spatial/temporal distribution of species, community structures, and ecological functions in offshore areas have undergone unprecedented changes in recent decades. Due to increasing offshore pollution, the stable succession and development trend of marine ecosystems has been broken. It is thus important to identify and regulate the quantity, composition and transportation of pollutants in offshore regions and their behavior in marine ecosystems. In particular, crucial actions for stabilizing marine ecosystems, including increasing species and biodiversity, should be implemented to enhance their anti-interference capabilities. This review provides an overview of the current situation of offshore pollution, as well as major trends of pollutant fate and transportation from continent to marine ecosystems, transformation of pollutants in sediments, and their bioaccumulation and diffusion. This study retrospectively reviews the long-term geological evolution of offshore pollution from the perspective of marine geology, and analyses their long-term potential impacts on marine ecosystems. Due to ecological risks associated with pollutants released from offshore sediments, more research on the influence of global offshore pollution based on marine geology is undoubtedly needed.     

GIS-based estimation of flood hazard impacts on road network in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia

Makkah city, Saudi Arabia, is periodically exposed to flash floods that result in major human and economical damages. That is due to several factors including its rugged topography and geological structures. Hence, precise assessment of floods becomes a more vital demand in development planning. A GIS-based methodology has been developed for quantifying and spatially mapping the flood characteristics. The core of this new approach is integrating several topographic, metrological, geological, and land use data sets in a geographic information system (GIS) environment that utilizes the curve number method of flood modelling for ungauged arid catchments. Based on the estimated flood volume of sub-basins, a hazard factor has been developed to quantify the expected hazard level for each road. Applying this proposed approach reveals that 21?% of the road network in Makkah city is subjected to low flood hazards, 29?% is facing medium hazards, and 50?% of roads are exposed to harsh flood impacts. The developed approach may be considered a digital precise method that can be easily re-run, in other situations or regions, to estimate flood hazards on roads.     

Influence of vegetation on aeolian sand transport rate from a backshore to a foredune at Hasaki, Japan

The influence of vegetation on aeolian sediment transport rate in the region from a backshore to a foredune was investigated at the Hasaki Coast in Japan, where an onshore wind was predominant and the creeping beach grasses Carex kobomugi and Calystegia soldanella were major species. The comparison of cross-shore distributions of the cross-shore component of aeolian sand transport rate with and without vegetation, which were estimated on the basis of the beach profile changes and a mass conservation equation, showed that the creeping grasses influenced the aeolian sand transport rate. The landward aeolian sand transport rate rapidly decreased landward from the seaward limit of vegetation when the grasses grew. The aeolian sand transport rate reduced by 95% with a vegetation cover of 28%. On the other hand, when the grasses were absent, the landward aeolian sand transport rate did not decrease near the seaward vegetation limit, but near the foot of the foredune.     

Experimental technique of calibration of symmetrical air pollution models

Based on the inherent property of symmetry of air pollution models, a Symmetrical Air Pollution Model Index (SAPMI) has been developed to calibrate the accuracy of predictions made by such models, where the initial quantity of release at the source is not known. For exact prediction the value of SAPMI should be equal to 1. If the predicted values are overestimating then SAPMI is <1 and if it is underestimating then SAPMI is >1. Specific design for the layout of receptors has been suggested as a requirement for the calibration experiments. SAPMI is applicable for all variations of symmetrical air pollution dispersion models.     

Metal-enriched nanoparticles and black carbon: A perspective from the Brazil railway system air pollution

Having a better understanding of air pollutants in railway systems is crucial to ensure a clean public transport. This study measured, for the first time in Brazil, nanoparticles (NPs) and black carbon (BC) on two ground-level platforms and inside trains of the Metropolitan Area of Porto Alegre (MAPA). An intense sampling campaign during thirteen consecutive months was carried out and the chemical composition of NPs was examined by advanced microscopy techniques. The results showed that highest concentrations of the pollutants occur in colder seasons and influenced by variables such as frequency of the trains and passenger densities. Also, internal and external sources of pollution at the stations were identified. The predominance of NPs enriched with metals that increase oxidative stress like Cd, Fe, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, V, Hg, Sn, and Ba both on the platforms and inside trains, including Fe-minerals as hematite and magnetite, represents a critical risk to the health of passengers and employees of the system. This interdisciplinary and multi-analytical study aims to provide an improved understanding of reported adverse health effects induced by railway system aerosols.     

室内空气污染对人体健康的影响及其防治

文章简述了室内空气污染的来源以及对人体健康的影响和危害,分析了造成污染的原因,提出了防治的措施和控制的方法.