The deleterious effects of ambient air pollution on human health have been consistently documented by many epidemiologic studies worldwide, and it has been calculated that globally at least seven million deaths are annually attributable to the effects of air pollution. The major air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere by a number of natural processes and human activities include nitrogen oxi...

BACKGROUND Birth defects are a major public health concern as they are the leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality. Observational studies have linked environmental pollution to adverse birth outcomes, including congenital anomalies. This study examined potential associations between ambient air pollution and congenital heart defects and cleft lip or palate among births in Brisbane, Austr...

Indoor and ambient concentrations of 21 volatile organic compounds (including 14 hazardous air pollutants) were measured in the homes of nearly 80 western Montana (Missoula) high school students as part of the 'Air Toxics Under the Big Sky' program during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 school years. Target analytes were measured using low flow air sampling pumps and sorbent tubes, with analysis of...

DISCLAIMER The statements and conclusions in this report are those of the contractor and not necessarily those of the California Air Resources Board. The mention of commercial products, their source, or their use in connection with material reported herein is not to be construed as either an actual or implied endorsement of such products. ABSTRACT Epidemiological studies have reported associati...

Seoul is one of the most severe smoggy cities in the world. During summer afternoons, the fine particles formed by photochemical reactions could contribute visibility reduction. The formation and growth of secondary ambient aerosols might be affected by primary air pollutants and by meteorological factors. In this work, the photochemical reaction of Seoul ambient air was investigated in indoor ...

Limited data suggest that outdoor air pollution (such as ambient air pollution or traffic-related air pollution) and indoor air pollution (such as second-hand smoking and biomass fuel combustion exposure) are associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there is insufficient evidence to prove a causal relationship at this stage. It also appears that outdo...

Wang et al. (2014) investigated the relationship between ambient air pollution and depressive symptoms in a prospective study of elderly people over age 65 years. We are very surprised that the authors found no association between ambient air pollution and depressive symptoms, which is inconsistent with most previous studies (e.g., Banerjee et al. 2012; Calderón-Garcidueñas et al. 2014). A stud...

Particulate pollution has important consequences for human health, and is an issue of global concern. Outdoor air pollution has become a cause for alarm in India in particular because recent data suggest that ambient pollution levels in Indian cities are some of the highest in the world. We study the number of particles between 0.5μm and 2.5μm indoors while using affordable air purifiers in the...

A whole-tree chamber (WTC) system was installed at Flakaliden in northern Sweden to examine the long-term physiological responses of field-grown 40-year-old Norway spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] to climate change. The WTCs were designed as large cuvettes to allow the net tree-level CO(2) and water fluxes to be measured on a continuous basis. A total of 12 WTCs were used to impose combin...