Multi-objective electricity-gas flow with stochastic dispersion control for air pollutants using two-stage Pareto optimization

This dataset provides complementary information supporting the manuscript Potentials for reductions of global GHG and air pollutants from circular municipal waste management systems, submitted for publication as a research article in Nature Communications. The dataset provides detailed information on emission estimates of methane, particulate matter and air pollutants from municipal solid waste, including emission factors, and municipal solid waste generation and treatment, globally as well as by region (urban-rural) and scenario.

Biodiesel's and advanced exhaust aftertreatment's combined effect on global warming and air pollution in EU road-freight transport

Mobility-based exposure assessment of air pollution has been proposed as a potentially more valid approach than home-based assessments. However, methodological uncertainties in operationalizing mobility-based assessment may still increase inaccuracies in estimating exposures. It remains unclear whether using short-term mobility data and yearly average air pollution concentrations is reliable for estimating personal air pollution exposure. This study aimed to assess variability in exposure estimates modeled by short- and long-term global positioning system (GPS) data and air pollution maps with yearly and monthly temporal resolutions. We tracked 428 participants for a short period (14days) with a GPS device and for a long period (several months) with a smartphone application. Exposure estimates of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) were computed based on GPS data, air pollution maps, and temporal and indoor/outdoor adjustments. The concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) indicated excellent agreement (0.85-0.99) between exposure estimates based on short- and long-term GPS data from smartphones but ranged from moderate to excellent (0.57-0.99) when comparing exposure estimates based on data from different devices. Agreement between yearly and monthly map-based estimates was poor to moderate without temporal adjustment (CCC: 0-0.63) but excellent after temporal adjustment (CCC: 0.92-1.0). The findings suggest that using short-term (i.e., 7 or 14days) GPS data and yearly average air pollution concentrations in mobility-based assessments can well represent long-term mobility and yearly averages for determining long-term exposures. However, GPS data collected via dedicated devices and smartphones may identify distinct indoor/outdoor patterns, affecting the indoor/outdoor adjustments of exposure estimates. Additionally, careful selection of using yearly or monthly maps is advised for assessing exposures within specific short periods.

This study aimed to explore the association between air pollutants and outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stage in the subcenter of Beijing.The data on ILI in the subcenter of Beijing from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 were obtained from the Beijing Influenza Surveillance Network. A generalized additive Poisson model was applied to examine the associations between the concentrations of air pollutants and daily outpatient visits for ILI when controlling meteorological factors and temporal trend.A total of 171 943 ILI patients were included. In the pre-coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) stage, an increased risk of ILI outpatient visits was associated to a high air quality index (AQI) and the high concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 (PM2.5 ), particulate matter 10 (PM10 ), sulphur dioxide (SO2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), and carbon monoxide (CO), and a low concentration of ozone (O3 ) on lag0 day and lag1 day, while a higher increased risk of ILI outpatient visits was observed by the air pollutants in the COVID-19 stage on lag0 day. Except for PM10 , the concentrations of other air pollutants on lag1 day were not significantly associated with an increased risk of ILI outpatient visits during the COVID-19 stage.The findings that air pollutants had enhanced immediate effects and diminished lag-effects on the risk of ILI outpatient visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is important for the development of public health and environmental governance strategies.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a major public health concern in the Asia–Pacific region. Previous studies have implied that ambient air pollution may affect the incidence of HFMD, but the results among different regions are inconsistent. We aimed to deepen the understanding of the associations between air pollutants and HFMD by conducting a multicity study. Daily data on childhood HFMD counts and meteorological and ambient air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, CO, O3, and SO2) concentrations in 21 cities in Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2017 were collected. A spatiotemporal Bayesian hierarchical model framework was established, and then a distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) was constructed to reveal exposure-lag-response relationships between air pollutants and HFMD while controlling for spatiotemporal effects. Furthermore, given the differences in the levels and seasonal trends of air pollutants between the basin region and plateau region, we explored whether these associations varied between different areas (basin and plateau). The associations between air pollutants and HFMD were nonlinear, with different lag responses. Low NO2 concentrations and both low and high PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were associated with a decreased risk of HFMD. No significant associations between CO, O3, and SO2 and HFMD were found. The associations between air pollutant concentrations and HFMD were different between the basin and plateau regions. Our study revealed associations between PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 concentrations and HFMD, deepening the understanding of the relationships between air pollutants and HFMD. These findings provide evidence to support the formulation of relevant prevention measures and the establishment of an early warning system.

Dementia has been cited as a critical public health risk in the contemporary world, while few empirical researchers try to reveal the casual relationship between air pollutant concentrations (APCs) and dementia, especially given the increasing prevalence of air pollution on a global scale. Accordingly, this paper tries to infer the causal relationship between APCs and dementia. The 59,605 valid data was compiled through a combination of the statistic from the China Family Panel Study, China Environmental Statistics Yearbook, World Meteorological Association and China National Bureau of Statistics. The RD design of this study utilizes the discontinuous variation in APCs and dementia as one crosses the Huai River boundary, which is an arbitrary heating policy that causes the significant difference in APCs between the north and south of China. We used stata17.0 to analyze the data. The results of the RD regression indicated that a 100 μ g/m3 rise in APCs led to an increase of 42.4% in the hazard ratio of suffering dementia (Coeff=-0.58, SD= 0.23, P < 0.05). Meanwhile, heterogeneous models revealed that the hazard ratio of suffering dementia by APCs was more significant in the older compared to younger (coeff= 1.35 vs coeff= 1.55, P < 0.05), male compared to female (coeff= 1.62 vs coeff= 0.71, P < 0.05), smoking compared to non-smoke (coeff= 2.12 vs coeff= 0.93, P < 0.05), and thin groups compared to medium and obesity (coeff= 2.05 vs coeff= 1.22, coeff= 1.28, P < 0.05). In addition, the O3 and SO2 were the air pollutants with the highest (coeff= 1.54, P < 0.05) and lowest effects (coeff= 0.81, P < 0.05) on the hazard ratio of suffering dementia among the five APCs, respectively. And the robustness of the results was ensured by changing the RD bandwidth, polynomial order. The results indicated that APCs significantly induced the hazard ratio of suffering dementia of Chinese residents, which provides empirical evidence in supporting the Chinese government to invest more in combating air pollution and ensure the public health of Chinese residents.

This article takes stock of recent literature on health impacts of climate change and air pollution, and the corresponding health benefits of policy action aiming to reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. We focus particularly on the publications in the Focus Collection on ‘Climate Change, Air Pollution and Human Health’, which illustrate advances in three key research areas. First, the impacts of global warming and air pollution are unevenly distributed, as they disproportionately affect vulnerable socio-economic groups including older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with lower earnings or education levels. Second, recent research improves our understanding and quantification of impacts identified in earlier work, and explores novel impact pathways such as the associations between allergies and climate change, and between air pollution and diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Third, significant synergies in tackling climate change and air pollution can strengthen the case for ambitious policy action. These synergies are heterogeneous across sectors and regions, point to low-hanging fruit among policy options (e.g. phasing out coal), and provide a strong basis for broader sustainable development, improving health and gender equality. Finally, we point out suggestions for future research. Research advances can guide policies to mitigate future climate change, air pollution and the associated health impacts, while informing adaptation strategies that aim to protect the health of the most vulnerable in society.

도시의 무분별한 개발로 인해 수도권의 주요도시는 환경문제를 겪고 있다. 이 중 대기오염은 도시민들이 신체적 경제적 피해를 받고 살아가게 되는 원인으로 작용하고 있다. 이에 인간활동으로 인해 배출되는 대기오염물질을 도시환경이 어느 정도 수용가능한지 예측하고, 이를 통해 적정 도시개발 수준을 검토할 필요성이 제기되고 있다. 본 연구는 대기오염물질 배출량에 따라 대기오염의 양상이 다르게 나타날 것이란 전제 하에, 경기도 과천시를 대상으로 대기환경기준 하에서 허용가능한 대기오염물질 배출량을 산정하고, 이를 기반으로 적정 인구규모를 도출하였다. 분석 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, IDW 보간법을 통해 일산화탄소(CO), 이산화질소(<TEX>$NO_2$</TEX>), 아황산가스(<TEX>$SO_2$</TEX>) 농도를 추정한 결과 과천시 전체적으로는 대기환경기준을 초과하지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 대기오염물질 배출량과 농도와의 상관분석 결과 일산화탄소(CO)와 이산화질소(<TEX>$NO_2$</TEX>) 농도는 이동오염원과 총오염원, 아황산가스(<TEX>$SO_2$</TEX>) 농도는 이동오염원과 상관관계가 높은 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 회귀분석을 통해 대기환경기준 하에서 대기오염물질 배출량을 산정하고 이를 기반으로 지탱가능한 인구수를 산정한 결과, 일산화탄소(CO)의 경우 지탱가능인구수가 실제 인구수보다 높게 나타났고, 이산화질소(<TEX>$NO_2$</TEX>)와 아황산가스(<TEX>$SO_2$</TEX>)의 경우는 주거지와 상업시설이 밀집된 도심부와 경계부에서 지탱가능한 인구수를 초과하는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통해 시도된 환경용량 측정은 대기환경기준 하에서 어느 정도의 인간활동이 적절한 수준인지를 제시해 주었다는데 의의가 있다. 이를 통해 도시환경이 지니는 용량의 범위 내에서 개발행위를 관리함으로써 지속가능한 도시개발이 가능할 것이다. Indiscreet developments cause environmental problems in major cities of Seoul Metropolitan Area. Among the environmental problems, the air pollution leads the citizens' physical and economic damages. Therefore, it needs to predict how much air pollutant which is emitted from human activities can be carried by urban environment, then to examine the reasonable level of urban development This study assumed that the air pollution is represented differently by the amount of emission. With the assumption, the acceptable air pollutant emission which keeps the air quality under the environmental standard is estimated, then the proper population is calculated in the case of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. The result is as follow: First, air pollution concentrations of CO, <TEX>$NO_2$</TEX>, <TEX>$SO_2$</TEX> which are estimated by using IDW interpolation of GIS don't excess the air environmental standard. Second, the result of correlation analysis between air pollutant emission and air pollution concentration shows that CO and <TEX>$NO_2$</TEX> has high correlationship with total source of pollution and linear source of pollution, and <TEX>$SO_2$</TEX> with linear source of pollution. Third, the results of regression analysis show that the acceptable population is bigger that the real population in the case of CO, and with the estimation of <TEX>$NO_2$</TEX> and <TEX>$SO_2$</TEX>, the current population in the urban center and boundaries where the residential and commerce land uses are concentrated is bigger than the acceptable population. The consequence of this study is that the estimation of carrying capacity can suggest the acceptable human activities which keep the air quality under the environmental standard. This can leads the sustainable urban development by control the human activities under the carrying capacity of urban environment.

Identifies household air pollution (HAP) as a major health risk, especially in poor countries which rely on biomass for cooking. Particulate matter concentration in indoor kitchens that use solid fuels for cooking account for an estimated 370,000 premature deaths globally based on 2014 data. Direct health impacts include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung disease, and cataracts while children face acute lower respiratory infections. Interventions offer cleaner stoves through national stove programs and the development of standards and guidelines to promote only the cleanest devices, emphasizing the optimal use of electricity, natural gas, or LPG. Little benefit comes from converting individual users, so interventions need to target communities to become “smokeless” villages. Successful stove programs typically involve a public subsidy for the poor and because of savings on health care costs, its expense can be justified. Full adoption of a newer technology for clean cooking may not occur until generational change, with the present generation continuing to use the traditional methods despite the benefits to the family of the cleaner technology.

In several European rural communities, woody biomass is counted among the most important energy sources for heating and cooking. However, the use of old-fashioned fireplaces may affect indoor and outdoor air quality. To depict this situation and to plan the necessary improvement interventions, a pilot action was implemented in a typical mountainous Mediterranean area (Anogeia, Crete). The action involved: (1) identification of the quantities, use and source of the woody biomass used in the community based on the analysis of data collected through a systematic survey; (2) on-site indoor and outdoor measurements of air quality (CO2, CO, NOX, PM), during winter and summer. Based on this survey, around 70% of the study area households in Anogeia using woody biomass for heating purposes in low energy efficiency systems resulted in high firewood consumption. Fifty-three per cent of occupants did not consider indoor air quality as a result of wood burning. The air quality analysis showed very high concentrations of indoor air pollutants in most old buildings with seniors using traditional heating systems. The type of main/supplementary heating system used in a dwelling depends on factors such as the size of the dwelling, year of construction, education level and age of occupants. The results also demonstrate a strong correlation between the heating season (summer/winter) and the concentrations of air pollutants in the sampling sites.

Abstract. To control severe air pollution in China, comprehensive pollution control strategies have been implemented throughout the country in recent years. To evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, the influence of meteorological conditions on levels of air pollution needs to be determined. Using the intensive air pollution control strategies implemented during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in 2014 (APEC 2014) and the 2015 China Victory Day Parade (Victory Parade 2015) as examples, we estimated the role of meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies in reducing air pollution levels in Beijing. Atmospheric particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) samples were collected and gaseous pollutants (SO2, NO, NOx, and O3) were measured online at a site in Peking University (PKU). To determine the influence of meteorological conditions on the levels of air pollution, we first compared the air pollutant concentrations during days with stable meteorological conditions. However, there were few days with stable meteorological conditions during the Victory Parade. As such, we were unable to estimate the level of emission reduction efforts during this period. Finally, a generalized linear regression model (GLM) based only on meteorological parameters was built to predict air pollutant concentrations, which could explain more than 70 % of the variation in air pollutant concentration levels, after incorporating the nonlinear relationships between certain meteorological parameters and the concentrations of air pollutants. Evaluation of the GLM performance revealed that the GLM, even based only on meteorological parameters, could be satisfactory to estimate the contribution of meteorological conditions in reducing air pollution and, hence, the contribution of control strategies in reducing air pollution. Using the GLM, we found that the meteorological conditions and pollution control strategies contributed 30 and 28 % to the reduction of the PM2.5 concentration during APEC and 38 and 25 % during the Victory Parade, respectively, based on the assumption that the concentrations of air pollutants are only determined by meteorological conditions and emission intensities. We also estimated the contribution of meteorological conditions and control strategies in reducing the concentrations of gaseous pollutants and PM2.5 components with the GLMs, revealing the effective control of anthropogenic emissions.

Environmental air pollution has been linked to the pathogenesis of RA. Nevertheless, evidence linking higher concentrations of air pollutants with the risk of RA reactivations is missing. The objective of the present study was to determine the association between RA flares and air pollution. We collected longitudinal data of patients affected by RA and of the daily concentration of air pollutants in the Verona area. We designed a case-crossover study. We compared the exposure to pollutants in the 30-day and 60-day periods preceding an arthritic flare referent to the 30-day and 60-day preceding a low-disease activity visit. The study included 888 patients with RA with 3396 follow-up visits; 13636 daily air pollution records were retrieved. We found an exposure-response relationship between the concentration of air pollutants and the risk of having abnormal CRP levels. Patients exposed to greater concentrations of air pollutants were at higher risk of having CRP levels ≥5 mg/l. Concentrations of CO, NO, NO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5 and O3 were higher in the 60-day period preceding a flare. We found a striking association between air pollution and RA disease severity and reactivations in a cohort of patients followed over a 5-year period. The exposure to high levels of air pollutants was associated with increased CRP levels and a higher risk of experiencing a flare of arthritis. This excessive risk was evident at very low levels of exposure.

The Global Household Air Pollution (HAP) Measurements database, commissioned by the World Health Organization, provides an organized summary of data reported in the literature describing HAP microenvironments, methods and measurements. As of June 2018, the database contains measurements from 43 countries obtained from 196 studies published through 2016. The database includes information useful for understanding the range of household and personal air pollution measurements that have been collected in a country, as well as characteristics of the cooking environment, including primary cooking fuel type, stove type, heating fuel type and kitchen location. Quantitative particulate matter (PM) of various size fractions and/or carbon monoxide (CO) exposure measurements included in the database can be aggregated and analyzed to generate summary statistics (e.g. average sub-national, national, regional and global HAP exposures) to assess temporal and spatial relationships. The quantitative PM exposure measurements in the database have been used in global predictive modeling of HAP-PM2.5 exposures (“Global Estimation of Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) from Household Air Pollution” (Shupler et al., 2018) [1])

AimTo investigate the effect of temperature, humidity and the concentration of ambient air pollution on the hospitalization of AECOPD.MethodHospitalization record was obtained from Shenyang Medical Insurance Bureau, concluding patient’s age, gender, income hospital time, outcome hospital; Generalized additive model was used to analyze the relationship between temperature, humidity, the concentration of ambient air pollution and the hospitalization of AECOPD.ResultThe effect of ozone on admission rate in male group was higher than that in female group. Ambient air pollution had a weak influence on age≤50 group. It was found that the optimal lag day for daily relative 40 humidity to age≤50 group, 50<age≤60, 60<age≤70 group and age>70 group was on lag5, lag4, lag4 and lag5, respectively.ConclusionAir pollution, relative humidity and temperature can increase the risk of admission for acute exacerbation of COPD, and in this process there was a lag effect.

The rapid economic development occurring in developing countries in recent decades has been accompanied with increasingly worsened air quality. In recent years, severe air pollution episodes have occurred frequently in the cities of some developing countries. The goal of this chapter is to describe outdoor air pollution issues with a focus on urban areas in developing countries. Topics include global air pollution trends, differences in emissions and concentrations of key air pollutants in different regions, emission sources disproportionately affecting developing countries, estimating disease burden in developing countries, and recommendations based on historical successes and lessons from developed countries.