Accurate and reliable sampling and analysis of mercury forms is an overriding aim of any atmospheric monitoring effort which seeks to understand the fate and transport of the metal in the environment. Although a fraction of the total mercury forms found in the atmosphere, particulate phase mercury, Hg(p), is believed to play a prominent role in both wet and dry deposition to the terrestrial and...

Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, lacks a regular air pollution monitoring network to measure and assess ambient air pollution level. Several academic and research projects attempted to measure a limited number of air pollutants near roadways in the central business district. These studies revealed that ambient concentrations of lead, benzene, particulate matter, carbon monoxid...

UNLABELLED This study, a randomized controlled trial, evaluated the effectiveness of free-standing air filters and window air conditioners (ACs) in 126 low-income households of children with asthma. Households were randomized into a control group, a group receiving a free-standing HEPA filter placed in the child's sleeping area, and a group receiving the filter and a window-mounted AC. Indoor a...

Miniaturized detection systems for nanometer-sized airborne particles are in demand, as in applications for onboard diagnostics downstream particulate filters in modern diesel engines. A soot sensor based on resistivity measurements was developed and characterized. This involved generation of soot particles with properties similar to diesel engines using a quenched co-flow diffusion flame; depo...

Airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution is known to have adverse effects on human health, and owing their carcinogenic mutagenic nature, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern. This study investigated the effect ultraviolet (UV)-induced photocatalysis degradation PAHs in PM2.5, employing titanium dioxide (TiO2)-supporting quartz fibre filters. A TiO2 layer ...

We detected in urine by HPLC two enzyme fractions of alkaline phosphatase (AP, EC 3.1.3.1), soluble and particulate, analogous to those in serum. The second fraction was eluted with high-salt-content eluent at the same elution time as high-molecular-mass, or particulate, AP in serum. AP characterization in urine from a patient with acute rejection crisis showed a greater sensitivity of the part...

Water-soluble and insoluble fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) exhibit different toxicological potentials peculiar mechanisms action in biological systems. However, most the research on oxidative potential (OP) PM is focused exclusively its water-soluble fraction, since experimental criticisms were encountered for detaching whole (soluble species) from field filters. to estimate actu...

Elemental carbon (EC) is currently used as a surrogate for diesel particulate matter (DPM) in underground mines since it can be accurately measured at low concentrations and diesels are the only source of submicrometer EC in underground mines. A disadvantage of using EC as a surrogate for DPM is that the fraction of EC in DPM is a function of various engine parameters and fuel formulations, etc...

BACKGROUND Exposure to particulate air pollution increases respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, especially in elderly, possibly through inflammation and vascular dysfunction. METHODS We examined potential beneficial effects of indoor air filtration in the homes of elderly, including people taking vasoactive drugs.Forty-eight nonsmoking subjects (51 to 81 years) in 27 homes ...