Journal of Air Pollution and Health
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

Particulate matter pollutants and gaseous pollutants are some of the most hazardous pollutants released into the atmosphere. In order to determine how these pollutants impact the living being at breathing height, the current study measures these pollutants using wireless sensors at a height of 1 m above the ground.

In this study, horizontal monitoring of the air pollutants using wireless sensors at twenty-four locations covering four zones including industrial, residential, public-place and transportation of the Raipur city has been evaluated. Spatial variation has been obtained using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method in Geographic Information System (GIS).

The obtained results indicate that as compared to the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, the concentrations of air pollutants are highest in the winter. It was observed that Particulate Matters (PM2.5 and PM10) are the main causes of declining air quality, but Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations were below Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines except for NO2 in winter. The Carbon monoxide (CO) concentration has been above the standard limit in all three seasons. The main finding of this study is to evaluate how air contaminants vary in space and time near the ground surface which is not possible through the static monitoring instruments in the study area.

The primary benefit of the obtained results is their great resolution in a compact area, effectively addressing the air quality issue. The findings suggest that seasonality has a substantial impact on the amount of pollutants in the city. According to the temporal distributions of the air pollutants, monsoon had the best air quality, followed by post-monsoon while the winter season has the highest concentration of pollution.

Due to the obvious adverse effects of exposure to free crystalline silica and the high exposure level in silica-related occupations, the present study aimed at the investigation of renal symptoms in cement factory workers.

For this reason, 128 workers who were working cement factory with a determined occupational exposure to crystalline-free silica were selected as the case group, and 143 workers who were working in the Hamedan Province Rural Water and Wastewater company without being exposed to crystalline free silica were selected as controls. Various kidney-related parameters were evaluated and compared between the selected case and control groups.

The results of urine analysis between cases and control showed that there was a statistical difference between the cases and controls regarding Red Blood Cell (RBC), epithelial count, and bacteria (p<0.05). Moreover, the percentage of amorphous urate crystals of the exposed workers (cases) and control were 80.7% and 38.3%, respectively (p<0.001). The results of adjusted results showed that the odd presence of amorphous urate crystals among cases was 7.65 times of the control group (p<0.001).

Our findings clearly showed that the level of urinary levels of amorphous urate crystals in silica-exposed individuals is higher than that of non-exposed individuals. Therefore, the presence of urinary amorphous urate crystals in exposed workers may be used as a cheap, non-invasive, and efficient method and urine biological maker for detecting silica exposure in silica-related industries.

The Black Carbon (BC) and Particulate Matters (PMs) was measured in the Diwali festival during 3-7 November, 2021. Diwali is being one of the main festivals of India accompanied by lighting and firecrackers bursting.

BC concentration was measured by aerosol black carbon low-cost sensor/detector and PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentration as well as number concentration was measured using Grimm Aerosol Spectrometer at Agra, India.

Average mass of PM1 (<1 μm), PM2.5 (<2.5 μm) and PM10 (<10 μm) were 218.32±56.82 μg/m3, 261.56±74.38 μg/m3 and 380.40±67.78 μg/m3 respectively in Diwali day (2021). The observed concentration of PM was much higher than National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and World Health Organization (WHO) standard limits. Diurnal peaks for all the pollutants (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) were perceived in the evening time which was due to festival celebration events. Particle Size number Distribution (PSND) showed one major peak in the particle <1 μm size range. BC mass concentration was found to be 16.28±5.62 μg/m3 in Diwali days. BC/PMs ratio decreases as the PM size increases due to the heavy load of PM2.5.

BC and PM concentration was significantly amplified on Diwali due to firecrackers bursting and candles and biomass burning which was responsible for the poor air quality. Particle Mass Size Distribution (PSMD) showed multiple peaks while PSND showed one major peak in fine mode. Higher PM1/PM2.5 indicated the abundance of fine particles as compared to coarse. BC concentration was increased by 20 % on Diwali day due to firecracker bursting, other burning materials and more vehicles movement.

Recently, the industry of launching solar power plants in arid/semi-arid regions has developed. A considerable part of Iran is covered by dry/semi-arid areas, which are exposed to severe wind erosion. Considering the occurrence of dust in these areas, this study investigated the possible impact of the photovoltaic industry on the prevention of dust storms.

The effect of solar power plant construction on atmospheric variables and its possible effect on the occurrence of dust were investigated in Tehran province. The criterion is to compare the monthly average wind and temperature respectively at the height of 10 and 2 m inside and outside the power plant (obtained from the TerraClimate database for 2020 and 2021) on the western side and at the closest point to the power plant.

The monthly average of wind and temperature respectively at the height of 10 and 2 m in 2020-2021 decreased inside of the power plant with respect to the outside of that. Significant differences were observed on temperature and wind inside and outside of the power plant during the peak heat in the summer, which increase with increasing temperature. The maximum of differences of monthly average of wind and temperature variables inside and outside of the power plant for Pars Ray Energy Bahar, Tehran Wastewater and Sohail Power Plants respectively are (0.5 °C, 0.55 m/s), (0.6 °C, 0.3 m/s), and (0.7 °C, 0.3 m/s).

The photovoltaic industry can change the effective solar radiation, and possibly decrease the occurrence of dust storms by weakening wind power.

Recently, due to climate change, the number and intensity of dust sources are increasing, which leads to the occurrence of dust storms. Atmospheric patterns governing the region, topography and surface features are effective on transportation and dispersion of dust particles.

In this study, a severe dust phenomenon on the 3th and 4th March, 2022, was investigated. The dust was emitted from the east of Iraq and passed through the Zagros and Alborz mountain ranges toward the Caspian sea. Meteorological data of the country, satellite data, ERA5 reanalysis data and HYSPLIT and output from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) were used.

Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) anomaly compared to the long-term indicated that the intense transport of dust particles from eastern Iraq and reaching the Caspian Sea is not a common phenomenon. Synoptic analysis showed that the dust particles in the source area ascended to the mid-levels of the atmosphere and a large part of the particles passed through the Zagros Mountains. Then, the dust entered the Caspian Sea by passing through the Manjil valley. The vertical profile of WRF-Chem model output showed the ascent of dust particles up to 600 hPa near the dust source and its passage over mountainous areas.

The main factors in the formation of this unusual dust phenomenon are: severe two-year drought in the Middle East, reduction of vegetation and cold front of the dynamic low-pressure located in the east of the Black Sea, east of Turkey and northern Iraq moving eastward to the Caspian sea in the following hours.

Pneumonia is the single largest cause of death of children under the age of five (U5) globally, and nearly half of these (0.6 million/year) occur because of Household Air Pollution (HAP). Combustion of wood and fossil fuels, inefficient stoves, and poor ventilation exacerbate HAP. Almost one in five deaths among U5 children in Afghanistan is due to pneumonia. The current case-control study is to find the association between pneumonia admissions of U5 children at the Children’s Hospital and HAP in Afghanistan.

A hospital-based case-control study was done with caregivers of 70 confirmed pneumonia cases and 127 patients of control group from other departments in the hospital who were interviewed through a structured questionnaire.

Cases and controls were found to be same on all demographic characteristics except number of children under 1 year of age. Chi-square analysis showed that those without ventilation systems in the house to remove smoke (p=0.036) and those using traditional stoves (p=0.002) were more likely to be higher among patients with pneumonia than control group. There was also a close association between U5 pneumonia and the use of room fresheners at home (p=0.027) and smoke from room heaters (0.002). Household air pollution showed a significant association with pneumonia (p=0.000).

The incidence of respiratory diseases is higher among children and women in the family who are more likely to be exposed to HAP. Household air pollution is related to pneumonia in U5 children in Afghanistan. Creating awareness among the caregivers about the factors contributing to pneumonia and providing alternatives can help reduce the mortality of children.

Transmission of bioaerosols through the air is known as an important route for a wide range of nosocomial infections. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to evaluate the type and diversity of bioaerosols and antibiotic resistance of bacterial bioaerosols in the indoor environments of Sina Educational and Treatment Hospital, Tabriz, Iran.

Methods and materials: 

Bioaerosol samples were collected from February to March (winter) and June to July (summer) 2020 in three periods of daytime (morning, noon and evening). After sampling, fungal and bacterial samples were incubated and the disk diffusion agar method (Kirby-Bauer) was used for assessing the antibiotic resistance.

the concentration of bioaerosols varied significantly in different wards. In addition, the concentration of bioaerosols in winter was observed to be higher than in summer. The highest and lowest airborne fungal concentrations were found in burns operating room and men's infectious ward (49 CFU/m3) and children's burns ward (28 CFU/m3), respectively. The predominantly isolated bacteria were Streptococcus spp. (38%) and Staphylococcus spp. (37%). Also, the main isolated fungi belonged to the genera Aspergillus (75.9%) and Penicillium (22.5%).  The highest rates of antibiotic resistance were observed for colistin (100%) in Gram-negative and penicillin (84.2%) in Gram-positive.

Timely and regular disinfection of hospital wards can affect the density of bioaerosols. Owing to the prevalence of COVID-19 epidemic in the world, the staff and patients often were wearing masks, gloves and special clothing as well as using disinfectants to prevent coronavirus infection in wards during the summer sampling.

Air pollution is one of the most important environmental risks to human health. The particulate matter tend to be carcinogenic for humans and can pose a greater hazard to children due to their immaturity and lack of development of the immune system. The current study is aimed to investigate the difference in the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in the ambient air in the breathing height of children and adults.

Particulate matter were measured cross-sectionally in sidewalks, streets, alleys, squares, and parks of Tehran simultaneously at two heights of 160 cm and 70 cm from the ground. As well as, other variables such as vegetation, buildings and meteorological data were also measured in each location.

There was a difference between the concentration of PM2.5 at the breathing height of children, with the average concentration of 52.0 μg/m3, and the concentration of PM2.5 at the breathing height of adults with the average concentration of 51.6 μg/m3, with p-value of 0.013. Even though the difference is significant, it does not seem to have a significant impact on health. No significant difference was observed between the PM10 concentration at the breathing height of children and adults; however, there was significant difference between the concentrations of PM2.5 with the clean air standard of Iran and data from monitoring stations.

The amount of PM2.5 and PM10 is almost the same in children and adults based on the difference in breathing height.