Particulate matter (PM) has been linked to a range of serious cardiovascular and respiratory health problems, including premature mortality. The main objective of our research is to quantify uncertainties about the impacts of fine PM exposure on mortality. We develop a multivariate spatial regression model for the estimation of the risk of mortality associated with fine PM and its components ac...

This study analyzed the size distribution of airborne particulate matter (PM) and 13 metallic elements associated with it. PM samples were collected using an eight-stage cascade impactor in a busy urban area of an industrial city, Korea during four seasons. Most of the fine and coarse particle mass was concentrated in the size range of 0.7–1.1 μm and 9–10 μm, respectively. PM mass showed two pe...

Fine particulate matter (PM) in the ambient air is implicated in a variety of human health issues throughout the globe. Regulation of fine PM in the atmosphere requires information on the dimension of the problem with respect to variations in concentrations and sources. To understand the current status of fine particles in the atmosphere and their potential harmful health effects in different r...

Outdoor and indoor (subway) samples were collected by passive sampling in urban Seoul (Korea) and analyzed with computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (CCSEM-EDX). Soil/road dust particles accounted for 42%-60% (by weight) of fine particulate matter larger than 1 µm (PM(2.5-1.0)) in outdoor samples and 18% of PM2.5-1.0 in subway sample...

Previously we reported that fine particle mass (particulate matter [less than and equal to] 2.5 microm; PM(2.5)), which is primarily from combustion sources, but not coarse particle mass, which is primarily from crustal sources, was associated with daily mortality in six eastern U.S. cities (1). In this study, we used the elemental composition of size-fractionated particles to identify several ...

Fine particulate air pollution has been associated with increases in long-term mortality in selected cohort studies, and this association has been influential in the establishment of air quality regulations for fine particles (PM(2.5)). However, this epidemiologic evidence has been questioned because of methodological issues, conflicting findings, and lack of an accepted causal mechanism. To fu...

Epidemiologic evidence associates particulate air pollution with cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. The biological mechanisms underlying these associations and the relationship between ambient levels and retained particles in the lung remain uncertain. We examined the parenchymal particle content of 11 autopsy lungs from never-smoking female residents of Mexico City, a region with high am...

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have linked fine particles [≤ 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5))] and health. Most studies focused on the total mass of the particles, although the chemical composition of the particles varies substantially. Which chemical components of fine particles that are the most harmful is not well understood, and research on the chemical composition of PM(2.5) and the c...

Residential combustion has been identified as one of the main sources of particulate matter (PM); fine particles are important because of their adverse effects on human health and the environment. In this thesis, fine particle emissions originating from residential pellet combustion were characterized in different operational situations and using different raw materials as pellet fuel. Moreover...

Epidemiologic studies have shown that airborne particulate matter (PM) with a mass median aerodynamic diameter < 10 microm (PM10) is associated with an increase in respiratory-related disease. However, there is a growing consensus that particles < 2.5 microm (PM2.5), including many in the ultrafine (< 0.1 microm) size range, may elicit greater adverse effects. PM is a complex mixture of organic...