BACKGROUND During the last week of June 2008, central and northern California experienced thousands of forest and brush fires, giving rise to a week of severe fire-related particulate air pollution throughout the region. California experienced PM(10-2.5) (particulate matter with mass median aerodynamic diameter > 2.5 mum to < 10 mum; coarse ) and PM(2.5) (particulate matter with mass median aer...

• Diesel exhaust contains ozone precursors, benzene, arsenic, dioxins, formaldehyde and other toxic substances and is a significant contributor to airborne concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM). Significant health impacts including lung damage and premature death are associated with exposure to fine particulate matter. It can also aggravate conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Die...

This paper is a comprehensive study dealing with the parameters that influence the response of a resistive soot sensor which was developed for Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) failure detection in a past project. From the conductance measurement between two Pt electrodes, and a regeneration strategy, this kind of sensor can provide the weight concentration of particulate matter (PM). In this stu...

The high efficiency of diesel engines, their low operating costs, high durability and reliability have provided them with a leadership role in the heavy-duty vehicle market. Recently, diesel engines also achieved a growing share of the light-duty vehicle market, especially in those areas where fuel costs are high. This trend of growth of the diesel market requires a careful evaluation of the re...

Epidemiological and clinical studies have linked exposure to particulate matter (PM) to adverse health effects, which may be registered as increased mortality and morbidity from various cardiopulmonary diseases. Despite the evidence relating PM to health effects, the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms causing such effects are still not fully characterized. Two main approaches are...

Shipping is associated with various environmental impacts, such as pollutants discharged to air and sea. Much of this pollution appears be unregulated, global emissions from shipping are expected more than triple between 2020 2050. This paper reviews global, national, regional port-level legislative approaches that have been implemented reduce carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), sulphur...

Abstract Air pollution exposure is a leading public health problem in China. Despite recent air quality improvements, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) remains large, the associated disease burden substantial, and population ageing projected to increase susceptibility disease. Here, we used emulators of regional chemical transport model quantify impacts future emission scenarios on We estimated...

Research related to ambient particulate matter (PM) remains very relative today due the adverse effects PM have on human health [...]

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have shown that urban particulate matter (PM) increases the risk of respiratory infection. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. PM has been postulated to suppress the activation of airway epithelial innate defence in response to infection. METHODS The effects of PM on antibacterial defence were studied using an in vitro infection model. ...

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to assess the size characteristics of particulate matter (PM) generated during waste collection and sorting, and to assess the effect of the type of waste-handling activity on levels of coarse and fine PM. METHODS A portable aerosol spectrometer calibrated to 1.2 //min was used to monitor PM generated during four types of waste-handling activities. The type...