Wood smoke black carbon from Indigenous traditional cultural activities in a subarctic Cree community.

Indoor concentrations of black carbon (BC) were measured when wood was burned for traditional cultural activities in a study in a Cree community located in subarctic Canada. The study also included an intervention using a propane-fuelled heater to mitigate in situ BC. Mass concentrations of BC were measured in a game-smoking tent for 39 days and in hunting cabins on the west coast of James Bay, Canada, for 8 days. Five-minute averaged BC mass concentration (N = 12,319) data were recorded and assessed using optimised noise-reduction averaging. Mean BC mass concentrations were lower in hunting cabins (mean = 8.25 micrograms per cubic metre (µg m-3)) and higher in the game-smoking tent (mean = 15.46 µg m-3). However, excessive BC peaks were recorded in the game-smoking tent (maximum = 3076.71 µg m-3) when the fire was stoked or loaded. The intervention with the propane heater in a hunting cabin yielded a 90% reduction in measured BC mass concentrations. We do not presume that exposure to BC is of concern in hunting cabins with appropriate wood-burning appliances that are well-sealed and vent outside. In game-smoking tents, we advise that persons take intermittent breaks outside of the tent for fresh air.

Mobile monitoring of air and noise pollution in Philadelphia neighborhoods during 2017.

Mobile monitoring is a useful approach for measuring intra-urban variation of air pollution in urban environments. In this study, we used a mobile monitoring approach to study the spatial-temporal variability of air and noise pollution in urban neighborhoods of Philadelphia. During summer 2017, we used portable instruments to measure PM2.5, black carbon (BC), and noise levels along 5 km paths in four residential neighborhoods (Tioga, Mill Creek, Chestnut Hill, and Northern Liberties) and one commercial district (Center City) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. A total of 62 sets of measurements were made at three different times of day (during morning rush hour, mid-afternoon, and during afternoon rush hour) from June 5 to July 7, 2017. Spatially, there was a significant difference in PM2.5 concentrations among the four residential neighborhoods. Overall, the Chestnut Hill neighborhood had the highest PM2.5 concentrations (13.25 ±â€¯6.89 µg/m3), followed by Tioga (9.58 ±â€¯4.83 µg/m3), Northern Liberties (7.02 ±â€¯4.17 µg/m3), and Mill Creek (3.9 ±â€¯4.5 µg/m3). There was temporal variability of pollutants depending on the neighborhood; Northern Liberties demonstrated the highest temporal variability in these data. The highest PM2.5 (18.86 ±â€¯3.17 mg/m3) was measured in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood during mid-afternoon. Mean PM2.5, BC, and noise levels based on mobile measurements at Philadelphia during summer 2017 were 8.41 ±â€¯4.31 µg/m3, 0.99 ±â€¯0.44 µg C/m3, and 62.01 ±â€¯3.20 dBA, respectively. Environmental noise showed the highest temporal variation of the monitored components for 3 time periods. In general, tree cover showed a weak and inconclusive association with particulate pollution levels.

Roadside Exposure and Inflammation Biomarkers among a Cohort of Traffic Police in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Air pollution is a major environmental problem in the Kathmandu Valley. Specifically, roadside and traffic-related air pollution exposure levels were found at very high levels exceeding Nepal air quality standards for daily PM2.5. In an exposure study involving traffic police officers, we collected 78 blood samples in a highly polluted spring season (16 February 2014⁻4 April 2014) and 63 blood samples in the less polluted summer season (20 July 2014⁻22 August 2014). Fourteen biomarkers, i.e., C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukins (IL1-ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) were analyzed in collected blood samples using proinflammatory panel 1 kits and vascular injury panel 2 kits. All the inflammatory biomarker levels were higher in the summer season than in the spring season, while particulate levels were higher in the spring season than in the summer season. We did not find significant association between 24-hour average PM2.5 or black carbon (BC) exposure levels with most of analyzed biomarkers for the traffic volunteers working and residing near busy roads in Kathmandu, Nepal, during 2014. Inflammation and vascular injury marker concentrations were generally higher in females, suggesting the important role of gender in inflammation biomarkers. Because of the small sample size of female subjects, further investigation with a larger sample size is required to confirm the role of gender in inflammation biomarkers.

Exposure to air pollutants in Vietnam: Assessing potential risk for tourists.

Tourism can form an important component of a nation's GDP, and Vietnam is among the most visited countries in Southeast Asia. Most studies on personal exposure focus on the general population, or occupational cohorts with exposure to specific pollutants. However, short-term exposure to air pollutants while visiting regions with high levels of air pollution can lead to acute health effects. A personal exposure study was conducted across three cities in Vietnam to estimate exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon for tourists. Measurements were conducted during the wet season in 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Nha Trang using portable instrumentation. Average 24-hr PM2.5 and BC exposures were estimated as 18.9±9.24 and 3.41±1.33µg/m3 and among the three cities, Ho Chi Minh was found to have the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Environmental tobacco smoke, commuting and street food stands were found to contribute to highest levels of exposure to PM2.5 and BC across all cities.

PM2.5 exposure in highly polluted cities: A case study from New Delhi, India.

Personal exposure (PE) to air pollutants is driven by a combination of pollutant concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments, and time-activity pattern of individuals. The objectives of this study were to estimate personal exposure to PM2.5 and black carbon (BC), and assess the representability of ambient air quality monitoring stations to serve as surrogates for PE in New Delhi. Personal exposure to air pollutants (PM2.5-PE and BCPE) was measured using portable, battery-operated instruments (PM2.5- pDR1500 and BC- microAethalometer AE51) in a small cohort of healthy adults (n=12 in summer, n=6 in winter) with no occupational exposure. Average PM2.5-PE and BCPE (µg/m3) were 53.9±136 and 3.71±4.29 respectively, in summer and 489.2±209.2 and 23.3±14.9 respectively, in winter. Activities associated with highest exposure levels were cooking and indoor cleaning for PM2.5, and commuting for BC. Within transport microenvironments, autorickshaws were found to be the most polluted, and lowest BC exposure was registered in public buses. Comparison of fixed-site ambient monitoring data showed a higher correlation with personal exposure dataset in winter compared to summer (r2 of 0.51 (winter) and 0.21 (summer); 51% (winter) and 20% (summer)). This study highlights the need for detailed assessment of PE to air pollutants in Indian cities, and calls for a denser network of monitoring stations for better exposure assessment.

Respiratory Effects of High Levels of Particulate Exposure in a Cohort of Traffic Police in Kathmandu, Nepal.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the traffic-related PM2.5 and black carbon (BC) exposures and assess their health effects. METHODS: Personal exposure to PM2.5 and BC levels were monitored in a cohort of traffic police (n = 53) at six locations in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal during dry and rainy seasons in 2014. RESULTS: Mean on-road exposure levels of PM2.5 and BC ranged from 34 to 193 µg/m(3) and 12 to 28 µgC/m(3), respectively, and were associated with an acute decline in lung function. Use of N95 mask had clear benefits reducing the lung function decreases after occupational exposures when masks were worn for just half of a workweek. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure of high levels of PM2.5 was associated with reduced lung function. Increased levels of BC exposure led to reduced lung function in non-smoking traffic officers with non-normal spirometry observations.

Repeated measures of inflammation, blood pressure, and heart rate variability associated with traffic exposures in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: Previous human exposure studies of traffic-related air pollutants have demonstrated adverse health effects in human populations by comparing areas of high and low traffic, but few studies have utilized microenvironmental monitoring of pollutants at multiple traffic locations while looking at a vast array of health endpoints in the same population. We evaluated inflammatory markers, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, exhaled nitric oxide, and lung function in healthy participants after exposures to varying mixtures of traffic pollutants. METHODS: A repeated-measures, crossover study design was used in which 23 healthy, non-smoking adults had clinical cardiopulmonary and systemic inflammatory measurements taken prior to, immediately after, and 24 hours after intermittent walking for two hours in the summer months along three diverse roadways having unique emission characteristics. Measurements of PM2.5, PM10, black carbon (BC), elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC) were collected. Mixed effect models were used to assess changes in health effects associated with these specific pollutant classes. RESULTS: Minimal associations were observed with lung function measurements and the pollutants measured. Small decreases in BP measurements and rMSSD, and increases in IL-1ß and the low frequency to high frequency ratio measured in HRV, were observed with increasing concentrations of PM2.5 EC. CONCLUSIONS: Small, acute changes in cardiovascular and inflammation-related effects of microenvironmental exposures to traffic-related air pollution were observed in a group of healthy young adults. The associations were most profound with the diesel-source EC.

Black carbon and particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in New York City's subway stations.

The New York City (NYC) subway is the main mode of transport for over 5 million passengers on an average weekday. Therefore, airborne pollutants in the subway stations could have a significant impact on commuters and subway workers. This study looked at black carbon (BC) and particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in selected subway stations in Manhattan. BC and PM2.5 levels were measured in real time using a Micro-Aethalometer and a PDR-1500 DataRAM, respectively. Simultaneous samples were also collected on quartz filters for organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC) analysis and on Teflon filters for gravimetric and trace element analysis. In the underground subway stations, mean real time BC concentrations ranged from 5 to 23 µg/m(3), with 1 min average peaks >100 µg/m(3), while real time PM2.5 levels ranged from 35 to 200 µg/m(3). Mean EC levels ranged from 9 to 12.5 µg/m(3). At street level on the same days, the mean BC and PM2.5 concentrations were below 3 and 10 µg/m(3), respectively. This study shows that both BC soot and PM levels in NYC's subways are considerably higher than ambient urban street levels and that further monitoring and investigation of BC and PM subway exposures are warranted.

The effect of particle size, location and season on the toxicity of urban and rural particulate matter.

Particulate matter (PM) varies in chemical composition and mass concentration based on a number of factors including location, season, source and particle size. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of coarse and fine PM simultaneously collected at three rural and two urban sites within the metropolitan New York City (NYC) region during two seasons, and to assess how particle size and elemental composition affect toxicity. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial (HPMEC-ST1.6R) and bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cell lines were exposed to PM (50 µg/mL) and analyzed for reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mice (FVB/N) were exposed by oropharyngeal aspiration to 50 µg PM, and lavage fluid was analyzed for total protein and PMN influx. The ROS response was greater in the HPMEC-ST1.6R cell line compared to BEAS-2B cells, but the responses were significantly correlated (p < 0.01). The ROS response was affected by location, locale and the location:size interaction in both cell lines, and an additional association for size was observed from HPMEC-ST1.6R cells. Urban fine PM generated the highest ROS response. In the mouse model, inflammation was associated with particle size and by a season:size interaction, with coarse PM producing greater PMN inflammation. This study showed that the aerodynamic size, locale (i.e. urban versus rural), and site of PM samples affected the ROS response in pulmonary endothelial and epithelial cells and the inflammatory response in mice. Importantly, these responses were dependent upon the chemical composition of the PM samples.

Residual oil combustion: 2. Distributions of airborne nickel and vanadium within New York City.

In an earlier paper based on PM(2.5) speciation network data, we showed that nickel (Ni) concentrations were much higher in New York City (NYC) than in New Jersey (NJ) and Connecticut (CT), and that the NYC levels, but not those in NJ and CT, were much higher in the winter than in summer. However, all of the speciation sites in NYC were in the northern half of the city. To determine the distributions of Ni and other PM(2.5) components within NYC, we collected 8-weeklong filter samples at 10 sites throughout NYC in both winter and summer, and measured the concentrations of the elements by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The resulting data, together with speciation network site data, were used to construct seasonal average concentration isopleth maps for Ni and vanadium (V). As expected, Ni was much higher in Bronx than in Brooklyn, and much higher in winter than in summer. By contrast, V was higher in Brooklyn than in Bronx, and the winter and summer levels were similar. It appears that space-heating boilers are the major source category for Ni in NYC, whereas the Port of New York is the major source of V.

Residual oil combustion: a major source of airborne nickel in New York City.

On the basis of previous observations that: (1) both the nickel (Ni) concentration in ambient air fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) and daily mortality rates in New York City (NYC) were much higher than in any other US city; and (2) that peaks in Ni concentration was strongly associated with cardiac function in a mouse model of atherosclerosis, we initiated a study of the spatial and seasonal distributions of Ni in NYC and vicinity to determine the feasibility of productive human population-based studies of the extent to which ambient fine particle Ni may account for cardiovascular health effects. Using available speciation data from previous studies at The New York University, Environmental Protection Agency's Speciation Trends Network; and the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments network, we determined that Ni in NYC is on average 2.5 times higher in winter than in summer. This apparent seasonal gradient is absent, or much less pronounced, at NJ and CT speciation sites. Ni concentrations at a site on the east side of Manhattan and at two sites in the western portion of the Bronx were a factor of two higher than at a site on the west side of Manhattan, or at one at Queens College in eastern Queens County, indicating a strong spatial gradient within NYC. We conclude that the winter peaks of fine particle Ni indicate that space heating, which involves the widespread reliance on residual oil combustion in many older residential and commercial buildings in NYC, is a major source of ambient air Ni. Epidemiologic studies based on data generated by a network of speciation sites throughout NYC could effectively test the hypothesis that Ni could account for a significant portion of the excess mortality and morbidity that have been associated with elevated mass concentrations of PM(2.5).