The objective of this study is to determine the occupant/driver exposure in public transport buses running on biodiesel (B20) and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) buses in the city of Toledo, Ohio. This paper also presents a protocol used for carrying out an experimental study involving continuous monitoring of real-time in-vehicle pollutant concentrations. In-vehicle concentrations of six air po...

The analysis of permanent gases using the Agilent 6820 equipped with a single filament Thermal Conductivity Detector is described. For these applications, the Agilent 6820 gas chromatography system was configured with a gas sampling valve, isolation valve, and purged-packed inlet. Agilent Cerity for Chemical QA/QC was used to control the 6820 GC and to provide data acquisition and date analysis...

Availability analysis is an effective approach to studying energy conversion in systems and identifying inefficiency. In the present study, a single-zone model was used to examine energy performance parameters and heat release rates. The governing equation of availability analysis was applied in the model, and the possibility of using biodiesel produced from sunflower oil as diesel engine was i...

The objective was to assess the transient association between air pollution and cardiac arrhythmia. Five databases were searched for studies investigating the association between daily increases in air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and arrhythmia hospitalization or arrhythmia mortality. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extract...

Associations of gaseous air pollutants (including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone) with asthma hospitalization, stratified by sex and socioeconomic status, were examined among children 6-12 years of age in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, between 1987 and 1998. Relative risks for an exposure increment corresponding to the interquartile range for each gaseous air...

Trees contribute to the environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxy...

Executive Summary: In this project our group set out to determine what effect, if any, an air monitor's distance from the roadway had on the measured air pollution levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The group was also searching to see if we could identify pollution emitters using wind data. "Fine particles," such as those found in smoke and haze, a...

BACKGROUND Surfactant protein type B (SPB) is needed for alveolar gas exchange. SPB is increased in the plasma of patients with heart failure (HF), with a concentration that is higher when HF severity is highest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between plasma SPB and both alveolar-capillary diffusion at rest and ventilation versus carbon dioxide production during exercise...

Exposure to urban air pollution, ultrafine particles or gases, is associated with acute cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. We investigated the effect of ambient air pollution on endothelial function in 40 healthy white male nonsmokers spontaneously breathing ambient air in Paris, France. Air pollutant levels (nitrogen, sulfur and carbon oxides, and particulate matter) were averaged during ...