Urban Air Pollution in Asian Cities

Schwela, Dietrich; Haq, Gary; Huizenga, Cornie; Han, Wha-Jin; Fabian, Herbert; Ajero., May

doi:10.4324/9781849773676

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Evidence has also shown an association between air pollution and lung cancer (Pope and Dockery, 2006) and air pollution more generally (that is, when elevated levels of other pollutants are considered) has also linked to lung cancer, particularly as a result of traffic emissions (Nyberg, 2000). Health impacts such as asthma, bronchial infections, chronic cough and decreased lung function are also linked to air pollution, as well as increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations and school absences (e.g., Pope and Dockery, 2002; Schwela et al, 2006). Results of a three-year study in Mexico City found that long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with lung-growth deficits in children; while no specific sources are identified, the authors indicate that the effect is likely due to vehicular exhaust (Rojas-Martinez et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Motor vehicle emissions include a range of pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and a wide range of volatile organic compounds, which react with sunlight to form ozone Many of these pollutants have well-known health effects which may be exhibited with short term exposure, including wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath phlegm and sore throats as well as irritation of existing respiratory conditions such as asthma (Hedley et al, 2003; Frumkin et al, 2004, Schwela et al, 2006). However, PM 2.5 is of particular significance because research on health effects in urban areas has demonstrated associations between both short-term and long-term average ambient PM 2.5 concentrations and a variety of adverse health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Traffic impacts on PM2.5 air quality in Nairobi, Kenya

Kinney

Gichuru

Volavka-Close

et al. 2011

Environmental Science & Policy

117

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Motor vehicle traffic is an important source of particulate pollution in cities of the developing world, where rapid growth, coupled with a lack of effective transport and land use planning, may result in harmful levels of fine particles (PM2.5) in the air. However, a lack of air monitoring data hinders health impact assessments and the development of transportation and land use policies that could reduce health burdens due to outdoor air pollution. To address this important need, a study of traffic-related PM2.5 was carried out in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, a model city for sub-Saharan Africa, in July 2009. Sampling was carried out using portable filter-based air samplers carried in backpacks by technicians on weekdays over two weeks at several sites in and around Nairobi ranging from high-traffic roadways to rural background. Mean daytime concentrations of PM2.5 ranged from 10.7 at the rural background site to 98.1 μg/m3 on a sidewalk in the central business district. Horizontal dispersion measurements demonstrated a decrease in PM2.5 concentration from 128.7 to 18.7 μg/m3 over 100 meters downwind of a major intersection in Nairobi. A vertical dispersion experiment revealed a decrease from 119.5 μg/m3 at street level to 42.8 μg/m3 on a third-floor rooftop in the central business district. Though not directly comparable to air quality guidelines, which are based on 24-hour or annual averages, the urban concentrations we observed raise concern with regard to public health and related policy. Taken together with survey data on commuting patterns within Nairobi, these results suggest that many Nairobi residents are exposed on a regular basis to elevated concentrations of fine particle air pollution, with potentially serious long-term implications for health.

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Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traffic impacts on PM2.5 air quality in Nairobi, Kenya

Kinney

Gichuru

Volavka-Close

et al. 2011

Environmental Science & Policy

117

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“…Web-based searches were limited to information from government websites (e.g., The Ministry of Environment), peer-reviewed journals, or reports produced by a governmental, international or regional organization (e.g., the European Union or Food and Agriculture Organization). AAQS in 18 additional countries were acquired from secondary sources (Maggioria and Lopez-Silva 2006 ; Schwela et al 2006 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considerable resources are devoted to developing and implementing ambient air quality standards (AAQSs), but few systematic investigations appear to have been conducted to review AAQSs globally or explore the evidence used to establish and revise AAQSs. Although there are publications that list the AAQSs in one region (Maggioria and Silva 2006 ; Schwela et al 2006 ), in urban areas (Archer and Davidson 1996 ; Schwela et al 2006 ) or in selected countries as part of a larger analysis of air quality management (International Union of Air Pollution Prevention Associations 1991 ; Elsom and Longhurst 2004 ), a comprehensive global analysis of AAQSs does not seem to have been conducted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global review of national ambient air quality standards for PM10 and SO2 (24 h)

Vahlsing

Smith

2011

Air Qual Atmos Health

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Literature comparing national ambient air quality standards (AAQSs) globally is scattered and sparse. Twenty-four hour AAQSs for particulate matter <10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in 96 countries were identified through literature review, an international survey, and querying an international legal database. Eighty three percent, of the 96 countries with information on the presence or absence of AAQSs, have 24-h AAQSs for either PM10 or SO2. Slightly more countries have 24-h AAQSs for SO2 (76 countries) than PM10 (69 countries). The average 24-h AAQSs for PM10 and SO2 are 95 μg/m3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 82–108 μg/m3, n = 68) and 182 μg/m3 (95% CI, 158–205 μg/m3, n = 73). The population-weighted average AAQS for PM10 is 98 and 155 μg/m3 for SO2. The average AAQS for both PM10 and SO2 are substantially higher than the recommended World Health Organization Air Quality Guideline (WHO AQG) value. Several countries have promulgated AAQSs at the WHO AQG value for PM10, but none for SO2. Further examination in selected countries found that air quality monitoring data, existing AAQSs in other countries, environmental epidemiology studies, and the WHO AQGs are considered the most often in establishing or revising AAQSs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11869-010-0131-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Over the past few decades, the adverse impacts of urban air pollution on public health have been increasingly identified as a global problem [ 1 , 2 ]. Pedestrians in the urban outdoor space are more and more often exposed to harmful ambient environments with different air pollution sources (including but not limited to the traffic-related pollution, household air pollution, and commercial cooking smoke exhaust from roadside buildings) [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-Scale Spatial Variability of Pedestrian-Level Particulate Matters in Compact Urban Commercial Districts in Hong Kong

Shi

2017

IJERPH

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Particulate matters (PM) at the pedestrian level significantly raises the health impacts in the compact urban environment of Hong Kong. A detailed investigation of the fine-scale spatial variation of pedestrian-level PM is necessary to assess the health risk to pedestrians in the outdoor environment. However, the collection of PM data is difficult in the compact urban environment of Hong Kong due to the limited amount of roadside monitoring stations and the complicated urban context. In this study, we measured the fine-scale spatial variability of the PM in three of the most representative commercial districts of Hong Kong using a backpack outdoor environmental measuring unit. Based on the measurement data, 13 types of geospatial interpolation methods were examined for the spatial mapping of PM2.5 and PM10 with a group of building geometrical covariates. Geostatistical modelling was adopted as the basis of spatial interpolation of the PM. The results show that the original cokriging with the exponential kernel function provides the best performance in the PM mapping. Using the fine-scale building geometrical features as covariates slightly improves the interpolation performance. The study results also imply that the fine-scale, localized pollution emission sources heavily influence pedestrian exposure to PM.

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Urban Air Pollution in Asian Cities

Cited by 18 publications

References 0 publications

Traffic impacts on PM2.5 air quality in Nairobi, Kenya

Traffic impacts on PM2.5 air quality in Nairobi, Kenya

Global review of national ambient air quality standards for PM10 and SO2 (24 h)

Fine-Scale Spatial Variability of Pedestrian-Level Particulate Matters in Compact Urban Commercial Districts in Hong Kong

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