Heather (Calluna 6ulgaris) was grown in pots in a natural heathland soil and exposed in outdoor fumigation chambers (‘solardomes’) to 40 nl l of both nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) simultaneously. Plants exposed to NO2 and SO2 for 8 months over a growing season (February–November) showed increases in the growth of shoots (+37%) and the whole plant (+15%) and a raised ratio of ...

Thermal infrared sounding of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from space has gained appreciation as a valuable complement to ultraviolet sounding. There are several strong absorption bands of SO2 in the infrared, and atmospheric sounders, such as AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder), TES (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer) and IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) have the ability to globall...

Fluxes of sulphur dioxide to wheat were measured over two growing seasons. The deposition velocity, vup, depended primarily on affinities of surfaces for SO2 and varied from less than 0.1 to about 1.5cms-'. Stomata were an important sink, and diurnal changes in stomata1 resistance accounted for most of the variation in v, when leaves were green and dry. When leaves were wet with dew, v, was gen...

The Pollution Effects on Asthmatic Children in Europe (PEACE) study is a multicentre study of the acute effects of particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10), black smoke (BS), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the respiratory health of children with chronic respiratory symptoms. The study was conducted in the winter of 1993/1994 by 14 research centr...

BACKGROUND Health impacts of poor environmental quality have been identified in studies around the world and in Canada. While many of the studies have identified associations between air pollution and mortality or morbidity, few have focused on the role of health care as a potential moderator of impacts. This study assessed the determinants of health care access and utilization in the context o...

During the late sixties and seventies the city of Rijeka underwent second rapid industrialization. Few huge plants (new petroleum refinery facilities, power plant, coke plant) were erected in the industrial zone eastwards from the city. As a consequence, high emission levels resulted in elevated ambient air pollution so that the city was one of the most polluted in Croatia during the mid-eighti...

Sulphur dioxide (SO2), a known industrial pollutant and pulmonary irritant, is emitted to the atmosphere in excess of 120 Mt per annum. Great strides have been taken to reduce SO2 emissions, but with the growth of specifically China, and to a lesser extent India, it is on the rise again. The electrolysis of aqueous solutions of dissolved SO2 holds huge environmental potential in that SO2 is con...

A study to assess the various gases emitted by motorcycles in a metropolitan State, Uyo, in Nigeria was carried out. Two hundred commercial motorcycles the mostly available means of transport were used for the study drawn from seven motorcycle parks. The gases examined were nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, chlorine, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia. The overall collection result...

A brief history of air pollution Accounts of air pollution in the UK date back to the 13 century. Early occurrences resulted from rapid population growth, urbanisation and changes in fuel use – in particular the medieval switch from wood to coal, especially in brick kilns and domestic fireplaces. Coal combustion in industrial furnaces, boilers and, above all, in domestic fireplaces, was the mai...

Advances in vehicle design and fuel quality mean cars can be made cleaner and more efficient. Lower emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particles (including the fine dust and soot PM10) and hydrocarbons (HCs) also known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will lead to better urban air quality and less summertime smog. Lower emissions of carbon dioxi...