Search results for " Air Pollution"
showing 10 items of 35 documents
La qualità dell’aria indoor: una priorità ambientale e sanitaria
2009
Ambient Air Pollution and Atherosclerosis: Insights Into Dose, Time, and Mechanisms.
2021
Ambient air pollution due to particulate matter ≤2.5 μ is the leading environmental risk factor contributing to global mortality, with a preponderant majority of these deaths attributable to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) causes such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Epidemiological studies in humans have provided refined estimates of exposure risk, with evidence suggesting that risk association with particulate matter ≤2.5 levels and ASCVD continues at levels well below air quality guidelines in North America and Europe. Mechanistic studies in animals and humans have provided a framework of understanding of the duration and pathways by which air pollution exposure may pr…
Experimental data collection and modelling of dry deposition velocities for urban surfaces
2018
Dry deposition process is recognized as an important pathway among the removal processes of radioactive pollutants in atmosphere. There is not a unique and accepted theoretical description of involved dry deposition phenomena due to the complexity of the fluid-dynamic processes that influence the deposition flux, but also because there is a lack of experimental data covering all scenarios of interest. In this paper, that is the result of a National Research Program a research activity conducted by DEIM Department of the University of Palermo and ENEA and funded by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, a new schema for parameterization of particle dry deposition velocity on urban are…
Indoor air pollution in extremely poor Colombian households
2013
Objetivo Caracterizar la exposición a la contaminación del aire interior por uso de combustibles sólidos en hogares en situación de pobreza extrema en Colombia. Métodos A partir de la información gubernamental oficial de hogares en situación de pobreza extrema (encuesta Red Unidos de septiembre 2012, n=1,3 millones de hogares y >5 millones de individuos) se estructuraron dos modelos de regresión logística: (i) Factores asociados al uso de combustibles sólidos para cocinar a nivel hogar, (ii) Asociación entre el uso de combustibles sólidos en el hogar y prevalencia de limitaciones de la salud a nivel individuo. Resultados Un total de 530 mil hogares en situación de pobreza extrema donde habi…
The city under electrodes : from the measure to the evaluation of traffic air pollution : towards a multi-agent simulation of urban road traffic
2016
Based on surveys, traffic is constructed from assumptions about the relationship between origins and destinations. In order to rebuild a road traffic wich would be closer to observation and on a wider set of road sections, it appears interesting to use counting data from urban sensors : this is our starting point of view. The insertion of these in-situ dataset in the road traffic measurement provides the opportunity to experience the potential of sensors to estimate Traffic Air Pollution (TAP) levels at the intraurban scale. However, this requires to change the nature of these estimation, here through the construction of a model of multi-agents simulation, in order to extract more informati…
The effect of particulate air pollution on life expectancy.
1998
Two recent US cohort studies suggest that current levels of particulate pollution in urban air are associated not only with short-term, but also with long-term increases in cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present analyses was to evaluate the change in life expectancy assuming the long-term increase in mortality rates as suggested by these studies. The method of competing causes of death was used and the effect of particulate air pollution on life expectancy was found to be notable in countries with high cardiovascular mortality like the US.
Associations of greenness, greyness and air pollution exposure with children's health: a cross-sectional study in Southern Italy
2018
Background Due to the complex interplay among different urban-related exposures, a comprehensive approach is advisable to estimate the health effects. We simultaneously assessed the effect of “green”, “grey” and air pollution exposure on respiratory/allergic conditions and general symptoms in schoolchildren. Methods This study involved 219 schoolchildren (8–10 years) of the Municipality of Palermo, Italy. Data were collected through questionnaires self-administered by parents and children. Exposures to greenness and greyness at the home addresses were measured using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), residential surrounding greyness (RSG) and the CORINE land-cover classes (C…
Spunti critici sull’aggiornamento della normativa europea in tema di qualità dell’aria
2022
This paper aims at presenting an argument in favour of the need for a prompt update of the European legislation on air quality, by taking its cue from the current situation in Italy. The paper starts by providing a definition of outdoor air pollution and by referring to the most influential Italian scientific studies on the main health risks connected. The perspective then shifts to the analysis of the relevant legislation at both European and national level in an attempt to systematically recompose the complex framework of plans and regulations adopted for the containment and prevention of outdoor pollution. In this framework, the analysis of the three infringement procedures opened agains…
New Interpretative Scales for Lichen Bioaccumulation Data: The Italian Proposal
2019
The interpretation of lichen bioaccumulation data is of paramount importance in environmental forensics and decision-making processes. By implementing basic ideas underlying previous interpretative scales, new dimensionless, species-independent &ldquo
The Effect of the Covid-19 Lockdown on Air Quality in Three Italian Medium-Sized Cities
2020
Despite the societal and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown measures put in place by the Italian government provided an unprecedented opportunity to increase our knowledge of the effect transportation and industry-related emissions have on the air quality in our cities. This study assessed the effect of reduced emissions during the lockdown period, due to COVID-19, on air quality in three Italian cities, Florence, Pisa, and Lucca. For this study, we compared the concentration of particulate matter PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and O3 measured during the lockdown period, with values obtained in the same period of 2019. Our results show no evidence of a direct relationship between th…