Elemental composition and reflectance of ambient fine particles at 21 European locations

Götschi, Thomas; Arx, Marianne E. Hazenkamp-von; Heinrich, Joachim; Bono, Roberto; Burney, Peter; Forsberg, Bertil; Jarvis, Déborah; Maldonado, J.; Norbäck, Dan; Stern, W. B.; Sunyer, Jordi; Torén, Kjell; Verlato, Giuseppe; Villani, Simona; Künzli, Nino

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2005.06.049

Cited by 89 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Elemental concentrations of ambient fine particles in the studies presented in this thesis were generally lower than the mean concentrations for central European cities, but similar to the Nordic cities presented for central urban monitoring sites in 20 European cities (Götschi et al, 2005). Some exceptions to this general pattern exist and the most noteworthy is the very high concentration of S in Hagfors, similar to the high concentrations in the northern Italian cities of Pavia, Turin and Verona (Götschi et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Some exceptions to this general pattern exist and the most noteworthy is the very high concentration of S in Hagfors, similar to the high concentrations in the northern Italian cities of Pavia, Turin and Verona (Götschi et al, 2005). Probable reasons for this finding are that measurements in Hagfors were conducted during a winter month (compared with the yearly mean for the Italian cities) and that a high frequency of the air masses originated from central and Eastern Europe where S-rich fuel is common (Isakson, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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Personal exposures and indoor, residential outdoor, and urban background levels of fine particle trace elements in the general population

et al. 2006

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The general population is exposed to particulate air pollution from many different local and regional sources. Examples of local sources are traffic, biomass burning and resuspended dust, while regional sources are dominated by combustion processes from heating, traffic and industries. The overall aim of this thesis was to characterise the personal exposure to trace elements in fine particles, mainly PM 2.5 and investigate how the exposure is related to indoor and outdoor levels. Particulate matter was collected on filters and analysed for elemental content by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy.In the general population in Göteborg, personal exposures to Cl, Ca, Ti and Fe were significantly higher compared with indoor, residential outdoor and urban background levels. Significant correlations were also found between urban background PM mass and personal exposure to elements related to both combustion (S, V and Pb) and resuspended dust (Ti, Fe and Zn), indicating that both sources could be relevant for health effects from urban background PM. In a community where wood burning for domestic heating is common, significantly (66-80%) higher personal exposures and indoor levels were found for K, Ca and Zn compared with a reference group living in the same area, indicating that these elements could be good markers for wood smoke. In a study in Stockholm concerning children's environments (home, school and preschool), higher indoor than outdoor levels of Ti were found, while long-range-transported (LRT) elements (S, Ni, Br and Pb) were higher outdoors. A community located 25 km from the city centre had significantly lower outdoor levels of crustal and traffic-related elements compared with both the city centre and a suburban area. The levels of Fe and Cu were four times higher in the central communities. Outdoors, Cu levels were found to correlate well with the traffic marker NO 2 , making it a possible elemental marker for traffic-related aerosols in health studies. Roadside measurements of fine and ultrafine (<100 nm) particles were performed along a major approach road to Göteborg and the levels of ultrafine particles were influenced not only by traffic intensity, but also, by wind speed and direction, as well as boundary layer height. No correlation was found between PM 2.5 and ultrafine particles or traffic, but there was a correlation between PM 2.5 and particles sized 100-368 nm. In all environments studied, the origin of LRT air masses had a strong effect on exposure and levels of PM elements.In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that elemental analysis is a useful method for better characterising human exposure to fine particles. For several elements, the personal exposure is often higher than corresponding indoor levels. The origin of LRT elements affected not only outdoor levels, but also, the personal exposure and indoor levels, and should be taken into account in time series studies of air pollution and health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Personal exposures and indoor, residential outdoor, and urban background levels of fine particle trace elements in the general population

et al. 2006

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“…Nevertheless, again there was a significant difference between the values measured at central sites in relation to the suburban site, confirming that traffic-related air pollution may greatly affect the indoor microenvironments (Wichmann et al, 2005). The absorption coefficient values presented a good correlation with PM mass for both size fractions (r equal to 0.73 for PM 10 and 0.83 for PM 2.5 ). Indoor -outdoor relationships Indoor-to-outdoor concentration (I/O) ratios were below 1.00 at all sites and during all measurement days, indicating that there was no significant indoor source (Table 6).…”

Section: Indoor Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 49%

“…The absorption coefficient presented a very good correlation with mass concentration for both size fractions (r equal to 0.84 for PM 10 and 0.80 for PM 2.5 ). Elemental carbon is expected to correspond mainly to fine particles (with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 1 µm) (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2006;Chow, 1995).…”

Section: Outdoor Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 78%

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Indoor / outdoor PM levels and EC surrogate, at typical microenvironments in the Athens area

Diapouli

Chaloulakou²,

Spyrellis³

et al. 2013

Global NEST Journal

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The aim of the present work was to characterize particulate matter (PM) and elemental carbon (EC) indoor and outdoor concentration levels in the Athens area and to examine the contribution of ambient air to the observed indoor levels. 24-hr simultaneous indoor and outdoor PM 10 and PM 2.5 measurements were conducted at a central (CR) and a suburban (SR) residence, and at an office in the commercial centre of Athens (CO), during cold and warm period of 2006. The absorption coefficient (α) was measured on the collected filters, as a surrogate for EC concentration levels. Ambient PM levels were very high at both central sites and significant at SR (mean 24-hr PM 10 : 87.4, 50.3 and 87.3 µg m -3 and PM 2.5 : 50.7, 20.2 and 42.8 µg m -3 at CR, SR and CO). The measured absorption coefficient values were very high at CR and CO for both size fractions. Indoor PM concentration and absorption coefficient values were lower than the respective outdoor ones, but still significant at the two central sites. Very good correlations were observed between indoor and outdoor data (especially for absorption coefficient values), indicating a large contribution of the ambient atmosphere to the indoor levels, more pronounced in finer particles.

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Respiratory and Cardiovascular Effects of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter: A Critical Review

Gray

Wallace

Brinkman

et al. 2014

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

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In this review, we critically evaluated the epidemiological and toxicological evidence for the role of specific transition metals (As. Cr. Cu. Fe. Mn. Ni. Sc. Ti. V and Zn) in causing or contributing to the respiratory and cardiovascular health effects associated with ambient PM. Although the epidemiologic studies arc suggestive. and both the in vivo and in vitro laboratory studies document the toxicity of specific metals (Fe. Ni. V and Zn). the overall weight of evidence does not convincingly implicate metals as major contributors to health effects. None of the epidemiology studies that we reviewed conclusively implicated specific transition metals as having caused the respiratory and cardiovascular effects associated with ambient levels of PM. However, the studies reviewed tended to be internal ly consistent in identifying some metals (Fe, Ni, V and Zn) more frequently than others (As, Cu, Mn and Sc) as having positive associations wi th health effects. The major problem wi th which the epidemiological studies were faced was classifying and quantifying exposure. Community and population exposures to metals or other components of ambient PM were inferred from centrally- located samplers that may not accurately represent individual level exposures. Only a few authors reported findings that did not support the stated premise of the study; indeed, statistic ally significant associations are not necessarily biologically significant. It is likely that ·'negative studies" are under-represented in the published literature, making it a challenge to achieve a balanced evaluation of the role of metals in causing health effects associated with ambient PM. Both the in vivo and in vitro study results demonstrated that individual metals (Cu. Fe. Ni. V and Zn) and extracts of metals from ambient PM sources can produce acute inflammatory responses. However. the doses administered to laboratory animals were many orders of magnitude greater than what humans experience from breathing ambient air. The studies that used intratracheal instillation have the advantage of delivering a known dose to a specific anatomical location. but arc not analogous to an inhaled dose that is distributed over the surface area of the respiratory tract. Studies. in which laboratory animals or human volunteers inhaled CAPs best represent exposures to the general human population. The in vivo and in vitro studies reviewed provide indications that the probable mechanisms involved in the respiratory and cardiac effects from high metal exposures include: an inflammatory response mediated by formation of ROS, upregulation of genes coding for inflammatory cytokines, altered expression of genes involved in cell signaling pathways and maintenance of metals homeostasis.The fact that doses of metals many orders of magnitude greater than those existing in ambient air were required to produce measurable adverse effects in animals makes it doubtful that metals play any major role in respiratory and cardiovascular effects produced from human exposure to ambient PM. We...

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Elemental composition and reflectance of ambient fine particles at 21 European locations

Cited by 89 publications

References 33 publications

Personal exposures and indoor, residential outdoor, and urban background levels of fine particle trace elements in the general population

Personal exposures and indoor, residential outdoor, and urban background levels of fine particle trace elements in the general population

Indoor / outdoor PM levels and EC surrogate, at typical microenvironments in the Athens area

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Effects of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter: A Critical Review

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