In the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil, ozone and particulate matter (PM) are the air pollutants that pose the greatest threat to air quality, since the PM and the ozone precursors (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) are the main source of air pollution from vehicular emissions. Vehicular emissions can be measured inside road tunnels, and those measurements can provide infor...

Abstract. Air quality network data in China and South Korea show very high year-round mass concentrations of coarse particulate matter (PM), as inferred by the difference between PM10 PM2.5. Coarse PM 2015 averaged 52 µg m−3 North Plain (NCP) 23 Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), contributing nearly half PM10. Strong daily correlations carbon monoxide imply a dominant source from anthropogenic fugi...

Benzo(a)pyrene(BaP) originating from fossil fuel and other organic combustion processes is largely adsorbed on fine particulate and hence is a widespread atmospheric pollutant. Available emissions and air quality data are based on the total weight of particulate matter without reference to size and give little information on trends and concentrations of fine particulate BaP. Greater reliance on...

BACKGROUND Past time-series studies of the health effects of fine particulate matter [aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5)] have used chemically nonspecific PM2.5 mass. However, PM2.5 is known to vary in chemical composition with source, and health impacts may vary accordingly. OBJECTIVE We tested the association between source-specific daily PM2.5 mass and hospital admissions in a time-seri...

Compared with common dust storms, saline dust storms transport high concentrations of fine-grain saline and alkaline material. The saline dust storm differs from common dust storm, especially considering the sources of the suspended particulate matter (PM), chemical composition, grain size, and circulation processes. Atmospheric particulate matters (TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PM1) and their water-so...

Epidemiologic and health impact studies are inhibited by the paucity of global, long-term measurements of the chemical composition of fine particulate matter. We inferred PM2.5 chemical composition at 0.1° × 0.1° spatial resolution for 2004-2008 by combining aerosol optical depth retrieved from the MODIS and MISR satellite instruments, with coincident profile and composition information from th...

Most studies on the association between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mortality have considered only total concentration of PM2.5 or individual components of PM2.5, and not the combined effects of concentration and particulate composition. We sought to develop a method to estimate the risk of death from long-term exposure to PM2.5 and the distribution of its components, namely...

Landscape fires can produce large quantities of smoke that degrade air quality in both remote and urban communities. Smoke from these fires is a complex mixture of fine particulate matter and gases, exposure to which is associated with increased respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The public health response to short-lived smoke events typically advises people to remain indoo...

The first analysis of long-term exposures to air pollution and risk of mortality using the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II (ACS CPS-II) cohort was published in 1995. Subsequently, extensive independent reanalysis and multiple extended analyses were conducted. These studies have consistently demonstrated that exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) is associa...

Novel carbon sequestration strategies such as large-scale land application of biochar may provide sustainable pathways to increase the terrestrial storage of carbon. Biochar has a long residence time in the soil and hence comprehensive studies are urgently needed to quantify the environmental impacts of large-scale biochar application. In particular, black carbon emissions from soils amended wi...