Search results for "Air Quality"
showing 10 items of 195 documents
Benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes in ambient air and Pinus sylvestris L. needles: a comparative study between Belgium, Hungary and Latvia
2001
Abstract Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) in ambient air and in 1 yr old Pinus sylvestris pine needles were monitored along a busy road, petrol station and rural area of Belgium, Hungary and Latvia in a 1 yr period. To test P. sylvestris as a possible biomonitor for the BTEX concentrations, samples were taken in the four seasons. As the distribution of data was not normal, the level of pollution on different sites and seasons was compared and evaluated by non-parametric tests. The measured air concentrations did not differ significantly from one season to another throughout the year. There were, however, differences between sampling places. The C2-alkylbe…
Students' school‐level symptoms mediate the relationship between a school's observed moisture problems and students’ subjective perceptions of indoor…
2020
Moisture damage can influence the subjective assessment of indoor air quality (subjective IAQ) in various ways. We studied whether the frequency of symptoms reported across students at school level mediates the relationship between observed mold and dampness in a school building and students' subjective IAQ. To answer this research question, we tested a multilevel path model. The analyzed data were created by merging two nationwide data sets: (a) survey data from students, including information on subjective IAQ (N = 24,786 students); (b) data from schools, including information on mold and dampness in a school building (N = 222). After the background variables were adjusted, schools' obser…
Students’ school‐level symptoms mediate the relationship between a school’s observed moisture problems and students’ subjective perceptions of indoor…
2021
Moisture damage can influence the subjective assessment of indoor air quality (subjective IAQ) in various ways. We studied whether the frequency of symptoms reported across students at school level mediates the relationship between observed mold and dampness in a school building and students’ subjective IAQ. To answer this research question, we tested a multilevel path model. The analyzed data was created by merging two nationwide data sets: 1) survey data from students, including information on subjective IAQ (N = 24,786 students); 2) data from schools, including information on mold and dampness in a school building (N = 222). After the background variables were adjusted, schools’ observed…
Effects of air pollution on dementia over Europe for present and future climate change scenarios.
2020
The scientific literature is scarce when referring to the influence of atmospheric pollutants on neurodegenerative diseases for present and future climate change scenarios. In this sense, this contribution evaluates the incidence of dementia (Alzheimer's disease, AD, and dementia from unspecified cause, DU) occurring in Europe associated with the exposure to air pollution (essentially NO2 and PM2.5) for the present climatic period (1991-2010) and for a future climate change scenario (RCP8.5, 2031-2050). The GEMM methodology has been applied to air pollution simulations using the chemistry/climate regional model WRF-Chem. Present population data were obtained from NASA's Center for Socioecon…
Towards resilient cities: Advancements allowed by a multi-criteria optimization tool to face the new challenges of European Union’s climate and energ…
2019
Abstract The United Nations as well as the European Union are strongly committed in promoting a transition towards more sustainable and resilient cities. Indeed, they are increasingly affected by different types of threats, among which the natural ones such as earthquakes, fires, and floods (shocks) and climate variability (stresses). Cities are quite often unable to cope with the adverse effects of such natural hazards. This circumstance leads to the need of introducing resilience-related criteria (besides commonly used sustainability indicators) in decision-making processes. This paper investigates at which extent the inclusion of such new indicators, within multi-criteria assessment tool…
Urban Heat Island and air quality, Dijon, winter 2014-2015.
2016
For the 2014-2015 Winter, thetemperature patterns and the Air Quality measured over the Grand Dijon urban area are studied together.Meteorological conditions favoring the development of an Urban Heat Island (UHI) are distinguished fromthose giving rise to pollution episodes. Winter UHI are next characterized, with radiative situations followedafter the sunset by relatively strong UHI (about 3°C), and days with no insolation during which anthropogenicheat is suspected to produce a small UHI (few tenths of °C).
A CASE STUDY OF THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS BELONGING TO AN AREA OF THE SICILIAN ISLAND INTERESTED BY THE PRESENCE OF PETROCHEMICAL REFINERIES
2021
The indoor environmental quality is a topic particularly relevant for schools; this category of confined environments is, indeed, occupied by subjects (i.e. children), which are thought to be more vulnerable than adults to the negative health effects of poor indoor air quality, and whose learning process has long been recognized to be influenced by the quality of the indoor environment. This paper presents results of a study concerning the inside air quality of schools in four small towns sited in the southern part of Sicily, interested by the presence of a petrochemical refinery in the surrounding territory. The performed analysis made it possible to highlight the main criticalities regard…
The consequences of the inappropriate use of ventilation systems operating in indoor swimming pool conditions - analysis
2018
Increasingly more leisure facilities, such as water parks or indoor swimming pools are being built in Poland nowadays. In order to ensure the air quality required by standards for such leisure facilities it is necessary to fit them with effectively functioning ventilation. For the removal of excess humidity, as well as chlorine ions occurring as a result of the disinfection of water as well as the carbon dioxide emitted by people using the facility, the ventilation system needs to be appropriately designed and efficient. For this reason, studies into the air quality in such facilities were undertaken. The paper presents the causes and consequences of the inappropriate operation and maintena…
Aerosol Health Effects from Molecular to Global Scales.
2017
Poor air quality is globally the largest environmental health risk. Epidemiological studies have uncovered clear relationships of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter (PM) with adverse health outcomes, including mortality by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Studies of health impacts by aerosols are highly multidisciplinary with a broad range of scales in space and time. We assess recent advances and future challenges regarding aerosol effects on health from molecular to global scales through epidemiological studies, field measurements, health-related properties of PM, and multiphase interactions of oxidants and PM upon respiratory deposition. Global modeling combined with epide…
Ambient carbon monoxide and daily mortality:a global time-series study in 337 cities
2021
Background Epidemiological evidence on short-term association between ambient carbon monoxide (CO) and mortality is inconclusive and limited to single cities, regions, or countries. Generalisation of results from previous studies is hindered by potential publication bias and different modelling approaches. We therefore assessed the association between short-term exposure to ambient CO and daily mortality in a multicity, multicountry setting. Methods We collected daily data on air pollution, meteorology, and total mortality from 337 cities in 18 countries or regions, covering various periods from 1979 to 2016. All included cities had at least 2 years of both CO and mortality data. We estimat…