Air quality modeling and mortality impact of fine particles reduction policies in Spain

Background: In recent years, Spain has implemented a number of air quality control measures that are expected to lead to a future reduction in fine particle concentrations and an ensuing positive impact on public health. Objectives: We aimed to assess the impact on mortality attributable to a reduction in fine particle levels in Spain in 2014 in relation to the estimated level for 2007. Methods: To estimate exposure, we constructed fine particle distribution models for Spain for 2007 (reference scenario) and 2014 (projected scenario) with a spatial resolution of 16x16 km2. In a second step, we used the concentration-response functions proposed by cohort studies carried out in Europe (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects and Rome longitudinal cohort) and North America (American Cancer Society cohort, Harvard Six Cities study and Canadian national cohort) to calculate the number of attributable annual deaths corresponding to all causes, all non-accidental causes, ischemic heart disease and lung cancer among persons aged over 25 years (2005-2007 mortality rate data). We examined the effect of the Spanish demographic shift in our analysis using 2007 and 2012 population figures. Results: Our model suggested that there would be a mean overall reduction in fine particle levels of 1mg/m3 by 2014. Taking into account 2007 population data, between 8 and 15 all-cause deaths per 100,000 population could be postponed annually by the expected reduction in fine particle levels. For specific subgroups, estimates varied from 10 to 30 deaths for all non-accidental causes, from 1 to 5 for lung cancer, and from 2 to 6 for ischemic heart disease. The expected burden of preventable mortality would be even higher in the future due to the Spanish population growth. Taking into account the population older than 30 years in 2012, the absolute mortality impact estimate would increase approximately by 18%. Conclusions: Effective implementation of air quality measures in Spain, in a scenario with a short-term projection, would amount to an appreciable decline infine particle concentrations, and this, in turn, would lead to notable health-related benefits. Recent European cohort studies strengthen the evidence of an association between long-term exposure to fine particles and health effects, and could enhance the health impact quantification in Europe. Air quality models can contribute to improved assessment of air pollution health impact estimates, particularly in study areas without air pollution monitoring data.

Implementation of road dust resuspension in air quality simulations of particulate matter in Madrid (Spain)

An evaluation of the concentration levels of Particulate Matter (PM) was carried out in Madrid (Spain) by introducing the emissions from road dust resuspension. Road dust resuspension emission factors (EF) for different types of vehicles were calculated from EPA-AP42, a global resuspension factor of 0.097 g veh−1km−1 as described in Amato et al. (2010) and a rain-dependent correction factor. With these resuspension EFs, a simulation at street canyon level was performed with the OSPM model without rainfall. Subsequently, a simulation using the CMAQ model was implemented adding resuspension emissions affected by the rain. These data were compared with monitored data obtained from air quality stations. OSPM model simulations with resuspension EFs but without the effect of rainfall improve the PM estimates in about 20gm−3μ compared to the simulation with default EFs. Total emissions were calculated by adding the emissions estimated with resuspension EFs to the default PM emissions to be used by CMAQ. For the study in the Madrid Area, resuspension emissions are approximately of the same order of magnitude as inventoried emissions. On a monthly scale, rain effects are negligible for resuspension emissions due to the dry weather conditions of Spain. With the exception of April and May, the decrease in resuspension emissions is not >3%. The predicted PM10 concentration increases up to 9μ gm−3 on annual average for each station compared to the same scenario without resuspension. However, in both cases, PM 10 estimates with resuspension are still underestimating observations. It should be noted that although that accounting for resuspension improves the quality of model predictions, other PM sources (e.g., Saharan dust) were not considered in this study.

Evaluation of selected surface-water-quality stations in Wyoming /

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Annual air quality report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Illinois annual air quality report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Reanalysis of the effect of proposals to relax vehicle emission standards on Chicago air quality : three reports and a summary.

"April, 1982."

Water quality monitoring: A combined approach to investigate gradients of change in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

For the managers of a region as large as the Great Barrier Reef, it is a challenge to develop a cost effective monitoring program, with appropriate temporal and spatial resolution to detect changes in water quality. The current study compares water quality data (phytoplankton abundance and water clarity) from remote sensing with field sampling (continuous underway profiles of water quality and fixed site sampling) at different spatial scales in the Great Barrier Reef north of Mackay (20 degrees S). Five transects (20-30 km long) were conducted from clean oceanic water to the turbid waters adjacent to the mainland. The different data sources demonstrated high correlations when compared on a similar spatial scale (18 fixed sites). However, each data source also contributed unique information that could not be obtained by the other techniques. A combination of remote sensing, underway sampling and fixed stations will deliver the best spatial and temporal monitoring of water quality in the Great Barrier Reef. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2007 Cumulative Annual Report for the Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network

This report summarizes the existing data from the FIU Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network for calendar year January 1 – December 31, 2007. This includes water quality data collected from 28 stations in Florida Bay, 22 stations in Whitewater Bay, 25 stations in Ten Thousand Islands, 25 stations in Biscayne Bay, 49 stations on the Southwest Florida Shelf (Shelf), and 28 stations in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area. Each of the stations in Florida Bay were monitored on a monthly basis with monitoring beginning in March 1991; Whitewater Bay monitoring began in September 1992; Biscayne Bay monthly monitoring began September 1993; the SW Florida Shelf was sampled quarterly beginning in spring 1995; and monthly sampling in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area started January 1999.

2007 Cumulative Annual Report for the Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network

This report summarizes the existing data from the FIU Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network for calendar year January 1 – December 31, 2007. This includes water quality data collected from 28 stations in Florida Bay, 22 stations in Whitewater Bay, 25 stations in Ten Thousand Islands, 25 stations in Biscayne Bay, 49 stations on the Southwest Florida Shelf (Shelf), and 28 stations in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area. Each of the stations in Florida Bay were monitored on a monthly basis with monitoring beginning in March 1991; Whitewater Bay monitoring began in September 1992; Biscayne Bay monthly monitoring began September 1993; the SW Florida Shelf was sampled quarterly beginning in spring 1995; and monthly sampling in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area started January 1999.

Microbiological assessment of indoor air quality at different hospital sites

Poor hospital indoor air quality (IAQ) may lead to hospital-acquired infections, sick hospital syndrome and various occupational hazards. Air-control measures are crucial for reducing dissemination of airborne biological particles in hospitals. The objective of this study was to perform a survey of bioaerosol quality in different sites in a Portuguese Hospital, namely the operating theater (OT), the emergency service (ES) and the surgical ward (SW). Aerobic mesophilic bacterial counts (BCs) and fungal load (FL) were assessed by impaction directly onto tryptic soy agar and malt extract agar supplemented with antibiotic chloramphenicol (0.05%) plates, respectively using a MAS-100 air sampler. The ES revealed the highest airborne microbial concentrations (BC range 240-736 CFU/m(3) CFU/m(3); FL range 27-933 CFU/m(3)), exceeding, at several sampling sites, conformity criteria defined in national legislation [6]. Bacterial concentrations in the SW (BC range 99-495 CFU/m(3)) and the OT (BC range 12-170 CFU/m(3)) were under recommended criteria. While fungal levels were below 1 CFU/m(3) in the OT, in the SW (range 1-32 CFU/m(3)), there existed a site with fungal indoor concentrations higher than those detected outdoors. Airborne Gram-positive cocci were the most frequent phenotype (88%) detected from the measured bacterial population in all indoor environments. Staphylococcus (51%) and Micrococcus (37%) were dominant among the bacterial genera identified in the present study. Concerning indoor fungal characterization, the prevalent genera were Penicillium (41%) and Aspergillus (24%). Regular monitoring is essential for assessing air control efficiency and for detecting irregular introduction of airborne particles via clothing of visitors and medical staff or carriage by personal and medical materials. Furthermore, microbiological survey data should be used to clearly define specific air quality guidelines for controlled environments in hospital settings.