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Hachem M, Bensefa-Colas L, Momas I. The impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on the short-term association between in-vehicle particulate pollutants and the respiratory health of Parisian taxi drivers. Scand J Work Environ Health 2023; 49:367-374. [PMID: 37149893 PMCID: PMC10782384 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study assessed the short-term associations between in-vehicle ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC) concentrations and irritation symptoms and lung parameters of taxi drivers, pre- and post-lockdown. METHODS As part of PUF-TAXI project, 33 taxi drivers were followed up during two typical working days. In-vehicle UFP and BC were continuously measured by monitoring instruments. Irritation symptoms during the working day were reported via an auto-questionnaire and lung function was assessed by a portable spirometer, pre- and post- work shift. Generalized estimating equations, adjusted for potential confounders, were used to study the association between air pollutants and health outcomes. Effect modification by measurement period (pre- and post-lockdown) was investigated. RESULTS UFP and BC concentrations inside taxi vehicles decreased significantly post- compared to pre-lockdown. Incidence of nose irritation was positively associated with in-vehicle UFP and BC levels pre-lockdown, when pollutant levels were higher, whereas no significant association was found post-lockdown. The decrease in the FEF25-75% (forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of the forced vital capacity) during the working day was significantly associated with in-taxi UFP levels before but not after lockdown. No association was found with BC. By contrast, incidence of eye irritation was significantly inversely associated with in-vehicle humidity, regardless of pollutant concentrations and the measurement period. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that an upgrade in in-vehicle air quality could improve respiratory health. This study showed that the magnitude of the incidence of nasal irritation and decrease in lung function depends on UFP concentrations the commuters are exposed to.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Isabelle Momas
- Paris University, CRESS - INSERM, UMR_1153, INRAE, HERA team, 4 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75006 Paris, France.
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Aboagye EM, Effah NAA, Effah KO. A bibliometric analysis of the impact of COVID-19 social lockdowns on air quality: research trends and future directions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27699-3. [PMID: 37219782 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27699-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Social lockdowns improved air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments had previously spent a lot of money addressing air pollution without success. This bibliometric study measured the influence of COVID-19 social lockdowns on air pollution, identified emerging issues, and discussed future perspectives. The researchers examined the contributions of countries, authors, and most productive journals to COVID-19 and air pollution research from January 1, 2020, to September 12, 2022, from the Web of Sciences Core Collection (WoS). The results showed that (a) publications on the COVID-19 pandemic and air pollution were 504 (research articles) with 7495 citations, (b) China ranked first in the number of publications (n = 151; 29.96% of the global output) and was the main country in international cooperation network, followed by India (n = 101; 20.04% of the total articles) and the USA (n = 41; 8.13% of the global output). Air pollution plagues China, India, and the USA, calling for many studies. After a high spike in 2020, research published in 2021 declined in 2022. The author's keywords have focused on "COVID-19," "air pollution," "lockdown," and "PM25." These keywords suggest that research in this area is focused on understanding the health impacts of air pollution, developing policies to address air pollution, and improving air quality monitoring. The COVID-19 social lockdown served as a specified procedure to reduce air pollution in these countries. However, this paper provides practical recommendations for future research and a model for environmental and health scientists to examine the likely impact of COVID-19 social lockdowns on urban air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kwaku Obeng Effah
- Law School, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China
- Department Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
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3
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Galiwango R, Bainomugisha E, Kivunike F, Kateete DP, Jjingo D. Air pollution and mobility patterns in two Ugandan cities during COVID-19 mobility restrictions suggest the validity of air quality data as a measure for human mobility. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:34856-34871. [PMID: 36520281 PMCID: PMC9751517 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24605-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We explored the viability of using air quality as an alternative to aggregated location data from mobile phones in the two most populated cities in Uganda. We accessed air quality and Google mobility data collected from 15th February 2020 to 10th June 2021 and augmented them with mobility restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 lockdown. We determined whether air quality data depicted similar patterns to mobility data before, during, and after the lockdown and determined associations between air quality and mobility by computing Pearson correlation coefficients ([Formula: see text]), conducting multivariable regression with associated confidence intervals (CIs), and visualized the relationships using scatter plots. Residential mobility increased with the stringency of restrictions while both non-residential mobility and air pollution decreased with the stringency of restrictions. In Kampala, PM2.5 was positively correlated with non-residential mobility and negatively correlated with residential mobility. Only correlations between PM2.5 and movement in work and residential places were statistically significant in Wakiso. After controlling for stringency in restrictions, air quality in Kampala was independently correlated with movement in retail and recreation (- 0.55; 95% CI = - 1.01- - 0.10), parks (0.29; 95% CI = 0.03-0.54), transit stations (0.29; 95% CI = 0.16-0.42), work (- 0.25; 95% CI = - 0.43- - 0.08), and residential places (- 1.02; 95% CI = - 1.4- - 0.64). For Wakiso, only the correlation between air quality and residential mobility was statistically significant (- 0.99; 95% CI = - 1.34- - 0.65). These findings suggest that air quality is linked to mobility and thus could be used by public health programs in monitoring movement patterns and the spread of infectious diseases without compromising on individuals' privacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Galiwango
- The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data Intensive Sciences, The Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
- Center for Computational Biology, Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda.
| | - Engineer Bainomugisha
- Department of Computer Science, College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Florence Kivunike
- Department of Computer Science, College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - David Patrick Kateete
- Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Daudi Jjingo
- The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data Intensive Sciences, The Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Computer Science, College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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4
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de la Hoz‐Torres ML, Aguilar AJ, Costa N, Arezes P, Ruiz DP, Martínez‐Aires MD. Reopening higher education buildings in post-epidemic COVID-19 scenario: monitoring and assessment of indoor environmental quality after implementing ventilation protocols in Spain and Portugal. INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e13040. [PMID: 35622718 PMCID: PMC9325358 DOI: 10.1111/ina.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Post-epidemic protocols have been implemented in public buildings to keep indoor environments safe. However, indoor environmental conditions are affected by this decision, which also affect the occupants of buildings. This fact has major implications in educational buildings, where the satisfaction and learning performance of students may also be affected. This study investigates the impact of post-epidemic protocols on indoor environmental conditions in higher education buildings of one Portuguese and one Spanish university. A sensor monitoring campaign combined with a simultaneous questionnaire was conducted during the reopening of the educational buildings. Results showed that although renewal air protocols were effective and the mean CO2 concentration levels remained low (742 ppm and 519 ppm in Portugal and Spain universities, respectively), students were dissatisfied with the current indoor environmental conditions. Significant differences were also found between the responses of Portuguese and Spanish students. Indeed, Spanish students showed warmer preferences (thermal neutrality = 23.3℃) than Portuguese students (thermal neutrality = 20.7℃). In terms of involved indoor factors, the obtained data showed significant correlations (p < 0.001) between acoustic factors and overall satisfaction in the Portuguese students (ρ = 0.540) and between thermal factors and overall satisfaction in the Spanish students (ρ = 0.522). Therefore, indoor environmental conditions should be improved by keeping spaces safe while minimizing the impact of post-epidemic protocols on student learning performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nélson Costa
- ALGORITMI Research CenterSchool of EngineeringUniversity of MinhoGuimarãesPortugal
| | - Pedro Arezes
- ALGORITMI Research CenterSchool of EngineeringUniversity of MinhoGuimarãesPortugal
| | - Diego P. Ruiz
- Department of Applied PhysicsUniversity of GranadaGranadaSpain
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5
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Air Quality Analysis in Lima, Peru Using the NO2 Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13030373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the new COVID-19 virus in Peru forced the Peruvian government to take swift measures to stop its proliferation. Consequently, a state of emergency was declared, which included mandatory social isolation and quarantine. This action meant that people would transit only in emergency cases. In this context, this study’s objective is to analyze the air quality changes in terms of the capital city’s NO2 levels due to these government decisions using satellite imagery data obtained from the Sentinel-5P satellite. One critical problem is the lack of spatially distributed air quality data. The Peruvian Meteorological Service only monitors air quality in Lima, the capital city. In addition, the air quality ground stations are not always functioning. Thus, there is a need to find new reliable methods to complement the official data obtained. One method of doing so is the use of remote sensing products, although the accuracy and applicability are yet to be determined; therefore, this is the article’s focus. A temporal and spatial analysis was developed quantitatively and qualitatively to measure the levels of NO2 in eighteen regions of Lima to contrast the quarantine’s effect on polluting gas emission levels. The measurements are also compared with the official Peruvian data from ground sensors using Pearson correlation coefficients, thus, showing that Sentinel-5P data can be used for changes in the mean daily concentration of NO2. We also developed the first version of an open platform that converts the satellite data into a friendly format for visualization. The results show NO2 ambient concentration reductions compared to 2019 of between 60% and 40% in the first two weeks and between 50% and 25% in the following two weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, this effect could not be observed two months after the start of the lockdown.
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Hu J, Chen J, Zhu P, Hao S, Wang M, Li H, Liu N. Difference and Cluster Analysis on the Carbon Dioxide Emissions in China During COVID-19 Lockdown via a Complex Network Model. Front Psychol 2022; 12:795142. [PMID: 35095680 PMCID: PMC8790068 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.795142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The continuous increase of carbon emissions is a serious challenge all over the world, and many countries are striving to solve this problem. Since 2020, a widespread lockdown in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19 escalated, severely restricting the movement of people and unnecessary economic activities, which unexpectedly reduced carbon emissions. This paper aims to analyze the carbon emissions data of 30 provinces in the 2020 and provide references for reducing emissions with epidemic lockdown measures. Based on the method of time series visualization, we transform the time series data into complex networks to find out the hidden information in these data. We found that the lockdown would bring about a short-term decrease in carbon emissions, and most provinces have a short time point of impact, which is closely related to the level of economic development and industrial structure. The current results provide some insights into the evolution of carbon emissions under COVID-19 blockade measures and valuable insights into energy conservation and response to the energy crisis in the post-epidemic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hu
- School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Junhua Chen
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
| | - Peican Zhu
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Optics and Electronics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuya Hao
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
| | - Maoze Wang
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
| | - Huijia Li
- School of Science, Beijing Post and Telecommunications University, Beijing, China
| | - Na Liu
- School of Management Science and Engineering, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
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Agathokleous E, Barceló D, Iavicoli I, Tsatsakis A, Calabrese EJ. Disinfectant-induced hormesis: An unknown environmental threat of the application of disinfectants to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118429. [PMID: 34743965 PMCID: PMC8553406 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Massive additional quantities of disinfectants have been applied during the COVID-19 pandemic as infection preventive and control measures. While the application of disinfectants plays a key role in preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the effects of disinfectants applied during the ongoing pandemic on non-target organisms remain unknown. Here we collated evidence from multiple studies showing that chemicals used for major disinfectant products can induce hormesis in various organisms, such as plants, animal cells, and microorganisms, when applied singly or in mixtures, suggesting potential ecological risks at sub-threshold doses that are normally considered safe. Among other effects, sub-threshold doses of disinfectant chemicals can enhance the proliferation and pathogenicity of pathogenic microbes, enhancing the development and spread of drug resistance. We opine that hormesis should be considered when evaluating the effects and risks of such disinfectants, especially since the linear-no-threshold (LNT) and threshold dose-response models cannot identify or predict their effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenios Agathokleous
- Department of Ecology, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), Ningliu Rd. 219, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210044, China.
| | - Damià Barceló
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, C/ Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research, ICRA-CERCA, Emili Grahit 101, 17003, Girona, Spain
| | - Ivo Iavicoli
- Department of Public Health, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | | | - Edward J Calabrese
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Morrill I, N344, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
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Ceballos-Santos S, González-Pardo J, Carslaw DC, Santurtún A, Santibáñez M, Fernández-Olmo I. Meteorological Normalisation Using Boosted Regression Trees to Estimate the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Air Quality Levels. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:13347. [PMID: 34948956 PMCID: PMC8701894 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182413347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019 led to unprecedented lockdowns worldwide, providing a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the impacts of restricted anthropogenic emissions on air quality. A wide range of strategies and approaches exist to achieve this. In this paper, we use the "deweather" R package, based on Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models, first to remove the influences of meteorology and emission trend patterns from NO, NO2, PM10 and O3 data series, and then to calculate the relative changes in air pollutant levels in 2020 with respect to the previous seven years (2013-2019). Data from a northern Spanish region, Cantabria, with all types of monitoring stations (traffic, urban background, industrial and rural) were used, dividing the calendar year into eight periods according to the intensity of government restrictions. The results showed mean reductions in the lockdown period above -50% for NOx, around -10% for PM10 and below -5% for O3. Small differences were found between the relative changes obtained from normalised data with respect to those from observations. These results highlight the importance of developing an integrated policy to reduce anthropogenic emissions and the need to move towards sustainable mobility to ensure safer air quality levels, as pre-existing concentrations in some cases exceed the safe threshold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Ceballos-Santos
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain; (J.G.-P.); (I.F.-O.)
| | - Jaime González-Pardo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain; (J.G.-P.); (I.F.-O.)
| | - David C. Carslaw
- Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK;
- Ricardo Energy & Environment, Didcot OX11 0QR, UK
| | - Ana Santurtún
- Unit of Legal Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain;
| | - Miguel Santibáñez
- Global Health Research Group, Department of Nursing, University of Cantabria, 39008 Santander, Spain;
- Research Nursing Group, IDIVAL, Calle Cardenal Herrera Oria s/n, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Ignacio Fernández-Olmo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain; (J.G.-P.); (I.F.-O.)
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Parida BR, Bar S, Kaskaoutis D, Pandey AC, Polade SD, Goswami S. Impact of COVID-19 induced lockdown on land surface temperature, aerosol, and urban heat in Europe and North America. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY 2021; 75:103336. [PMID: 34513574 PMCID: PMC8418702 DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) has posed a serious threat to human beings, society, and economic activities all over the world. Worldwide rigorous containment measures for limiting the spread of the virus have several beneficial environmental implications due to decreased anthropogenic emissions and air pollutants, which provide a unique opportunity to understand and quantify the human impact on atmospheric environment. In the present study, the associated changes in Land Surface Temperature (LST), aerosol, and atmospheric water vapor content were investigated over highly COVID-19 impacted areas, namely, Europe and North America. The key findings revealed a large-scale negative standardized LST anomaly during nighttime across Europe (-0.11 °C to -2.6 °C), USA (-0.70 °C) and Canada (-0.27 °C) in March-May of the pandemic year 2020 compared to the mean of 2015-2019, which can be partly ascribed to the lockdown effect. The reduced LST was corroborated with the negative anomaly of air temperature measured at meteorological stations (i.e. -0.46 °C to -0.96 °C). A larger decrease in nighttime LST was also seen in urban areas (by ∼1-2 °C) compared to rural landscapes, which suggests a weakness of the urban heat island effect during the lockdown period due to large decrease in absorbing aerosols and air pollutants. On the contrary, daytime LST increased over most parts of Europe due to less attenuation of solar radiation by atmospheric aerosols. Synoptic meteorological variability and several surface-related factors may mask these changes and significantly affect the variations in LST, aerosols and water vapor content. The changes in LST may be a temporary phenomenon during the lockdown but provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the effects of various forcing controlling factors in urban microclimate and a strong evidence base for potential environmental benefits through urban planning and policy implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikash Ranjan Parida
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | - Somnath Bar
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | - Dimitris Kaskaoutis
- Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Palaia Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece
- Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Crete, Greece
| | - Arvind Chandra Pandey
- Department of Geoinformatics, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi 835205, India
| | | | - Santonu Goswami
- Earth and Climate Science Area, National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad 500037, India
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Has COVID-19 Lockdown Affected on Air Quality?—Different Time Scale Case Study in Wrocław, Poland. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12121549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are series of negative economic consequences, however, in limiting mobility and reducing the number of vehicles, positive effects can also be observed, i.e., improvement of air quality. The paper presents an analysis of air quality measured by concentrations of NO2, NOx and PM2.5 during the most restrictive lockdown from 10 March to 31 May 2020 on the case of Wrocław. The results were compared with the reference period—2016–2019. A significant reduction in traffic volume was identified, on average by 26.3%. The greatest reduction in the concentration of NO2 and NOx was recorded at the station farthest from the city center, characterized by the lowest concentrations: 20.1% and 22.4%. Lower reduction in the average concentrations of NO2 and NOx was recorded at the municipal station (7.9% and 7.7%) and the communication station (6.7% and 10.2%). Concentrations of PMs in 2020 were on average 15% and 13.4% lower than in the reference period for the traffic station and the background station. The long-term impact of the lockdown on air quality was also examined. The analysis of the concentrations of the pollutants throughout 2020, and in the analyzed period of 2021, indicated that the reduction of concentrations and the improvement in air quality caused by the restrictions should be considered as a temporary anomaly, without affecting long-term changes and trends.
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Hegewald J, Schubert M, Lochmann M, Seidler A. The Burden of Disease Due to Road Traffic Noise in Hesse, Germany. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18179337. [PMID: 34501923 PMCID: PMC8431690 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Road-traffic-noise exposition is widespread in Germany and can have harmful health effects. As guidance for informed decision-making, we estimated the environmental burden of disease attributable to road-traffic noise in Hesse, Germany as disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Using detailed road-traffic-noise exposure data provided by the Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment, and Geology (HLNUG), we calculated the DALYs due to road-traffic noise > 40 dB(A) L24h (unweighted average 24 h noise level) and other noise metrics for endpoints with known dose-response functions and evidence in the literature (NORAH-study on disease risks and WHO reviews): cardiovascular disease, depressive disorders, road-traffic annoyance, and sleep disturbance. We calculated the population-attributable fractions (PAF) for road-noise-related cardiovascular disease (hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke) and depressive disorders in the population using published relative risk estimates. We multiplied the PAFs with the Hessian proportion of the 2015 WHO DALY estimates for Germany in people aged ≥ 40 years. For high annoyance and high sleep disturbance, we used published dose-response functions to determine the burden for residents of all ages. For Hesse, we found a total of 26,501 DALYs attributable to road-traffic noise or 435 DALY per 100,000 persons for the reference year, 2015. Further, we estimated that a hypothetic uniform road-traffic-noise reduction of 3 dB would prevent 23% of this burden of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice Hegewald
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (J.H.); (M.S.)
- Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thüringer Weg 9, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Melanie Schubert
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (J.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Matthias Lochmann
- Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG), Rheingaustraße 186, 65023 Wiesbaden, Germany;
| | - Andreas Seidler
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (J.H.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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12
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Sales-Lérida D, Bello AJ, Sánchez-Alzola A, Martínez-Jiménez PM. An Approximation for Metal-Oxide Sensor Calibration for Air Quality Monitoring Using Multivariable Statistical Analysis. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21144781. [PMID: 34300517 PMCID: PMC8309700 DOI: 10.3390/s21144781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Good air quality is essential for both human beings and the environment in general. The three most harmful air pollutants are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and particulate matter. Due to the high cost of monitoring stations, few examples of this type of infrastructure exist, and the use of low-cost sensors could help in air quality monitoring. The cost of metal-oxide sensors (MOS) is usually below EUR 10 and they maintain small dimensions, but their use in air quality monitoring is only valid through an exhaustive calibration process and subsequent precision analysis. We present an on-field calibration technique, based on the least squares method, to fit regression models for low-cost MOS sensors, one that has two main advantages: it can be easily applied by non-expert operators, and it can be used even with only a small amount of calibration data. In addition, the proposed method is adaptive, and the calibration can be refined as more data becomes available. We apply and evaluate the technique with a real dataset from a particular area in the south of Spain (Granada city). The evaluation results show that, despite the simplicity of the technique and the low quantity of data, the accuracy obtained with the low-cost MOS sensors is high enough to be used for air quality monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Sales-Lérida
- Department of Automation Engineering, Electronics and Computer Architecture and Networks, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Alfonso J. Bello
- Department of Statistic and Operations Research, University of Cádiz, 11510 Cádiz, Spain; (A.J.B.); (A.S.-A.)
| | - Alberto Sánchez-Alzola
- Department of Statistic and Operations Research, University of Cádiz, 11510 Cádiz, Spain; (A.J.B.); (A.S.-A.)
| | - Pedro Manuel Martínez-Jiménez
- Department of Automation Engineering, Electronics and Computer Architecture and Networks, University of Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain;
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Air Pollution Observations in Selected Locations in Poland during the Lockdown Related to COVID-19. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12070806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused huge changes in people’s daily habits and had a significant impact on the economy. The lockdowns significantly reduced road traffic and meant that many people worked remotely. Therefore, the question arose as to how the reduced road traffic and stays of residents at home affected the degree of pollution and the structure of major air pollutants. To answer this question, the article presents an analysis of changes in typical air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2) in the five largest Polish cities and one of the voivodships. The data from the Polish State Environmental Monitoring were used for the analysis. The analysis showed that the period of the first lockdown in Poland (April 2020), despite the reduced road traffic, resulted in a significant increase in PM10 emissions (9–91% during working days and an average of 30% on Saturdays and Sundays), a slight increase in PM2.5 emissions (on average from 2% to 11% for all analyzed locations), and a reduction in NO2 emissions (on average from 6% to 11% for all analyzed locations) compared to the period before the lockdown. However, the changes were not homogeneous—in Łódź and Warsaw, in most cases, an increase in all analyzed pollutants was observed, and the greatest decrease in pollution took place in Małopolska voivodship (including Kraków). Comparing the data from April 2020 to the data from April 2019, the overall difference in the PMs concentrations was small, although there are places where there has been a significant decrease (Wrocław, Poznań), and there were also places where the concentration increased (Warsaw, Łódź, Małopolska). In the case of nitrogen dioxide, pollution concentration decreased in most locations. The only exception was the background stations in Warsaw, where the increase was 27%.
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Quantifying Air Pollutant Variations during COVID-19 Lockdown in a Capital City in Northwest China. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12060788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In the context of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), strict lockdown policies were implemented to control nonessential human activities in Xi’an, northwest China, which greatly limited the spread of the pandemic and affected air quality. Compared with pre-lockdown, the air quality index and concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO during the lockdown reduced, but the reductions were not very significant. NO2 levels exhibited the largest decrease (52%) during lockdown, owing to the remarkable decreased motor vehicle emissions. The highest K+ and lowest Ca2+ concentrations in PM2.5 samples could be attributed to the increase in household biomass fuel consumption in suburbs and rural areas around Xi’an and the decrease in human physical activities in Xi’an (e.g., human travel, vehicle emissions, construction activities), respectively, during the lockdown period. Secondary chemical reactions in the atmosphere increased in the lockdown period, as evidenced by the increased O3 level (increased by 160%) and OC/EC ratios in PM2.5 (increased by 26%), compared with pre-lockdown levels. The results, based on a natural experiment in this study, can be used as a reference for studying the formation and source of air pollution in Xi’an and provide evidence for establishing future long-term air pollution control policies.
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