1
|
Ma Q, Yuan R, Wang S, Sun Y, Zhang Q, Yuan X, Wang Q, Luo C. Indigenized Characterization Factors for Health Damage Due to Ambient PM 2.5 in Life Cycle Impact Assessment in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:17320-17333. [PMID: 39298624 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a broadly used method for quantifying environmental impacts, and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is an important step as well as a major source of uncertainties in LCA. Characterization factors (CFs) are pivotal elements in LCIA models. In China, the health loss due to ambient PM2.5 is an important aspect of LCIA results, which, however, is generally assessed by adopting CFs developed by global models and there remains a need to integrate localized considerations and the latest information for more precise applications in China. In this study, we developed indigenized CFs for LCIA of health damage due to ambient PM2.5 in China by coupling the atmospheric chemical transport model GEOS-Chem, exposure-response model GEMM containing Chinese cohort studies, and the latest local data. Results show that CFs of four major PM2.5 precursors all exhibit significant interregional variation and monthly differences in China. Our results were generally an order of magnitude higher and show disparate spatial distribution compared to CFs currently in use, suggesting that the health damage due to ambient PM2.5 was underestimated in LCIA in China, and indigenized CFs need to be adopted for more accurate results in LCIA and LCA studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Ma
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Renxiao Yuan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Shan Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Yuchen Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- National Satellite Meteorological Center, Beijing 100089, China
| | - Xueliang Yuan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Qingsong Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Reducing Emissions from Coal Combustion, Engineering Research Center of Environmental Thermal Technology of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Carbon Reduction and Resource Utilization, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Sustainable Development Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Congwei Luo
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dutta A, Chavalparit O. Assessment of health burden due to the emissions of fine particulate matter from motor vehicles: A case of Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 872:162128. [PMID: 36773925 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution, owing to the ever-increasing transport vehicle fleet, and adverse health effects are increasing in provinces of Thailand. The study estimated that the vehicle fleet size of Nakhon Ratchasima (NR) province of Thailand will grow to 2 million vehicles by 2030, which was 1.36 million in 2021. In NR, the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations already surpassed both WHO and NAAQS guidelines in 2019-2021. Using Pollution Control Department (PCD) approved Tier I and II Methodology of EMEP/EEA, this research estimated that the total tailpipe emission load will be 1039 tons of PM2.5, 16,630 tons of NO₂, 20,623 tons of CO, 195 tons NH₃, and 249 tons of SO₂ in NR during 2030. The emission load will increase to 1752 tons of PM2.5, 21,126 tons of NO2, 25,559 tons of CO, 361 tons of NH3 and 9344 tons of SO₂ during 2030 if upstream emissions are considered. This study has developed five control scenarios in line with the directives of PCD to mitigate the adverse health from vehicle-led air pollution in NR and implementation during 2024-2030. According to the study, different control scenarios to be implemented during 2024-2030, will be able to keep the fleet size of vehicles in the NR under control. The results show that the control scenarios will keep the annual tailpipe emission of PM2.5 at 604 tons in 2030, a 42 % reduction over the 2030 Business-As-Usual scenario (BAU). The health damage in the range of 6941 to 11,625 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) under the 2030 BAU scenario in NR due to tailpipe and upstream emissions can be reduced to 4162-7318 DALYs with the implementation of different control scenarios. The control scenarios will also provide significant economic benefits ranging from 4465 to 6718 million THB during 2024-2030 through reduced DALYs and associated costs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Dutta
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Orathai Chavalparit
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bhat TH, Farzaneh H. Quantifying the multiple environmental, health, and economic benefits from the electrification of the Delhi public transport bus fleet, estimating a district-wise near roadway avoided PM 2.5 exposure. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 321:116027. [PMID: 36104892 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the co-benefits from the utilization of the battery-electric bus (BEB) fleet in the Delhi public transportation system as a part of the Delhi electric vehicles policy 2020. To this aim, an integrated quantitative assessment framework is developed to estimate the expected environmental, health, and economic co-benefits from replacing the currently existing public bus fleet with the new BEBs in Delhi. First, the model estimates the avoided emissions from deploying the BEB fleet, using a detailed battery energy simulation model, considering the impact of the battery capacity loss on the annual operational time (hours of service) of the BEB. The annual operational time of the BEB is greatly affected by its battery degradation, which results in time lost due to charging the battery. This indicates that the annual passenger-kilometer (PKM) delivered by the BEB is less than the regular bus, under the same traveling condition. Second, considering fine particles (PM2.5) as the most health-harming pollutant, the model calculates the near roadway avoided PM2.5 exposure in the selected traffic zones of 11 major districts of Delhi, using a Gaussian dispersion model. Third, the near roadway avoided PM2.5 exposure is further used in a health impact assessment model, which considers concentration-response functions for several diseases to evaluate the public health benefits from introducing the BEB fleet in Delhi. The research findings indicate that, the utilization of the new BEB fleet leads to a 74.67% reduction in the total pollutant emissions from the existing bus fleet in Delhi. The results of the integrated co-benefits assessment reveal a significant reduction in PM2.5 emissions (44 t/y), leading to avoidance of mortality (1370 cases) and respiratory diseases related hospital admissions (2808 cases), respectively, and an annual savings of about USD 383 million from the avoided mortality and morbidity cases in Delhi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tavoos Hassan Bhat
- Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan.
| | - Hooman Farzaneh
- Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan; Transdisciplinary Research and Education Center for Green Technologies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Thind MPS, Heath G, Zhang Y, Bhatt A. Characterization factors and other air quality impact metrics: Case study for PM 2.5-emitting area sources from biofuel feedstock supply. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153418. [PMID: 35092782 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we develop a framework and metrics for estimating the impact of emission sources on regulatory compliance and human health for applications in air quality planning and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Our framework is based on a pollutant's characterization factor (CF) and three new metrics: Available Regulatory Capacity for Incremental Emissions (ARCIE), Source CF Ratio, and Activity Health Impact (AHI) Ratio. ARCIE can be used to assess whether a receptor location has capacity to accommodate additional source emissions while complying with regulatory limits. We present CF as a midpoint indicator of health impacts per unit mass of emitted pollutant. Source CF Ratio enables comparison of potential new-source locations based on human health impacts. The AHI Ratio estimates the health impacts of a pollutant in relation to the utilization of the source for each unit of product or service. These metrics can be applied to any pollutant, energy source sector (e.g., agriculture, electricity), source type (point, line, area), and spatial modeling domain (nation, state, city, region). We demonstrate these metrics through a case study of fine particulate (PM2.5) emissions from U.S. corn stover harvesting and local processing at various scales, representing steps in the biofuel production process. We model PM2.5 formation in the atmosphere using a novel reduced-complexity chemical transport model called the Intervention Model for Air Pollution (InMAP). Through this case study, we present the first area-source PM2.5 CFs that address the recommendations of several LCIA studies to establish spatially explicit CFs specific to an energy source sector or type. Overall, the framework developed in this work provides multiple new ways to consider the potential impacts of air emissions through spatially differentiated metrics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maninder P S Thind
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Garvin Heath
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
| | - Yimin Zhang
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States
| | - Arpit Bhatt
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kouis P, Psistaki K, Giallouros G, Michanikou A, Kakkoura MG, Stylianou KS, Papatheodorou SI, Paschalidou AΚ. Heat-related mortality under climate change and the impact of adaptation through air conditioning: A case study from Thessaloniki, Greece. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 199:111285. [PMID: 34015294 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is expected to increase heat-related mortality across the world. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) studies are used to quantify the impact of higher temperatures, taking into account the effect of population adaptation. Although air-conditioning (AC) is one of the main drivers of technological adaptation to heat, the health impacts associated with AC-induced air pollution have not been examined in detail. This study uses the city of Thessaloniki, Greece as a case study and aims to estimate the future heat-related mortality, the residential cooling demand, and the adaptation trade-off between averted heat-related and increased air pollution cardiorespiratory mortality. Using temperature and population projections under different Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CIMP6) Shared Socioeconomic Pathways scenarios (SSPs), a HIA model was developed for the future heat and air pollution cardiorespiratory mortality. Counterfactual scenarios of either black carbon (BC) or natural gas (NG) being the fuel source for electricity generation were included in the HIA. The results indicate that the heat-related cardiorespiratory mortality in Thessaloniki will increase and the excess of annual heat-related deaths in 2080-2099 will range from 2.4 (95% CI: 0.0-20.9) under SSP1-2.6 to 433.7 (95% CI: 66.9-1070) under SSP5-8.5. Population adaptation will attenuate the heat-related mortality, although the latter may be counterbalanced by the higher air pollution-related mortality due to increased AC, especially under moderate SSP scenarios and coal-fired power plants. Future studies examining the health effects of warmer temperatures need to account for the impact of both adaptation and increased penetration and use of AC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyriaki Psistaki
- Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece.
| | - George Giallouros
- Department of Public and Business Administration, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | | | - Maria G Kakkoura
- Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit CTSU, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Katerina S Stylianou
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | | | - Anastasia Κ Paschalidou
- Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Marzban Z, Asgharipour MR, Ghanbari A, Ramroudi M, Seyedabadi E. Evaluation of environmental consequences affecting human health in the current and optimal cropping patterns in the eastern Lorestan Province, Iran. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:6146-6161. [PMID: 32996087 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10905-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Planning for optimal use of resources and reduction of environmental impacts, in addition to resource protection, is associated with increasing farmers' revenues and boosting the regional economy. Given the limited resources and environmental impacts of agricultural activities on human health, it is necessary to determine an appropriate cropping pattern. The present research aimed to maximize net profit and minimize environmental impacts, including the releases of carcinogens, noncarcinogens, ozone layer depletion, ionizing radiation, and respiratory inorganics and organics on human health. In this study, an optimal cropping pattern of irrigated and rainfed crops was proposed for the east of Lorestan Province using multi-objective nonlinear programming (MOP). Results showed that the cropping areas of chickpea, rapeseed, and potatoes decreased by 50% in the irrigated crop of MOP model and that of lentil in the MOP model of rainfed crops compared with the current pattern. Another important result was increases in the cropping areas of lentil and bean in the MOP pattern of irrigated crops and wheat in the rainfed MOP model. The environmental impacts of agricultural sector on human health can be reduced by determining an optimal cropping pattern. The implementation of this model in the region reduced the emissions of carcinogens (4%), noncarcinogens (9%), respiratory inorganics (17%), ionizing radiation (14%), ozone layer depletion (17%), and respiratory organics (15%) compared with the existing situation along with an increased net profit of $968,483. According to the findings, consideration of environmental objectives affecting human health is essential in the optimization of the cropping pattern. In addition to optimal use of water and land resources, using the proposed model helps to increase profits and reduce environmental consequences on human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Marzban
- Unit of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Asgharipour
- Unit of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
| | - Ahmad Ghanbari
- Unit of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Ramroudi
- Unit of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| | - Esmaeel Seyedabadi
- Unit of Agroecology, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Oberschelp C, Pfister S, Hellweg S. Globally Regionalized Monthly Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Particulate Matter. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:16028-16038. [PMID: 33226786 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This work provides a globally regionalized approach for quantifying particulate matter (PM2.5) health impacts. Atmospheric transport and pollutant chemistry of primary particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and ammonia (NH3) from stack emissions were modeled and used to calculate monthly high-resolution maps of global characterization factors that can be used for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and risk assessment. These characterization factors are applied to a global data set of coal power emissions. The results show large regional and temporal differences in health impacts per kg of emission and per amount of coal power generation (5-1300 DALY TWh-1). While small emission reductions of PM2.5 and SO2 from coal power lead to similar health benefits across densely populated areas of Asia and Europe, we find that larger emission reductions result in up to three times higher health benefits in parts of Asia because of the nonlinear health responses to pollution exposure changes. Hence, many regions in Asia benefit disproportionately much from large coal power PM2.5 and SO2 emission reductions. NOx emission reductions can lead to equally high health benefits, where unfavorable atmospheric conditions coincide with elevated NH3 background pollution and large population (e.g., in Central Europe, Indonesia, or Japan but also numerous other places).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Oberschelp
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Pfister
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Hellweg
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, John-von-Neumann-Weg 9, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Eckelman MJ, Huang K, Lagasse R, Senay E, Dubrow R, Sherman JD. Health Care Pollution And Public Health Damage In The United States: An Update. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020; 39:2071-2079. [PMID: 33284703 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
An up-to-date assessment of environmental emissions in the US health care sector is essential to help policy makers hold the health care industry accountable to protect public health. We update national-level US health-sector emissions. We also estimate state-level emissions for the first time and examine associations with state-level energy systems and health care quality and access metrics. Economywide modeling showed that US health care greenhouse gas emissions rose 6 percent from 2010 to 2018, reaching 1,692 kg per capita in 2018-the highest rate among industrialized nations. In 2018 greenhouse gas and toxic air pollutant emissions resulted in the loss of 388,000 disability-adjusted life-years. There was considerable variation in state-level greenhouse gas emissions per capita, which were not highly correlated with health system quality. These results suggest that the health care sector's outsize environmental footprint can be reduced without compromising quality. To reduce harmful emissions, the health care sector should decrease unnecessary consumption of resources, decarbonize power generation, and invest in preventive care. This will likely require mandatory reporting, benchmarking, and regulated accountability of health care organizations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Eckelman
- Matthew J. Eckelman is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kaixin Huang
- Kaixin Huang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University
| | - Robert Lagasse
- Robert Lagasse is a professor and vice chair for quality and regulatory affairs, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Emily Senay
- Emily Senay is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York, New York
| | - Robert Dubrow
- Robert Dubrow is a professor of epidemiology in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Jodi D. Sherman is an associate professor of anesthesiology at the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Public Health, Yale University
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kvasnicka J, Stylianou KS, Nguyen VK, Huang L, Chiu WA, Burton, Semrau J, Jolliet O. Human Health Benefits from Fish Consumption vs. Risks from Inhalation Exposures Associated with Contaminated Sediment Remediation: Dredging of the Hudson River. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2019; 127:127004. [PMID: 31834828 PMCID: PMC6957280 DOI: 10.1289/ehp5034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Billions of dollars are spent on environmental dredging (ED) to remediate contaminated sediments, with one goal being reduced human health risks. However, ED may increase health risks in unanticipated ways, thus potentially reducing net benefits. OBJECTIVES To assess the ways that ED may increase health risks in unanticipated ways, thus potentially reducing net benefits, we quantitatively assessed a subset of population health benefits and risks of ED, using the 2009-2015 remediation of the Hudson River Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Superfund Site as a case study. Three remediation scenarios were evaluated: No Action (NA), Source Control (SC), and ED. METHODS We quantified health benefits for each scenario from reduced PCB levels in Hudson River fish, and health risks from ED operations due to increased inhalation exposures to PCBs and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as a common metric. Occupational health risks were also considered in a separate sensitivity analysis. Estimates of population-level benefits and risks included Monte Carlo simulation-based uncertainty analysis. RESULTS Under NA, fish consumption would result in an estimated health burden of 112 DALYs, and ED would lead to a reduction of 15 DALYs in excess of SC. ED operations were estimated to induce a total burden of 33 DALYs, dominated by PM 2.5 impacts from rail transport emissions (32 DALYs). Including uncertainty, the net health benefit of ED ranged from - 138 to + 1,326 avoided DALYs (90% confidence), with a median of - 11 avoided DALYs. CONCLUSIONS For the considered impacts, ED in the Hudson River might not have led to an overall net positive human health impact. The benefits and risks of ED, however, have different degrees of uncertainty and involve different populations. Reducing long-distance transport of dredged sediment is a priority. This comparative approach could be used prospectively to better determine trade-offs involved in different remediation scenarios and to improve remediation design to maximize benefits while minimizing risks. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5034.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Kvasnicka
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katerina S. Stylianou
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Vy K. Nguyen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Lei Huang
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Weihsueh A. Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Burton
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeremy Semrau
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Fantke P, McKone TE, Tainio M, Jolliet O, Apte JS, Stylianou KS, Illner N, Marshall JD, Choma EF, Evans JS. Global Effect Factors for Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:6855-6868. [PMID: 31132267 PMCID: PMC6613786 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We evaluate fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure-response models to propose a consistent set of global effect factors for product and policy assessments across spatial scales and across urban and rural environments. Relationships among exposure concentrations and PM2.5-attributable health effects largely depend on location, population density, and mortality rates. Existing effect factors build mostly on an essentially linear exposure-response function with coefficients from the American Cancer Society study. In contrast, the Global Burden of Disease analysis offers a nonlinear integrated exposure-response (IER) model with coefficients derived from numerous epidemiological studies covering a wide range of exposure concentrations. We explore the IER, additionally provide a simplified regression as a function of PM2.5 level, mortality rates, and severity, and compare results with effect factors derived from the recently published global exposure mortality model (GEMM). Uncertainty in effect factors is dominated by the exposure-response shape, background mortality, and geographic variability. Our central IER-based effect factor estimates for different regions do not differ substantially from previous estimates. However, IER estimates exhibit significant variability between locations as well as between urban and rural environments, driven primarily by variability in PM2.5 concentrations and mortality rates. Using the IER as the basis for effect factors presents a consistent picture of global PM2.5-related effects for use in product and policy assessment frameworks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fantke
- Quantitative
Sustainability Assessment, Department of Technology, Management and
Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Produktionstorvet 424, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Thomas E. McKone
- School
of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Marko Tainio
- UKCRC
Centre for Diet and Activity Research, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Systems
Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- School of
Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Joshua S. Apte
- Department
of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Katerina S. Stylianou
- School of
Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Nicole Illner
- Quantitative
Sustainability Assessment, Department of Technology, Management and
Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Produktionstorvet 424, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Julian D. Marshall
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98122, United States
| | - Ernani F. Choma
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School
of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - John S. Evans
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School
of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Inghels D, Dullaert W, Aghezzaf EH, Heijungs R. Towards optimal trade-offs between material and energy recovery for green waste. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2019; 93:100-111. [PMID: 31235046 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Green waste is a type of biomass consisting mainly of grass, leaves and fresh prunings originating from gardens and parks. It can be used as feedstock for composting, or for energy recovery. The EU Waste Directive 2008/98/EC advocates composting to prevent waste. This directive allows green waste to be used for (renewable) energy valorization only if a better overall environmental outcome can be demonstrated. In this paper, we propose an assessment procedure based on examining the Pareto front of optimal trade-off combinations for maximizing composting and energy recovery of green waste while minimizing environmental impact and minimizing particulate matter emission. The Pareto optimal front is determined by solving a multi-objective optimization problem using the ε-constraint method. Previous research on green waste valorization using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) shows that either energy recovery or composting is the preferred option depending on how environmental impact is assessed. In contrast to the full assignment to one of these recovery methods produced by LCA, we demonstrate, using the case of green waste valorization in the Netherlands and Belgium, that the proposed assessment procedure provides optimal solutions in a range between full allocation to compost or energy recovery. The proposed methodology supports the selection of optimal solutions taking the decision makers' preference into account that allows complying with Directives that have opposite goals on green waste valorization. Finally, computational results show that the assessment of the "better environmental outcome" requested by the EU waste Directive 2008/98/EC is influenced by the life cycle impact categories and the policy makers preferences with respect to the valorization options taken into account. Since the EU waste Directive 2008/98/EC does not specify how to execute the outcome assessment of valorization alternatives, this can lead to ambiguity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Inghels
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Supply Chain Analytics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Wout Dullaert
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Supply Chain Analytics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - El-Houssaine Aghezzaf
- Ghent University, Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Product Design, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Technologiepark 903, 9052 Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium, and Flanders Make, Belgium.
| | - Reinout Heijungs
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Econometrics and Operations Research, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, PO Box 9518, 2300RA Leiden, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Crop Systems Irrigated with the Groundwater and Reclaimed Water in Northern China. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11102743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Using reclaimed water from treated wastewater as an irrigation source is gaining popularity in arid and semi-arid areas. However, life cycle assessment studies, utilizing experimental data to analyze the environmental and health impacts of crops irrigated with reclaimed water, are lacking. This study presents the first comparative life cycle assessment of corn, soybean and wheat systems irrigated with groundwater and reclaimed water in Northern China. While the life cycle foreground inventory was based on a combination of experimental and modeling datasets, the life cycle background inventory was compiled with commercially available data packages augmented with Chinese electricity mix data. The life cycle impact analyses were based on the characterization factors from state-of-art life cycle impact assessment models. The analyses indicated that the life cycle global warming impacts of the crop systems ranged from 0.37 to 0.64 kg CO2-eq/kg grain, with reclaimed water irrigated soybean and ground water irrigated wheat exhibiting, respectively, the lowest and highest global warming impacts. Irrigation, farming equipment operation, on-field emissions and fertilizer production ranked as top contributors to the life cycle impacts for corn, soybean, and wheat. The comparative analyses of irrigation sources suggested that significant environmental tradeoffs existed. Replacing groundwater with reclaimed water as the irrigation source significantly decreased life cycle global warming, acidification, ozone depletion, smog formation, and respiratory impacts of corn, soybean and wheat systems. However, replacing groundwater with reclaimed water increased the life cycle noncancer impacts of those systems. Coordinating policies within the water–food–health nexus is required, in order to minimize the environmental tradeoffs, while maximizing the benefits of irrigation with reclaimed water.
Collapse
|
13
|
Mutel C, Liao X, Patouillard L, Bare J, Fantke P, Frischknecht R, Hauschild M, Jolliet O, de Souza DM, Laurent A, Pfister S, Verones F. Overview and recommendations for regionalized life cycle impact assessment. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 2019; 24:856-865. [PMID: 33122880 PMCID: PMC7592718 DOI: 10.1007/s11367-018-1539-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Regionalized life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) has rapidly developed in the past decade, though its widespread application, robustness, and validity still faces multiple challenges. Under the umbrella of UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, a dedicated cross-cutting working group on regionalized LCIA aims to provides an overview of the status of regionalization in LCIA methods. We give guidance and recommendations to harmonize and support regionalization in LCIA for developers of LCIA methods, LCI databases, and LCA software. METHOD A survey of current practice among regionalized LCIA method developers was conducted. The survey included questions on chosen method spatial resolution and scale, the spatial resolution of input parameters, choice of native spatial resolution and limitations, operationalization and alignment with life cycle inventory data, methods for spatial aggregation, the assessment of uncertainty from input parameters and model structure, and variability due to spatial aggregation. Recommendations are formulated based on the survey results and extensive discussion by the authors. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Survey results indicate that majority of regionalized LCIA models have global coverage. Native spatial resolutions are generally chosen based on the availability of global input data. Annual modelled or measured elementary flow quantities are mostly used for aggregating characterization factors (CFs) to larger spatial scales, although some use proxies, such as population counts. Aggregated CFs are mostly available at the country level. Although uncertainty due to input parameter, model structure, and spatial aggregation are available for some LCIA methods, they are rarely implemented for LCA studies. So far, there is no agreement if a finer native spatial resolution is the best way to reduce overall uncertainty. When spatially differentiated models CFs are not easily available, archetype models are sometimes developed. CONCLUSIONS Regionalized LCIA methods should be provided as a transparent and consistent set of data and metadata using standardized data formats. Regionalized CFs should include both uncertainty and variability. In addition to the native-scale CFs, aggregated CFs should always be provided, and should be calculated as the weighted averages of constituent CFs using annual flow quantities as weights whenever available. This paper is an important step forward for increasing transparency, consistency and robustness in the development and application of regionalized LCIA methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chris Mutel
- Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 PSI Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Xun Liao
- Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL Valais Wallis, Rue de l'Industrie 17, CH-1951 Sion, Switzerland
- Quantis, EPFL Innovation Park (EIP-D), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laure Patouillard
- CIRAIG, Polytechnique Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Montréal, Québec H3C 3A7, Canada
- IFP Energies nouvelles, 1-4 avenue de Bois-Préau, 92852 Rueil-Malmaison, France
- UMR 0210 INRA-AgroParisTech Economie publique, INRA, Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - Jane Bare
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Peter Fantke
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet 116B, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Michael Hauschild
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet 116B, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Danielle Maia de Souza
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, AB, Canada
- Département de Stratégie, Responsabilité Sociale et Environnementale, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, H3C 3P8, QC, Canada
| | - Alexis Laurent
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet 116B, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stephan Pfister
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Verones
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Goodkind AL, Tessum CW, Coggins JS, Hill JD, Marshall JD. Fine-scale damage estimates of particulate matter air pollution reveal opportunities for location-specific mitigation of emissions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:8775-8780. [PMID: 30962364 PMCID: PMC6500143 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1816102116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution has been recognized as a major source of mortality in the United States for at least 25 years, yet much remains unknown about which sources are the most harmful, let alone how best to target policies to mitigate them. Such efforts can be improved by employing high-resolution geographically explicit methods for quantifying human health impacts of emissions of PM2.5 and its precursors. Here, we provide a detailed examination of the health and economic impacts of PM2.5 pollution in the United States by linking emission sources with resulting pollution concentrations. We estimate that anthropogenic PM2.5 was responsible for 107,000 premature deaths in 2011, at a cost to society of $886 billion. Of these deaths, 57% were associated with pollution caused by energy consumption [e.g., transportation (28%) and electricity generation (14%)]; another 15% with pollution caused by agricultural activities. A small fraction of emissions, concentrated in or near densely populated areas, plays an outsized role in damaging human health with the most damaging 10% of total emissions accounting for 40% of total damages. We find that 33% of damages occur within 8 km of emission sources, but 25% occur more than 256 km away, emphasizing the importance of tracking both local and long-range impacts. Our paper highlights the importance of a fine-scale approach as marginal damages can vary by over an order of magnitude within a single county. Information presented here can assist mitigation efforts by identifying those sources with the greatest health effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew L Goodkind
- Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131;
| | - Christopher W Tessum
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Jay S Coggins
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - Jason D Hill
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - Julian D Marshall
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Fantke P, Aylward L, Bare J, Chiu WA, Dodson R, Dwyer R, Ernstoff A, Howard B, Jantunen M, Jolliet O, Judson R, Kirchhübel N, Li D, Miller A, Paoli G, Price P, Rhomberg L, Shen B, Shin HM, Teeguarden J, Vallero D, Wambaugh J, Wetmore BA, Zaleski R, McKone TE. Advancements in Life Cycle Human Exposure and Toxicity Characterization. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2018; 126:125001. [PMID: 30540492 PMCID: PMC6371687 DOI: 10.1289/ehp3871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Life Cycle Initiative, hosted at the United Nations Environment Programme, selected human toxicity impacts from exposure to chemical substances as an impact category that requires global guidance to overcome current assessment challenges. The initiative leadership established the Human Toxicity Task Force to develop guidance on assessing human exposure and toxicity impacts. Based on input gathered at three workshops addressing the main current scientific challenges and questions, the task force built a roadmap for advancing human toxicity characterization, primarily for use in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). OBJECTIVES The present paper aims at reporting on the outcomes of the task force workshops along with interpretation of how these outcomes will impact the practice and reliability of toxicity characterization. The task force thereby focuses on two major issues that emerged from the workshops, namely considering near-field exposures and improving dose–response modeling. DISCUSSION The task force recommended approaches to improve the assessment of human exposure, including capturing missing exposure settings and human receptor pathways by coupling additional fate and exposure processes in consumer and occupational environments (near field) with existing processes in outdoor environments (far field). To quantify overall aggregate exposure, the task force suggested that environments be coupled using a consistent set of quantified chemical mass fractions transferred among environmental compartments. With respect to dose–response, the task force was concerned about the way LCIA currently characterizes human toxicity effects, and discussed several potential solutions. A specific concern is the use of a (linear) dose–response extrapolation to zero. Another concern addresses the challenge of identifying a metric for human toxicity impacts that is aligned with the spatiotemporal resolution of present LCIA methodology, yet is adequate to indicate health impact potential. CONCLUSIONS Further research efforts are required based on our proposed set of recommendations for improving the characterization of human exposure and toxicity impacts in LCIA and other comparative assessment frameworks. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3871.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fantke
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lesa Aylward
- National Centre for Environmental Toxicology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jane Bare
- U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Weihsueh A Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Robin Dodson
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Dwyer
- International Copper Association, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Matti Jantunen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Nienke Kirchhübel
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Dingsheng Li
- School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Aubrey Miller
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Greg Paoli
- Risk Sciences International, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul Price
- U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Beverly Shen
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | | | - Justin Teeguarden
- Health Effects and Exposure Science, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | | | - John Wambaugh
- U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Rosemary Zaleski
- ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc., Annandale, New Jersey, USA
| | - Thomas E McKone
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Carbon Mitigation Pathway Evaluation and Environmental Benefit Analysis of Mitigation Technologies in China’s Petrochemical and Chemical Industry. ENERGIES 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/en11123331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The co-benefits of mitigation technology in China’s petrochemical and chemical industry have not been evaluated, although they are deemed valuable for the cost-benefit analysis of carbon mitigation. On this basis, this study evaluates the carbon mitigation effects and environmental co-benefits of mitigation technologies that have been long ignored in China’s petrochemical and chemical industry. In addition, this study also fills the gap of provincial research in chemical industry. A bottom-up energy model and marginal abatement cost curves are constructed for each sector. The study is based on national and provincial levels to provide quantitative reference for the mitigation technologies. Results show that, among 18 technologies in the chemical industry, waste heat utilization and technological process transformation technologies have the highest marginal abatement benefits. Technologies in the petrochemical industry with the largest marginal abatement social benefit typically exists in three categories: efficiency improvement technology, waste heat utilization technology, and coating technology. At the national level, 8039 and 5105 premature deaths are effectively avoided by the promotion of chemical and petrochemical mitigation technologies, respectively. Monetary value of health impact in these two industries are 7.0 billion and 5.5 billion RMB, respectively. At the provincial level, coal gasification multi-generation gas turbine power generation technology, a technological process transformation technology, performs well in Shaanxi province with 122 million RMB of total social benefit.
Collapse
|
17
|
Holnicki P, Kałuszko A, Nahorski Z, Tainio M. Intra-urban variability of the intake fraction from multiple emission sources. ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH 2018; 9:1184-1193. [PMID: 30740016 PMCID: PMC6358147 DOI: 10.1016/j.apr.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ambient air pollution and associated adverse health effects are among most acute environmental problems in many cities worldwide. The intake fraction (iF) approach can be applied for evaluating the health benefits of reducing emissions, especially when rapid decisions are needed. Intake fraction is a metric that represents emission-to-intake relationship and characterizes abatement of exposure potential attributed to specific emission sources. AIM In this study, the spatial variability of iF in Warsaw agglomeration, Poland, is discussed. METHODS The iF analysis is based on the earlier air quality modeling results, that include the main pollutants characterizing an urban atmospheric environment (SO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5, CO, C6H6, B(a)P, heavy metals). The annual mean concentrations were computed by the CALPUFF modeling system (spatial resolution 0.5 × 0.5 km2) on the basis of the emission and meteorological data from year 2012. The emission field comprised 24 high (power generation) and 3880 low (industry) point sources, 7285 mobile (transport) sources, and 6962 area (housing) sources. RESULTS The aggregated iFs values are computed for each emission class and the related polluting compounds. Intra-urban variability maps of iFs are attributed to an emission sources by emission category and pollutant. CONCLUSIONS Intake fraction is shown as a decision support tool for implementing the cost-effective emission policy and reducing the health risk of air pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Holnicki
- Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Kałuszko
- Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Zbigniew Nahorski
- Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Warsaw School of Information Technology (WIT), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marko Tainio
- Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bastos J, Marques P, Batterman SA, Freire F. Environmental impacts of commuting modes in Lisbon: a life-cycle assessment addressing particulate matter impacts on health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION 2018; 13:652-663. [PMID: 31588202 PMCID: PMC6777580 DOI: 10.1080/15568318.2018.1501519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A life-cycle assessment of commuting alternatives is conducted that compares six transportation modes (car, bus, train, subway, motorcycle and bicycle) for eight impact indicators. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions and health impacts are incorporated in the assessment using intake fractions that differentiate between urban and non-urban emissions, combined with an effect factor. The potential benefits of different strategies for reducing environmental impacts are illustrated. The results demonstrate the need for comprehensive approaches that avoid problem-shifting among transportation-related strategies. Policies aiming to improve the environmental performance of urban transportation should target strategies that decrease local emissions, life-cycle impacts and health effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joana Bastos
- ADAI-LAETA, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Pólo II Campus, Rua Luís Reis Santos, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Pedro Marques
- ADAI-LAETA, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Pólo II Campus, Rua Luís Reis Santos, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Stuart A. Batterman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 109 Observatory Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA
| | - Fausto Freire
- ADAI-LAETA, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Pólo II Campus, Rua Luís Reis Santos, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Intake Fraction of PM 10 from Coal Mine Emissions in the North of Colombia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 2018:8532463. [PMID: 30151014 PMCID: PMC6087594 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8532463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Intake fraction was determined in this study to provide insight into population exposures to PM10 that is effectively inhaled due to emissions of an opencast coal mine. We applied the CALPUFF model to a coal mine in Northern Colombia, which has 6 active pits with an annual production of 33.7 million tons. We estimated the intake fractions for 7 towns through the integration of dispersion model results over the population data. The resulting average intake fractions were between 6.13 × 10−9 and 3.66 × 10−8 for PM10. 62.4% of the intake fractions in the domain were calculated within a 23 km radius from the coal mine and coved 44.3% of the total population in this area. We calculated an estimate point for morbidity impacts using standard epidemiological assumptions. It is estimated that there were annually 105835 restricted activity days and 336832 respiratory symptom cases due to the direct impact of the opencast coal mining. These data also provide a framework for improved understanding of the effect of coal mining in Colombia.
Collapse
|
20
|
Cimini A, Moresi M. Are the present standard methods effectively useful to mitigate the environmental impact of the 99% EU food and drink enterprises? Trends Food Sci Technol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
21
|
Yang X, Xi X, Lin W, Guo S, Feng X, Gilmore E. Evaluation of environmental health benefits of China's building energy conservation policies: an integrated assessment on national and provincial levels. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2018; 28:215-239. [PMID: 29726273 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2018.1468421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This article evaluates the effect of energy conservation policies and carbon mitigation efforts on reducing health damage in China's building sector, which has been long ignored. The study bases on both national and provincial levels. To evaluate the health damage effect, we use domestic data by region to ensure the reliability of the evaluation. Results show that in the co-control scenario, the GDP loss saved from health benefit in 2020, 2030, and 2050 is 0.13 %, 0.16 %, and 0.23 %, respectively, compared to reference scenario. At a provincial level, extra health benefit of 16, 16, 33, 25, and 23 RMB/person can be observed for Beijing, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Henan, and Qinghai owing to energy conservation, even with the strictest end-of-pipe control measures. The results confirm the significant effect of energy conservation efforts on reducing the health damage in China's building sector at both national and provincial levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- a Academy of Chinese Energy Strategy , China University of Petroleum Beijing , Beijing , China
| | - Xiaoqian Xi
- a Academy of Chinese Energy Strategy , China University of Petroleum Beijing , Beijing , China
| | - Wanqi Lin
- a Academy of Chinese Energy Strategy , China University of Petroleum Beijing , Beijing , China
| | - Shan Guo
- a Academy of Chinese Energy Strategy , China University of Petroleum Beijing , Beijing , China
| | - Xiangzhao Feng
- b Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Environmental Protection , Beijing , China
| | - Elisabeth Gilmore
- c Department of International Development, Community and Environment , Clark University , Worcester , MA , USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Hydrogen Supply Chains for Mobility—Environmental and Economic Assessment. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10061699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
23
|
Mishra SK, Chattopadhyay B, Kadjo AF, Dasgupta PK. Continuous measurement of elemental composition of ambient aerosol by induction-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Talanta 2018; 177:197-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2017.07.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
24
|
Chan WR, Logue JM, Wu X, Klepeis NE, Fisk WJ, Noris F, Singer BC. Quantifying fine particle emission events from time-resolved measurements: Method description and application to 18 California low-income apartments. INDOOR AIR 2018; 28:89-101. [PMID: 28892568 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
PM2.5 exposure is associated with significant health risk. Exposures in homes derive from both outdoor and indoor sources, with emissions occurring primarily in discrete events. Data on emission event magnitudes and schedules are needed to support simulation-based studies of exposures and mitigations. This study applied an identification and characterization algorithm to quantify time-resolved PM2.5 emission events from data collected during 224 days of monitoring in 18 California apartments with low-income residents. We identified and characterized 836 distinct events with median and mean values of 12 and 30 mg emitted mass, 16 and 23 minutes emission duration, 37 and 103 mg/h emission rates, and pseudo-first-order decay rates of 1.3 and 2.0/h. Mean event-averaged concentrations calculated using the determined event characteristics agreed to within 6% of measured values for 14 of the apartments. There were variations in event schedules and emitted mass across homes, with few events overnight and most emissions occurring during late afternoons and evenings. Event characteristics were similar during weekdays and weekends. Emitted mass was positively correlated with number of residents (Spearman coefficient, ρ=.10), bedrooms (ρ=.08), house volume (ρ=.29), and indoor-outdoor CO2 difference (ρ=.27). The event schedules can be used in probabilistic modeling of PM2.5 in low-income apartments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W R Chan
- Indoor Environment Group, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - J M Logue
- Indoor Environment Group, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - X Wu
- Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - N E Klepeis
- Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health (C-BEACH), Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University Research Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - W J Fisk
- Indoor Environment Group, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - F Noris
- R2M Solution Srl, Pavia, Italy
| | - B C Singer
- Indoor Environment Group, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Life Cycle Impact Assessment in the Arctic: Challenges and Research Needs. SUSTAINABILITY 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/su9091605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
26
|
Fantke P, Jolliet O, Apte JS, Hodas N, Evans J, Weschler CJ, Stylianou KS, Jantunen M, McKone TE. Characterizing Aggregated Exposure to Primary Particulate Matter: Recommended Intake Fractions for Indoor and Outdoor Sources. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:9089-9100. [PMID: 28682605 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from indoor and outdoor sources is a leading environmental contributor to global disease burden. In response, we established under the auspices of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative a coupled indoor-outdoor emission-to-exposure framework to provide a set of consistent primary PM2.5 aggregated exposure factors. We followed a matrix-based mass balance approach for quantifying exposure from indoor and ground-level urban and rural outdoor sources using an effective indoor-outdoor population intake fraction and a system of archetypes to represent different levels of spatial detail. Emission-to-exposure archetypes range from global indoor and outdoor averages, via archetypal urban and indoor settings, to 3646 real-world cities in 16 parametrized subcontinental regions. Population intake fractions from urban and rural outdoor sources are lowest in Northern regions and Oceania and highest in Southeast Asia with population-weighted means across 3646 cities and 16 subcontinental regions of, respectively, 39 ppm (95% confidence interval: 4.3-160 ppm) and 2 ppm (95% confidence interval: 0.2-6.3 ppm). Intake fractions from residential and occupational indoor sources range from 470 ppm to 62 000 ppm, mainly as a function of air exchange rate and occupancy. Indoor exposure typically contributes 80-90% to overall exposure from outdoor sources. Our framework facilitates improvements in air pollution reduction strategies and life cycle impact assessments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fantke
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark , Bygningstorvet 116B, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Joshua S Apte
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin , Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Natasha Hodas
- Division of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - John Evans
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Cyprus International Institute for Environment and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology , 3041 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Charles J Weschler
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University , Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
- International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark , 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Katerina S Stylianou
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Matti Jantunen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare , 70701 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Thomas E McKone
- School of Public Health, University of California , Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Levy JI, Biton L, Hopke PK, Zhang KM, Rector L. A cost-benefit analysis of a pellet boiler with electrostatic precipitator versus conventional biomass technology: A case study of an institutional boiler in Syracuse, New York. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2017; 156:312-319. [PMID: 28388517 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biomass facilities have received increasing attention as a strategy to increase the use of renewable fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from the electric generation and heating sectors, but these facilities can potentially increase local air pollution and associated health effects. Comparing the economic costs and public health benefits of alternative biomass fuel, heating technology, and pollution control technology options provides decision-makers with the necessary information to make optimal choices in a given location. METHODS For a case study of a combined heat and power biomass facility in Syracuse, New York, we used stack testing to estimate emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for both the deployed technology (staged combustion pellet boiler with an electrostatic precipitator) and a conventional alternative (wood chip stoker boiler with a multicyclone). We used the atmospheric dispersion model AERMOD to calculate the contribution of either fuel-technology configuration to ambient primary PM2.5 in a 10km×10km region surrounding the facility, and we quantified the incremental contribution to population mortality and morbidity. We assigned economic values to health outcomes and compared the health benefits of the lower-emitting technology with the incremental costs. RESULTS In total, the incremental annualized cost of the lower-emitting pellet boiler was $190,000 greater, driven by a greater cost of the pellet fuel and pollution control technology, offset in part by reduced fuel storage costs. PM2.5 emissions were a factor of 23 lower with the pellet boiler with electrostatic precipitator, with corresponding differences in contributions to ambient primary PM2.5 concentrations. The monetary value of the public health benefits of selecting the pellet-fired boiler technology with electrostatic precipitator was $1.7 million annually, greatly exceeding the differential costs even when accounting for uncertainties. Our analyses also showed complex spatial patterns of health benefits given non-uniform age distributions and air pollution levels. CONCLUSIONS The incremental investment in a lower-emitting staged combustion pellet boiler with an electrostatic precipitator was well justified by the population health improvements over the conventional wood chip technology with a multicyclone, even given the focus on only primary PM2.5 within a small spatial domain. Our analytical framework could be generalized to other settings to inform optimal strategies for proposed new facilities or populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan I Levy
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA.
| | - Leiran Biton
- US Environmental Protection Agency Region 1, 5 Post Office Square Suite 100, Boston, MA 02109, USA.
| | - Philip K Hopke
- Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Box 5708, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.
| | - K Max Zhang
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Lisa Rector
- Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Kijko G, Jolliet O, Margni M. Occupational Health Impacts Due to Exposure to Organic Chemicals over an Entire Product Life Cycle. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:13105-13114. [PMID: 27794595 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b04434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This article presents an innovative approach to include occupational exposures to organic chemicals in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) by building on the characterization factors set out in Kijko et al. (2015) to calculate the potential impact of occupational exposure over the entire supply chain of product or service. Based on an economic input-output model and labor and economic data, the total impacts per dollar of production are provided for 430 commodity categories and range from 0.025 to 6.6 disability-adjusted life years (DALY) per million dollar of final economic demand. The approach is applied on a case study assessing human health impacts over the life cycle of a piece of office furniture. It illustrates how to combine monitoring data collected at the manufacturing facility and averaged sector specific data to model the entire supply chain. This paper makes the inclusion of occupational exposure to chemicals fully compatible with the LCA framework by including the supply chain of a given production process and will help industries focus on the leading causes of human health impacts and prevent impact shifting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaël Kijko
- CIRAIG, Polytechnique Montréal, Chemical Engineering Department, 3333 Chemin Queen-Mary, Suite 310, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Quebec Canada, H3C 3A7
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Manuele Margni
- CIRAIG, Polytechnique Montréal, Chemical Engineering Department, 3333 Chemin Queen-Mary, Suite 310, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, Quebec Canada, H3C 3A7
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Hodas N, Loh M, Shin HM, Li D, Bennett D, McKone TE, Jolliet O, Weschler CJ, Jantunen M, Lioy P, Fantke P. Indoor inhalation intake fractions of fine particulate matter: review of influencing factors. INDOOR AIR 2016; 26:836-856. [PMID: 26562829 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) is a major contributor to the global human disease burden. The indoor environment is of particular importance when considering the health effects associated with PM2.5 exposures because people spend the majority of their time indoors and PM2.5 exposures per unit mass emitted indoors are two to three orders of magnitude larger than exposures to outdoor emissions. Variability in indoor PM2.5 intake fraction (iFin,total ), which is defined as the integrated cumulative intake of PM2.5 per unit of emission, is driven by a combination of building-specific, human-specific, and pollutant-specific factors. Due to a limited availability of data characterizing these factors, however, indoor emissions and intake of PM2.5 are not commonly considered when evaluating the environmental performance of product life cycles. With the aim of addressing this barrier, a literature review was conducted and data characterizing factors influencing iFin,total were compiled. In addition to providing data for the calculation of iFin,total in various indoor environments and for a range of geographic regions, this paper discusses remaining limitations to the incorporation of PM2.5 -derived health impacts into life cycle assessments and makes recommendations regarding future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Hodas
- Division of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - M Loh
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - H-M Shin
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - D Li
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - D Bennett
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - T E McKone
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - O Jolliet
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - C J Weschler
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - M Jantunen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - P Lioy
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - P Fantke
- Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Navarro KM, Cisneros R, O'Neill SM, Schweizer D, Larkin NK, Balmes JR. Air-Quality Impacts and Intake Fraction of PM 2.5 during the 2013 Rim Megafire. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:11965-11973. [PMID: 27652495 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b02252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The 2013 Rim Fire was the third largest wildfire in California history and burned 257 314 acres in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We evaluated air-quality impacts of PM2.5 from smoke from the Rim Fire on receptor areas in California and Nevada. We employed two approaches to examine the air-quality impacts: (1) an evaluation of PM2.5 concentration data collected by temporary and permanent air-monitoring sites and (2) an estimation of intake fraction (iF) of PM2.5 from smoke. The Rim Fire impacted locations in the central Sierra nearest to the fire and extended to the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and Nevada monitoring sites. Daily 24-h average PM2.5 concentrations measured at 22 air monitors had an average concentration of 20 μg/m3 and ranged from 0 to 450 μg/m3. The iF for PM2.5 from smoke during the active fire period was 7.4 per million, which is slightly higher than representative iF values for PM2.5 in rural areas and much lower than for urban areas. This study is a unique application of intake fraction to examine emissions-to-exposure for wildfires and emphasizes that air-quality impacts are not only localized to communities near large fires but can extend long distances and affect larger urban areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Navarro
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California-Berkeley , Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Ricardo Cisneros
- School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California-Merced , Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Susan M O'Neill
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service , Seattle, Washington 98103, United States
| | - Don Schweizer
- School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California-Merced , Merced, California 95343, United States
| | - Narasimhan K Larkin
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service , Seattle, Washington 98103, United States
| | - John R Balmes
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California-Berkeley , Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Brogaard LK, Christensen TH. Life cycle assessment of capital goods in waste management systems. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2016; 56:561-574. [PMID: 27478026 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2016.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The environmental importance of capital goods (trucks, buildings, equipment, etc.) was quantified by LCA modelling 1 tonne of waste treated in five different waste management scenarios. The scenarios involved a 240L collection bin, a 16m(3) collection truck, a composting plant, an anaerobic digestion plant, an incinerator and a landfill site. The contribution of capital goods to the overall environmental aspects of managing the waste was significant but varied greatly depending on the technology and the impact category: Global Warming: 1-17%, Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: 2-90%, Ionising Radiation, Human Health: 2-91%, Photochemical Ozone Formation: 2-56%, Freshwater Eutrophication: 0.05-99%, Marine Eutrophication: 0.03-8%, Terrestrial Acidification: 2-13%, Terrestrial Eutrophication: 1-8%, Particulate Matter: 11-26%, Human Toxicity, Cancer Effect: 10-92%, Human Toxicity, non-Cancer Effect: 1-71%, Freshwater Ecotoxicity: 3-58%. Depletion of Abiotic Resources - Fossil: 1-31% and Depletion of Abiotic Resources - Elements (Reserve base): 74-99%. The single most important contribution by capital goods was made by the high use of steel. Environmental impacts from capital goods are more significant for treatment facilities than for the collection and transportation of waste and for the landfilling of waste. It is concluded that the environmental impacts of capital goods should always be included in the LCA modelling of waste management, unless the only impact category considered is Global Warming.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Line K Brogaard
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Building 115, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Thomas H Christensen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Building 115, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Greco SL, Belova A, Huang J. Benefits of Decreased Mortality Risk from Reductions in Primary Mobile Source Fine Particulate Matter: A Limited Data Approach for Urban Areas Worldwide. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2016; 36:1783-802. [PMID: 27241069 DOI: 10.1111/risa.12612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
We developed an approach to estimate the public health benefits resulting from transportation projects or environmental actions that reduce mobile source fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) in select urban areas worldwide when input data are limited or when a rapid order-of-magnitude assessment is needed. For a given reduction in direct PM2.5 emissions, we can use this approach to quantify (1) the subsequent reduction in ambient primary PM2.5 concentration in the urban area; (2) the public health benefits associated with mortality risk reductions, measured in terms of avoided premature deaths; and (3) the economic value of the reduced mortality risk. To illustrate our approach, we estimated the impact of a 100-metric-ton reduction in primary PM2.5 mobile source emissions in the year 2010 for 42 large, global cities. Our estimates of public health benefits and their economic value varied by city, as did the sensitivity to key assumptions and inputs. The estimated number of premature deaths avoided per 100-metric-ton reduction in PM2.5 emissions ranged from 12 to 202. City-level variability in these estimates was driven by the magnitude of the reduction in ambient PM2.5 concentration, the size of the urban population, and the baseline PM2.5 concentration. The economic value of mortality risk reductions per 100-metric-ton reduction in PM2.5 emissions ranged from $2 million to $328 million in 2010 U.S. dollars. Income per capita was the most important driver of the variability in the economic values across countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jin Huang
- Abt Associates Inc, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Weiss D, Skrybeck D, Misslitz H, Nardini D, Kern A, Kreger K, Schmidt HW. Tailoring Supramolecular Nanofibers for Air Filtration Applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:14885-14892. [PMID: 27183242 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b04720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The demand of new materials and processes for nanofiber fabrication to enhance the performance of air filters is steadily increasing. Typical approaches to obtain nanofibers are based on top-down processes such as melt blowing, centrifugal spinning, and electrospinning of polymer materials. However, fabrication of polymer nanofibers is limited with respect to either a sufficiently high throughput or the smallest achievable fiber diameter. This study reports comprehensively on a fast and simple bottom-up process to prepare supramolecular nanofibers in situ inside viscose/polyester microfiber nonwovens. Here, selected small molecules of the materials class of 1,3,5-benzenetrisamides are employed. The microfiber-nanofiber composites exhibit a homogeneous nanofiber distribution and morphology throughout the entire nonwoven scaffold. Small changes in molecular structure and processing solvent have a strong influence on the final nanofiber diameter and diameter distribution and, consequently, on the filtration performance. Choosing proper processing conditions, microfiber-nanofiber composites with surprisingly high filtration efficiencies of particulate matter are obtained. In addition, the microfiber-nanofiber composite integrity at elevated temperatures was determined and revealed that the morphology of supramolecular nanofibers is maintained compared to that of the utilized polymer nonwoven.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Weiss
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Dominik Skrybeck
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Holger Misslitz
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - David Nardini
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Alexander Kern
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Klaus Kreger
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Hans-Werner Schmidt
- Macromolecular Chemistry I, ‡Bayreuth Institute of Macromolecular Research, and §Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces, University of Bayreuth , 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Heo J, Adams PJ, Gao HO. Public Health Costs of Primary PM2.5 and Inorganic PM2.5 Precursor Emissions in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:6061-70. [PMID: 27153150 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Current methods of estimating the public health effects of emissions are computationally too expensive or do not fully address complex atmospheric processes, frequently limiting their applications to policy research. Using a reduced-form model derived from tagged chemical transport model (CTM) simulations, we present PM2.5 mortality costs per tonne of inorganic air pollutants with the 36 km × 36 km spatial resolution of source location in the United States, providing the most comprehensive set of such estimates comparable to CTM-based estimates. Our estimates vary by 2 orders of magnitude. Emission-weighted seasonal averages were estimated at $88,000-130,000/t PM2.5 (inert primary), $14,000-24,000/t SO2, $3,800-14,000/t NOx, and $23,000-66,000/t NH3. The aggregate social costs for year 2005 emissions were estimated at $1.0 trillion dollars. Compared to other studies, our estimates have similar magnitudes and spatial distributions for primary PM2.5 but substantially different spatial patterns for precursor species where secondary chemistry is important. For example, differences of more than a factor of 10 were found in many areas of Texas, New Mexico, and New England states for NOx and of California, Texas, and Maine for NH3. Our method allows for updates as emissions inventories and CTMs improve, enhancing the potential to link policy research to up-to-date atmospheric science.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - H Oliver Gao
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kwan SC, Tainio M, Woodcock J, Hashim JH. Health co-benefits in mortality avoidance from implementation of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2016; 31:179-183. [PMID: 26812761 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2015-0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The mass rapid transit (MRT) is the largest transport infrastructure project under the national key economic area (NKEA) in Malaysia. As urban rail is anticipated to be the future spine of public transport network in the Greater Kuala Lumpur city, it is important to mainstream climate change mitigation and public health benefits in the local transport development. This study quantifies the health co-benefits in terms of mortality among the urbanites when the first line of the 150 km MRT system in Kuala Lumpur commences by 2017. METHOD Using comparative health risk assessment, we estimated the potential health co-benefits from the establishment of the MRT system. We estimated the reduced CO2 emissions and air pollution (PM2.5) exposure reduction among the general population from the reduced use of motorized vehicles. Mortality avoided from traffic incidents involving motorcycles and passenger cars, and from increased physical activity from walking while using the MRT system was also estimated. RESULTS A total of 363,130 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be reduced annually from the modal shift from cars and motorcycles to the MRT system. Atmospheric PM2.5 concentration could be reduced 0.61 μg/m3 annually (2%). This could avoid a total of 12 deaths, mostly from cardio-respiratory diseases among the city residents. For traffic injuries, 37 deaths could be avoided annually from motorcycle and passenger cars accidents especially among the younger age categories (aged 15-30). One additional death was attributed to pedestrian walking. The additional daily physical activity to access the MRT system could avoid 21 deaths among its riders. Most of the mortality avoided comes from cardiovascular diseases. Overall, a total of 70 deaths could be avoided annually among both the general population and the MRT users in the city. CONCLUSION The implementation of the MRT system in Greater Kuala Lumpur could bring substantial health co-benefits to both the general population and the MRT users mainly from the avoidance of mortality from traffic injuries.
Collapse
|
36
|
Ji S, Cherry CR, Zhou W, Sawhney R, Wu Y, Cai S, Wang S, Marshall JD. Environmental Justice Aspects of Exposure to PM2.5 Emissions from Electric Vehicle Use in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2015; 49:13912-20. [PMID: 26509330 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) in China aim to improve sustainability and reduce environmental health impacts of transport emissions. Urban use of EVs rather than conventional vehicles shifts transportation's air pollutant emissions from urban areas (tailpipes) to predominantly rural areas (power plants), changing the geographic distribution of health impacts. We model PM2.5-related health impacts attributable to urban EV use for 34 major cities. Our investigation focuses on environmental justice (EJ) by comparing pollutant inhalation versus income among impacted counties. We find that EVs could increase EJ challenge in China: most (~77%, range: 41-96%) emission inhalation attributable to urban EVs use is distributed to predominately rural communities whose incomes are on average lower than the cities where EVs are used. Results vary dramatically across cities depending on urban income and geography. Discriminant analysis reveals that counties with low income and high inhalation of urban EV emissions have comparatively higher agricultural employment rates, higher mortality rates, more children in the population, and lower education levels. We find that low-emission electricity sources such as renewable energy can help mitigate EJ issues raised here. Findings here are not unique to EVs, but instead are relevant for nearly all electricity-consuming technologies in urban areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuguang Ji
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Christopher R Cherry
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Wenjun Zhou
- Department of Business Analytics and Statistics, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Rapinder Sawhney
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Tennessee , Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Ye Wu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing, 100084, P.R. China
| | - Siyi Cai
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing, 100084, P.R. China
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing, 100084, P.R. China
| | - Julian D Marshall
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Tuomisto JT, Niittynen M, Pärjälä E, Asikainen A, Perez L, Trüeb S, Jantunen M, Künzli N, Sabel CE. Building-related health impacts in European and Chinese cities: a scalable assessment method. Environ Health 2015; 14:93. [PMID: 26667475 PMCID: PMC4678713 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-015-0082-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Public health is often affected by societal decisions that are not primarily about health. Climate change mitigation requires intensive actions to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Many of these actions take place in cities due to their traffic, buildings, and energy consumption. Active climate mitigation policies will also, aside of their long term global impacts, have short term local impacts, both positive and negative, on public health. Our main objective was to develop a generic open impact model to estimate health impacts of emissions due to heat and power consumption of buildings. In addition, the model should be usable for policy comparisons by non-health experts on city level with city-specific data, it should give guidance on the particular climate mitigation questions but at the same time increase understanding on the related health impacts and the model should follow the building stock in time, make comparisons between scenarios, propagate uncertainties, and scale to different levels of detail. We tested The functionalities of the model in two case cities, namely Kuopio and Basel. We estimated the health and climate impacts of two actual policies planned or implemented in the cities. The assessed policies were replacement of peat with wood chips in co-generation of district heat and power, and improved energy efficiency of buildings achieved by renovations. RESULTS Health impacts were not large in the two cities, but also clear differences in implementation and predictability between the two tested policies were seen. Renovation policies can improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly, but this requires systematic policy sustained for decades. In contrast, fuel changes in large district heating facilities may have rapid and large impacts on emissions. However, the life cycle impacts of different fuels is somewhat an open question. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we were able to develop a practical model for city-level assessments promoting evidence-based policy in general and health aspects in particular. Although all data and code is freely available, implementation of the current model version in a new city requires some modelling skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jouni T Tuomisto
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Marjo Niittynen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Erkki Pärjälä
- Environmental protection services, P.O. Box 228, 70101, City of Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Arja Asikainen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland.
- Environmental protection services, P.O. Box 228, 70101, City of Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Laura Perez
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Stephan Trüeb
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Air Hygiene of Basel City and Basel County, Rheinstrasse 44, 4410, Liestal, Switzerland.
| | - Matti Jantunen
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O.Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Nino Künzli
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Clive E Sabel
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Notter DA. Life cycle impact assessment modeling for particulate matter: A new approach based on physico-chemical particle properties. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2015; 82:10-20. [PMID: 26001495 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Revised: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) causes severe damage to human health globally. Airborne PM is a mixture of solid and liquid droplets suspended in air. It consists of organic and inorganic components, and the particles of concern range in size from a few nanometers to approximately 10μm. The complexity of PM is considered to be the reason for the poor understanding of PM and may also be the reason why PM in environmental impact assessment is poorly defined. Currently, life cycle impact assessment is unable to differentiate highly toxic soot particles from relatively harmless sea salt. The aim of this article is to present a new impact assessment for PM where the impact of PM is modeled based on particle physico-chemical properties. With the new method, 2781 characterization factors that account for particle mass, particle number concentration, particle size, chemical composition and solubility were calculated. Because particle sizes vary over four orders of magnitudes, a sound assessment of PM requires that the exposure model includes deposition of particles in the lungs and that the fate model includes coagulation as a removal mechanism for ultrafine particles. The effects model combines effects from particle size, solubility and chemical composition. The first results from case studies suggest that PM that stems from emissions generally assumed to be highly toxic (e.g. biomass combustion and fossil fuel combustion) might lead to results that are similar compared with an assessment of PM using established methods. However, if harmless PM emissions are emitted, established methods enormously overestimate the damage. The new impact assessment allows a high resolution of the damage allocatable to different size fractions or chemical components. This feature supports a more efficient optimization of processes and products when combating air pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominic A Notter
- Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology & Society Lab, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Gronlund CJ, Humbert S, Shaked S, O'Neill MS, Jolliet O. Characterizing the burden of disease of particulate matter for life cycle impact assessment. AIR QUALITY, ATMOSPHERE, & HEALTH 2015; 8:29-46. [PMID: 25972992 PMCID: PMC4426268 DOI: 10.1007/s11869-014-0283-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is a major environmental contributor to human burden of disease and therefore an important component of life cycle impact assessments. An accurate PM2.5 characterization factor, i.e., the impact per kg of PM2.5 emitted, is critical to estimating "cradle-to-grave" human health impacts of products and processes. We developed and assessed new characterization factors (disability-adjusted life years (DALY)/kgPM2.5 emitted), or the products of dose-response factors (deaths/kgPM2.5 inhaled), severity factors (DALY/death) and intake fractions (kgPM2.5 inhaled/kgPM2.5 emitted). In contrast to previous health burden estimates, we calculated age-specific concentration- and dose-response factors using baseline data, from 63 U.S. metropolitan areas, consistent with the U.S. study population used to derive the relative risk. We also calculated severity factors using 2010 Global Burden of Disease data. Multiplying the revised PM2.5 dose-responses, severity factors and intake fractions yielded new PM2.5 characterization factors that are higher than previous factors for primary PM2.5 but lower for secondary PM2.5 due to NOx. Multiplying the concentration-response and severity factors by 2005 ambient PM2.5 concentrations yielded an annual U.S. burden of 2,000,000 DALY, slightly lower than previous U.S. estimates. The annual U.S. health burden estimated from PM emissions and characterization factors was 2.2 times higher.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shanna Shaked
- University of California, Los Angeles, Physics and Astronomy, Los Angeles, California
| | - Marie S O'Neill
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
|
41
|
Taptich MN, Horvath A. Bias of averages in life-cycle footprinting of infrastructure: truck and bus case studies. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:13045-13052. [PMID: 25321067 DOI: 10.1021/es503356c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The life-cycle output (e.g., level of service) of infrastructure systems heavily influences their normalized environmental footprint. Many studies and tools calculate emission factors based on average productivity; however, the performance of these systems varies over time and space. We evaluate the appropriate use of emission factors based on average levels of service by comparing them to those reflecting a distribution of system outputs. For the provision of truck and bus services where fuel economy is assumed constant over levels of service, emission factor estimation biases, described by Jensen's inequality, always result in larger-than-expected environmental impacts (3%-400%) and depend strongly on the variability and skew of truck payloads and bus ridership. Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emission factors for diesel trucks in California range from 87 to 1,500 g of CO2 equivalents per ton-km, depending on the size and type of trucks and the services performed. Along a bus route in San Francisco, well-to-wheel emission factors ranged between 53 and 940 g of CO2 equivalents per passenger-km. The use of biased emission factors can have profound effects on various policy decisions. If average emission rates must be used, reflecting a distribution of productivity can reduce emission factor biases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N Taptich
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California , 215 McLaughlin Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-1712, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Tainio M, Holnicki P, Loh MM, Nahorski Z. Intake fraction variability between air pollution emission sources inside an urban area. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2014; 34:2021-2034. [PMID: 24913007 DOI: 10.1111/risa.12221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The cost-effective mitigation of adverse health effects caused by air pollution requires information on the contribution of different emission sources to exposure. In urban areas the exposure potential of different sources may vary significantly depending on emission height, population density, and other factors. In this study, we quantified this intraurban variability by predicting intake fraction (iF) for 3,066 emission sources in Warsaw, Poland. iF describes the fraction of the pollutant that is inhaled by people in the study area. We considered the following seven pollutants: particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), benzo[a] pyrene (BaP), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Emissions for these pollutants were grouped into four emission source categories (Mobile, Area, High Point, and Other Point sources). The dispersion of the pollutants was predicted with the CALPUFF dispersion model using the year 2005 emission rate data and meteorological records. The resulting annual average concentrations were combined with population data to predict the contribution of each individual source to population exposure. The iFs for different pollutant-source category combinations varied between 51 per million (PM from Mobile sources) and 0.013 per million (sulfate PM from High Point sources). The intraurban iF variability for Mobile sources primary PM emission was from 4 per million to 100 per million with the emission-weighted iF of 44 per million. These results propose that exposure due to intraurban air pollution emissions could be decreased more effectively by specifically targeting sources with high exposure potency rather than all sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marko Tainio
- Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Newelska 6, 01-447, Warsaw, Poland; National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), P.O. Box 95, FI-70701, Kuopio, Finland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Kounina A, Margni M, Shaked S, Bulle C, Jolliet O. Spatial analysis of toxic emissions in LCA: a sub-continental nested USEtox model with freshwater archetypes. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2014; 69:67-89. [PMID: 24815341 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
This paper develops continent-specific factors for the USEtox model and analyses the accuracy of different model architectures, spatial scales and archetypes in evaluating toxic impacts, with a focus on freshwater pathways. Inter-continental variation is analysed by comparing chemical fate and intake fractions between sub-continental zones of two life cycle impact assessment models: (1) the nested USEtox model parameterized with sub-continental zones and (2) the spatially differentiated IMPACTWorld model with 17 interconnected sub-continental regions. Substance residence time in water varies by up to two orders of magnitude among the 17 zones assessed with IMPACTWorld and USEtox, and intake fraction varies by up to three orders of magnitude. Despite this variation, the nested USEtox model succeeds in mimicking the results of the spatially differentiated model, with the exception of very persistent volatile pollutants that can be transported to polar regions. Intra-continental variation is analysed by comparing fate and intake fractions modelled with the a-spatial (one box) IMPACT Europe continental model vs. the spatially differentiated version of the same model. Results show that the one box model might overestimate chemical fate and characterisation factors for freshwater eco-toxicity of persistent pollutants by up to three orders of magnitude for point source emissions. Subdividing Europe into three archetypes, based on freshwater residence time (how long it takes water to reach the sea), improves the prediction of fate and intake fractions for point source emissions, bringing them within a factor five compared to the spatial model. We demonstrated that a sub-continental nested model such as USEtox, with continent-specific parameterization complemented with freshwater archetypes, can thus represent inter- and intra-continental spatial variations, whilst minimizing model complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kounina
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; Quantis, Parc scientifique EPFL, Bâtiment D, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Manuele Margni
- Quantis, Parc scientifique EPFL, Bâtiment D, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; CIRAIG, Polytechnique of Montréal, Chemin Polytechnique Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Shanna Shaked
- University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Cécile Bulle
- CIRAIG, Polytechnique of Montréal, Chemin Polytechnique Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Olivier Jolliet
- Quantis, Parc scientifique EPFL, Bâtiment D, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Yoshida H, Clavreul J, Scheutz C, Christensen TH. Influence of data collection schemes on the Life Cycle Assessment of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. WATER RESEARCH 2014; 56:292-303. [PMID: 24699421 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Revised: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was conducted to illustrate the effect of an emission inventory data collection scheme on the outcomes of an environmental impact assessment. Due to their burden in respect to data collection, LCAs often rely heavily on existing emission and operational data, which are gathered under either compulsory monitoring or reporting requirements under law. In this study, an LCA was conducted using three input data sources: Information compiled under compulsory disclosure requirements (the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry), compliance with national discharge limits, and a state-of-the-art emission data collection scheme conducted at the same WWTP. Parameter uncertainty for each collection scheme was assessed through Monte Carlo simulation. The comparison of the results confirmed that LCA results depend heavily on input data coverage. Due to the threshold on reporting value, the E-PRTR did not capture the impact for particulate matter emission, terrestrial acidification, or terrestrial eutrophication. While the current practice can capture more than 90% of non-carcinogenic human toxicity and marine eutrophication, an LCA based on the data collection scheme underestimates impact potential due to limitations of substance coverage. Besides differences between data collection schemes, the results showed that 3-13,500% of the impacts came from background systems, such as from the provisioning of fuel, electricity, and chemicals, which do not need to be disclosed currently under E-PRTR. The incidental release of pollutants was also assessed by employing a scenario-based approach, the results of which demonstrated that these non-routine emissions could increase overall WWTP greenhouse gas emissions by between 113 and 210%. Overall, current data collection schemes have the potential to provide standardized data collection and form the basis for a sound environmental impact assessment, but several improvements are recommended, including the additional collection of energy and chemical usage data, the elimination of a reporting threshold, the expansion of substance coverage, and the inclusion of non-point fugitive gas emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroko Yoshida
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Julie Clavreul
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Scheutz
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Thomas H Christensen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Sparrevik M, Lindhjem H, Andria V, Fet AM, Cornelissen G. Environmental and socioeconomic impacts of utilizing waste for biochar in rural areas in Indonesia--a systems perspective. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:4664-4671. [PMID: 24678863 DOI: 10.1021/es405190q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Biochar is the product of incomplete combustion (pyrolysis) of organic material. In rural areas, it can be used as a soil amendment to increase soil fertility. Fuel-constrained villagers may however prefer to use biochar briquettes as a higher-value fuel for cooking over applying it to soils. A systems-oriented analysis using life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost benefit analysis (CBA) was conducted to analyze these two alternative uses of biochar, applying the study to a rural village system in Indonesia. The results showed soil amendment for enhanced agricultural production to be the preferential choice with a positive benefit to the baseline scenario of -26 ecopoints (LCA) and -173 USD (CBA) annually pr. household. In this case, the positive effects of carbon sequestration to the soil and the economic value of the increased agricultural production outweighed the negative environmental impacts from biochar production and the related production costs. Use of biochar in briquettes for cooking fuel yielded negative net effects in both the LCA and CBA (85 ecopoints and 176 USD), even when positive health effects from reduced indoor air pollution were included. The main reasons for this are that emissions during biochar production are not compensated by carbon sequestration and that briquette making is labor-intensive. The results emphasize the importance of investigating and documenting the carbon storage effect and the agricultural benefit in biochar production-utilization systems for a sustainable use. Further research focus on efficient production is necessary due to the large environmental impact of biochar production. In addition, biochar should continue to be used in those soils where the agricultural effect is most beneficial.
Collapse
|
46
|
Zhou Y, Hammitt J, Fu JS, Gao Y, Liu Y, Levy JI. Major factors influencing the health impacts from controlling air pollutants with nonlinear chemistry: an application to China. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2014; 34:683-97. [PMID: 23998205 DOI: 10.1111/risa.12106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the human-health effects of reducing atmospheric emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants, motor vehicles, and other sources is complex because of nonlinearity in the relevant atmospheric processes. We estimate the health impacts of changes in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone concentrations that result from control of NOx emissions alone and in conjunction with other pollutants in and outside the mega-city of Shanghai, China. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System is applied to model the effects on atmospheric concentrations of emissions from different economic sectors and geographic locations. Health impacts are quantified by combining concentration-response functions from the epidemiological literature with pollutant concentration and population distributions. We find that the health benefits per ton of emission reduction are more sensitive to the location (i.e., inside vs. outside of Shanghai) than to the sectors that are controlled. For eastern China, we predict between 1 and 20 fewer premature deaths per year per 1,000 tons of NOx emission reductions, valued at $300-$6,000 per ton. Health benefits are sensitive to seasonal variation in emission controls. Policies to control NOx emissions need to consider emission location, season, and simultaneous control of other pollutants to avoid unintended consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhou
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Finkbeiner M, Ackermann R, Bach V, Berger M, Brankatschk G, Chang YJ, Grinberg M, Lehmann A, Martínez-Blanco J, Minkov N, Neugebauer S, Scheumann R, Schneider L, Wolf K. Challenges in Life Cycle Assessment: An Overview of Current Gaps and Research Needs. LCA COMPENDIUM – THE COMPLETE WORLD OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8697-3_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
|
48
|
Rojas-Rueda D, de Nazelle A, Teixidó O, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. Replacing car trips by increasing bike and public transport in the greater Barcelona metropolitan area: a health impact assessment study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2012; 49:100-9. [PMID: 23000780 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2012.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Estimate the health risks and benefits of mode shifts from car to cycling and public transport in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Spain. METHODS We conducted a health impact assessment (HIA), creating 8 different scenarios on the replacement of short and long car trips, by public transport or/and bike. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality and change in life expectancy related to two different assessments: A) the exposure of travellers to physical activity, air pollution to particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5), and road traffic fatality; and B) the exposure of general population to PM2.5, modelling by Barcelona Air-Dispersion Model. The secondary outcome was a change in emissions of carbon dioxide. RESULTS The annual health impact of a shift of 40% of the car trips, starting and ending in Barcelona City, to cycling (n=141,690) would be for the travellers who shift modes 1.15 additional deaths from air pollution, 0.17 additional deaths from road traffic fatality and 67.46 deaths avoided from physical activity resulting in a total of 66.12 deaths avoided. Fewer deaths would be avoided annually if half of the replaced trips were shifted to public transport (43.76 deaths). The annual health impact in the Barcelona City general population (n=1,630,494) of the 40% reduction in car trips would be 10.03 deaths avoided due to the reduction of 0.64% in exposure to PM2.5. The deaths (including travellers and general population) avoided in Barcelona City therefore would be 76.15 annually. Further health benefits would be obtained with a shift of 40% of the car trips from the Greater Barcelona Metropolitan which either start or end in Barcelona City to public transport (40.15 deaths avoided) or public transport and cycling (98.50 deaths avoided).The carbon dioxide reduction for shifting from car to other modes of transport (bike and public transport) in Barcelona metropolitan area was estimated to be 203,251t/CO₂ emissions per year. CONCLUSIONS Interventions to reduce car use and increase cycling and the use of public transport in metropolitan areas, like Barcelona, can produce health benefits for travellers and for the general population of the city. Also these interventions help to reduce green house gas emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Rojas-Rueda
- Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology-CREAL, C. Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Tessum CW, Marshall JD, Hill JD. A spatially and temporally explicit life cycle inventory of air pollutants from gasoline and ethanol in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2012; 46:11408-17. [PMID: 22906224 DOI: 10.1021/es3010514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The environmental health impacts of transportation depend in part on where and when emissions occur during fuel production and combustion. Here we describe spatially and temporally explicit life cycle inventories (LCI) of air pollutants from gasoline, ethanol derived from corn grain, and ethanol from corn stover. Previous modeling for the U.S. by Argonne National Laboratory (GREET: Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) suggested that life cycle emissions are generally higher for ethanol from corn grain or corn stover than for gasoline. Our results show that for ethanol, emissions are concentrated in the Midwestern "Corn Belt". We find that life cycle emissions from ethanol exhibit different temporal patterns than from gasoline, reflecting seasonal aspects of farming activities. Enhanced chemical speciation beyond current GREET model capabilities is also described. Life cycle fine particulate matter emissions are higher for ethanol from corn grain than for ethanol from corn stover; for black carbon, the reverse holds. Overall, our results add to existing state-of-the-science transportation fuel LCI by providing spatial and temporal disaggregation and enhanced chemical speciation, thereby offering greater understanding of the impacts of transportation fuels on human health and opening the door to advanced air dispersion modeling of fuel life cycles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Tessum
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Salthammer T, Schripp T, Uhde E, Wensing M. Aerosols generated by hardcopy devices and other electrical appliances. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2012; 169:167-74. [PMID: 22365641 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 01/21/2012] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In recent years the pollution of indoor air with ultrafine particles has been an object of intensive research. Several studies have concurred in demonstrating that outdoor air makes only a limited contribution to polluting indoor air with ultrafine particles, provided significant sources in the immediate neighborhood are absent. Nowadays, electrical devices operated in homes and offices are identified as particle emission sources. A comparison of the emission rates can be made by calculating the total number of particles released with respect to the operating time. The identified particles are condensed semi-volatile organic compounds with a low percentage of non-volatile inorganic components. To characterize the indoor exposure to airborne particles, an algorithm has been developed which permits a realistic calculation of the particle intake and deposition in the human respiratory tract from measured size and time resolved particle number concentrations following the model of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tunga Salthammer
- Fraunhofer WKI, Department of Material Analysis and Indoor Chemistry, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|