The aim of the present study was to evaluate the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in PM(10) and PM(2.5), at one rural and three urban sites in the Cantabria region (northern Spain). From all of these pollutants, benzo(a)pyrene is regulated by the EU air quality directives; its target value (1 ng/m(3)) was not exceeded. The concentration values of t...

Atmospheric pollution from vehicular traffic is a matter of growing interest, often leading to temporary restrictions in urban areas. Although guidelines indicate limits for several parameters, the real toxicologic impacts remain largely unexplored in field conditions. In this study our aim was to validate an ecotoxicologic approach to evaluate both bioaccumulation and toxicologic effects cause...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study is to investigate whether traffic policemen of a big city exposed to urban pollutants may be at risk of alterations on plasma vasopressin (VP) concentrations compared with a control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS Out of a population of 395 Municipal Police employees, the subjects with the principal confounding factors were excluded from the study. Traffic ...

Food production by urban dwellers is of growing importance in developing and developed countries. Urban horticulture is associated with health risks as crops in urban settings are generally exposed to higher levels of pollutants than those in rural areas. We determined the concentration of trace metals in the biomass of different horticultural crops grown in the inner city of Berlin, Germany, a...

One of the most dramatic visuals of the 21st century is the sprawling skyline of a city. Glass-paned buildings as you look up, endless pavement as you look down. Cars honk. Tailpipes leak out pollutants. Lightbulbs buzz as a metropolis works into the night. What you do not necessarily see or hear... but might feel... is the heat. Because of human activities, there is an increase in air temperat...