Urban pollution impact assessment in six lithuanian cities with a focus on road traffic emissions - integrated framework for environmental health studies.

An integrated framework is introduced and applied to assess the health impact of airborne pollution with greater physiological relevance, moving beyond conventional exposure metrics. Measured particle number size distribution data was integrated with a regional respiratory tract deposition fractions to estimate total and alveolar deposited particle surface area concentrations. Land use regression modeling, combined with randomized commuting patterns, enabled the evaluation of city-specific alveolar surface area deposition doses, providing new insight into localized average exposure and its implications for public health.

Improved cookstoves enhance household air quality and respiratory health in rural Rwanda.

Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass combustion in traditional cooking methods poses significant health risks, particularly in rural communities of low- and middle-income countries. Improved cookstoves (ICS), designed to enhance combustion efficiency and reduce emissions, have been promoted as a transitional alternative towards cleaner cooking. However, evidence of their benefits remains mixed and context-specific.

Aerosol particle number concentration, ultrafine particle number fraction, and new particle formation measurements near the international airports in Berlin, Germany - First results from the BEAR study.

Studies revealed airports as a prominent source of ultrafine particles (UFP), which can disperse downwind to residential areas, raising health concerns. To expand our understanding of how air traffic-related emissions influence total particle number concentration (PNC) in the airport's surrounding areas, we conduct long-term assessment of airborne particulate exposure before and after relocation of air traffic from "Otto Lilienthal" Airport (TXL) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport "Willy Brandt" (BER) in Berlin, Germany. Here, we provide insights into the spatial-temporal variability of PNC measured in 16 schools recruited for Berlin-Brandenburg Air Study (BEAR).

Rapid growth of Aitken-mode particles during Arctic summer by fog chemical processing and its implication.

In the Arctic, new particle formation (NPF) and subsequent growth processes are the keys to produce Aitken-mode particles, which under certain conditions can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCNs). The activation of Aitken-mode particles increases the CCN budget of Arctic low-level clouds and, accordingly, affects Arctic climate forcing. However, the growth mechanism of Aitken-mode particles from NPF into CCN range in the summertime Arctic boundary layer remains a subject of current research.

A novel in-situ method to determine the respiratory tract deposition of carbonaceous particles reveals dangers of public commuting in highly polluted megacity.

Background: Exposure to air pollutants is one of the major environmental health risks faced by populations globally. Information about inhaled particle deposition dose is crucial in establishing the dose-response function for assessing health-related effects due to exposure to air pollution.

Objective: This study aims to quantify the respiratory tract deposition (RTD) of equivalent black carbon (BC) particles in healthy young adults during a real-world commuting scenario, analyze factors affecting RTD of BC, and provide key parameters for the assessment of RTD.

A new method to measure real-world respiratory tract deposition of inhaled ambient black carbon.

In this study, we present the development of a mobile system to measure real-world total respiratory tract deposition of inhaled ambient black carbon (BC). Such information can be used to supplement the existing knowledge on air pollution-related health effects, especially in the regions where the use of standard methods and intricate instrumentation is limited. The study is divided in two parts.

Respiratory tract deposition of inhaled roadside ultrafine refractory particles in a polluted megacity of South-East Asia.

Recent studies demonstrate that Black Carbon (BC) pollution in economically developing megacities remain higher than the values, which the World Health Organization considers to be safe. Despite the scientific evidence of the degrees of BC exposure, there is still a lack of understanding on how the severe levels of BC pollution affect human health in these regions. We consider information on the respiratory tract deposition dose (DD) of BC to be essential in understanding the link between personal exposure to air pollutants and corresponding health effects.