Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 100 in total

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  1. Arku RE, Brauer M, Ahmed SH, AlHabib KF, Avezum Á, Bo J, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2020 Jul;262:114197.
    PMID: 32146361 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114197
    Exposure to air pollution has been linked to elevated blood pressure (BP) and hypertension, but most research has focused on short-term (hours, days, or months) exposures at relatively low concentrations. We examined the associations between long-term (3-year average) concentrations of outdoor PM2.5 and household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels with BP and hypertension in the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Outdoor PM2.5 exposures were estimated at year of enrollment for 137,809 adults aged 35-70 years from 640 urban and rural communities in 21 countries using satellite and ground-based methods. Primary use of solid fuel for cooking was used as an indicator of HAP exposure, with analyses restricted to rural participants (n = 43,313) in 27 study centers in 10 countries. BP was measured following a standardized procedure and associations with air pollution examined with mixed-effect regression models, after adjustment for a comprehensive set of potential confounding factors. Baseline outdoor PM2.5 exposure ranged from 3 to 97 μg/m3 across study communities and was associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) of 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.07) for hypertension, per 10 μg/m3 increase in concentration. This association demonstrated non-linearity and was strongest for the fourth (PM2.5 > 62 μg/m3) compared to the first (PM2.5 
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  2. Hamsan H, Ho YB, Zaidon SZ, Hashim Z, Saari N, Karami A
    Sci Total Environ, 2017 Dec 15;603-604:381-389.
    PMID: 28633115 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.096
    Tanjung Karang, Selangor, is widely known for its paddy cultivation activity and hosts the third largest paddy field in Malaysia. Pesticides contamination in agriculture fields has become an unavoidable problem, as pesticides are used to increase paddy productivity and reduce plant disease. Human exposure to agrichemicals is common and could results in both acute and chronic health effects, such as acute and chronic neurotoxicity. This study aims to determine the concentrations of commonly used pesticides (azoxystrobin, buprofezin, chlorantraniliprole, difenoconazole, fipronil, imidacloprid, isoprothiolane, pretilachlor, propiconazole, pymetrozine, tebuconazole, tricyclazole, and trifloxystrobin) in personal air samples and their associated health risks among paddy farmers. Eighty-three farmers from Tangjung Karang, Selangor were involved in this study. A solid sorbent tube was attached to the farmer's breathing zone with a clip, and an air pump was fastened to the belt to collect personal air samples. Pesticides collected in the XAD-2 resin were extracted with acetone, centrifuged, concentrated via nitrogen blowdown and reconstituted with 1mL of 3:1 ultrapure water/HPLC-grade methanol solution. The extract was analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The target compounds were detected with a maximum concentration reaching up to 462.5ngm-3 (fipronil). The hazard quotient (HQ) was less than 1 and the hazard index (HI) value was 3.86×10-3, indicating that the risk of pesticides related diseases was not significant. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) for pymetrozine was at an acceptable level (LCR<10-6) with 4.10×10-8. The results reported in this study can be beneficial in terms of risk management within the agricultural community.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  3. Sulong NA, Latif MT, Khan MF, Amil N, Ashfold MJ, Wahab MIA, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2017 Dec 01;601-602:556-570.
    PMID: 28575833 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.153
    This study aims to determine PM2.5concentrations and their composition during haze and non-haze episodes in Kuala Lumpur. In order to investigate the origin of the measured air masses, the Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME) and Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) were applied. Source apportionment of PM2.5was determined using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were estimated using the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) method. PM2.5samples were collected from the centre of the city using a high-volume air sampler (HVS). The results showed that the mean PM2.5concentrations collected during pre-haze, haze and post-haze periods were 24.5±12.0μgm-3, 72.3±38.0μgm-3and 14.3±3.58μgm-3, respectively. The highest concentration of PM2.5during haze episode was five times higher than World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Inorganic compositions of PM2.5, including trace elements and water soluble ions were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC), respectively. The major trace elements identified were K, Al, Ca, Mg and Fe which accounted for approximately 93%, 91% and 92% of the overall metals' portions recorded during pre-haze, haze and post-haze periods, respectively. For water-soluble ions, secondary inorganic aerosols (SO42-, NO3-and NH4+) contributed around 12%, 43% and 16% of the overall PM2.5mass during pre-haze, haze and post-haze periods, respectively. During haze periods, the predominant source identified using PMF was secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) and biomass burning where the NAME simulations indicate the importance of fires in Sumatra, Indonesia. The main source during pre-haze and post-haze were mix SIA and road dust as well as mineral dust, respectively. The highest non-carcinogenic health risk during haze episode was estimated among the infant group (HI=1.06) while the highest carcinogenic health risk was estimated among the adult group (2.27×10-5).
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  4. Cui J, Zhou F, Gao M, Zhang L, Zhang L, Du K, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2018 Oct;241:810-820.
    PMID: 29909307 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.06.028
    Six different approaches are applied in the present study to apportion the sources of precipitation nitrogen making use of precipitation data of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, including NO3- and NH4+), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and δ15N signatures of DIN collected at six sampling sites in the mountain region of Southwest China. These approaches include one quantitative approach running a Bayesian isotope mixing model (SIAR model) and five qualitative approaches based on in-situ survey (ISS), ratio of NH4+/NO3- (RN), principal component analysis (PCA), canonical-correlation analysis (CCA) and stable isotope approach (SIA). Biomass burning, coal combustion and mobile exhausts in the mountain region are identified as major sources for precipitation DIN while biomass burning and volatilization sources such as animal husbandries are major ones for DON. SIAR model results suggest that mobile exhausts, biomass burning and coal combustion contributed 25.1 ± 14.0%, 26.0 ± 14.1% and 27.0 ± 12.6%, respectively, to NO3- on the regional scale. Higher contributions of both biomass burning and coal combustion appeared at rural and urban sites with a significant difference between Houba (rural) and the wetland site (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  5. Pan KL, Pan GT, Chong S, Chang MB
    J Environ Sci (China), 2018 Jul;69:205-216.
    PMID: 29941256 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.10.012
    Double perovskite-type catalysts including La2CoMnO6 and La2CuMnO6 are first evaluated for the effectiveness in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and single perovskites (LaCoO3, LaMnO3, and LaCuO3) are also tested for comparison. All perovskites are tested with the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 30,000hr-1, and the temperature range of 100-600°C for C7H8 removal. Experimental results indicate that double perovskites have better activity if compared with single perovskites. Especially, toluene (C7H8) can be completely oxidized to CO2 at 300°C as La2CoMnO6 is applied. Characterization of catalysts indicates that double perovskites own unique surface properties and are of higher amounts of lattice oxygen, leading to higher activity. Additionally, apparent activation energy of 68kJ/mol is calculated using Mars-van Krevelen model for C7H8 oxidation with La2CoMnO6 as catalyst. For durability test, both La2CoMnO6 and La2CuMnO6 maintain high C7H8 removal efficiencies of 100% and 98%, respectively, at 300°C and 30,000hr-1, and they also show good resistance to CO2 (5%) and H2O(g) (5%) of the gas streams tested. For various VOCs including isopropyl alcohol (C3H8O), ethanal (C2H4O), and ethylene (C2H4) tested, as high as 100% efficiency could be achieved with double perovskite-type catalysts operated at 300-350°C, indicating that double perovskites are promising catalysts for VOCs removal.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  6. Mirzaei M, Bekri M
    Environ Res, 2017 Apr;154:345-351.
    PMID: 28161426 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.01.023
    Climate change and global warming as the key human societies' threats are essentially associated with energy consumption and CO2 emissions. A system dynamic model was developed in this study to model the energy consumption and CO2 emission trends for Iran over 2000-2025. Energy policy factors are considered in analyzing the impact of different energy consumption factors on environmental quality. The simulation results show that the total energy consumption is predicted to reach 2150 by 2025, while that value in 2010 is 1910, which increased by 4.3% yearly. Accordingly, the total CO2 emissions in 2025 will reach 985million tonnes, which shows about 5% increase yearly. Furthermore, we constructed policy scenarios based on energy intensity reduction. The analysis show that CO2 emissions will decrease by 12.14% in 2025 compared to 2010 in the scenario of 5% energy intensity reduction, and 17.8% in the 10% energy intensity reduction scenario. The results obtained in this study provide substantial awareness regarding Irans future energy and CO2 emission outlines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  7. Khan MF, Hamid AH, Bari MA, Tajudin ABA, Latif MT, Nadzir MSM, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2019 Feb 10;650(Pt 1):1195-1206.
    PMID: 30308807 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.072
    Equatorial warming conditions in urban areas can influence the particle number concentrations (PNCs), but studies assessing such factors are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of size-resolved PNCs, their potential deposition rate in the human respiratory system, and probable local and transboundary inputs of PNCs in Kuala Lumpur. Particle size distributions of a 0.34 to 9.02 μm optical-equivalent size range were monitored at a frequency of 60 s between December 2016 and January 2017 using an optical-based compact scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Diurnal and correlation analysis showed that traffic emissions and meteorological confounding factors were potential driving factors for changes in the PNCs (Dp ≤1 μm) at the modeling site. Trajectory modeling showed that a PNC <100/cm3 was influenced mainly by Indo-China region air masses. On the other hand, a PNC >100/cm3 was influenced by air masses originating from the Indian Ocean and Indochina regions. Receptor models extracted five potential sources of PNCs: industrial emissions, transportation, aged traffic emissions, miscellaneous sources, and a source of secondary origin coupled with meteorological factors. A respiratory deposition model for male and female receptors predicted that the deposition flux of PM1 (particle mass ≤1 μm) into the alveolar (AL) region was higher (0.30 and 0.25 μg/h, respectively) than the upper airway (UA) (0.29 and 0.24 μg/h, respectively) and tracheobronchial (TB) regions (0.02 μg/h for each). However, the PM2.5 deposition flux was higher in the UA (2.02 and 1.68 μg/h, respectively) than in the TB (0.18 and 0.15 μg/h, respectively) and the AL regions (1.09 and 0.91 μg/h, respectively); a similar pattern was also observed for PM10.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  8. Vinjamuri KS, Mhawish A, Banerjee T, Sorek-Hamer M, Broday DM, Mall RK, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2020 Feb;257:113377.
    PMID: 31672363 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113377
    Attenuated backscatter profiles retrieved by the space borne active lidar CALIOP on-board CALIPSO satellite were used to measure the vertical distribution of smoke aerosols and to compare it against the ECMWF planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) over the smoke dominated region of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), South Asia. Initially, the relative abundance of smoke aerosols was investigated considering multiple satellite retrieved aerosol optical properties. Only the upper IGP was selectively considered for CALIPSO retrieval based on prevalence of smoke aerosols. Smoke extinction was found to contribute 2-50% of the total aerosol extinction, with strong seasonal and altitudinal attributes. During winter (DJF), smoke aerosols contribute almost 50% of total aerosol extinction only near to the surface while in post-monsoon (ON) and monsoon (JJAS), relative contribution of smoke aerosols to total extinction was highest at about 8 km height. There was strong diurnal variation in smoke extinction, evident throughout the year, with frequent abundance of smoke particles at lower height (<4 km) during daytime compared to higher height during night (>4 km). Smoke injection height also varied considerably during rice (ON: 0.71 ± 0.65 km) and wheat (AM: 2.34 ± 1.34 km) residue burning period having a significant positive correlation with prevailing PBLH. Partitioning smoke AOD against PBLH into the free troposphere (FT) and boundary layer (BL) yield interesting results. BL contribute 36% (16%) of smoke AOD during daytime (nighttime) and the BL-FT distinction increased particularly at night. There was evidence that despite travelling efficiently to FT, major proportion of smoke AOD (50-80%) continue to remain close to the surface (<3 km) thereby, may have greater implications on regional climate, air quality, smoke transport and AOD-particulate modelling.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  9. Abdul Shakor AS, Pahrol MA, Mazeli MI
    J Environ Public Health, 2020;2020:1561823.
    PMID: 32351580 DOI: 10.1155/2020/1561823
    Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10) pollution poses a considerable threat to human health, and the first step in quantifying health impacts of human exposure to PM10 pollution is exposure assessment. Population-weighted exposure level (PWEL) estimation is one of the methods that provide a more refined exposure assessment as it includes the spatiotemporal distribution of the population into the pollution concentration estimation. This study assessed the population weighting effects on the estimated PM10 concentrations in Malaysia for years 2000, 2008, and 2013. Estimated PM10 annual mean concentrations with a spatial resolution of 5 kilometres retrieved from satellite data and population count obtained from the Gridded Population of the World version 4 (GPWv4) from the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) were overlaid to generate the PWEL of PM10 for each state. The calculated PWEL of PM10 concentrations were then classified based on the World Health Organization (WHO) and the national Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) and interim targets (IT) for comparison. Results revealed that the annual mean PM10 concentrations in Malaysia ranged from 31 to 73 µg/m3 but became generally lower, ranging from 20 to 72 µg/m3 after population weighting, suggesting that the PM10 population exposure in Malaysia might have been overestimated. PWEL of PM10 distribution showed that the majority of the population lived in areas that complied with the national AQG, but were vulnerable to exposure level 3 according to the WHO AQG and IT, indicating that the population was nevertheless potentially exposed to significant health effects from long-term exposure to PM10 pollution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  10. Idris SA', Hanafiah MM, Khan MF, Hamid HHA
    Chemosphere, 2020 Sep;255:126932.
    PMID: 32402880 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126932
    The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential sources of heavy metals in fine air particles (PM2.5) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and isomeric xylenes (BTEX) in gas phase indoor air. PM2.5 samples were collected using a low volume sampler. BTEX samples were collected using passive sampling onto sorbent tubes and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For the lower and upper floors of the evaluated building, the concentrations of PM2.5 were 96.4 ± 2.70 μg/m3 and 80.2 ± 3.11 μg/m3, respectively. The compositions of heavy metals in PM2.5 were predominated by iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and aluminum (Al) with concentration of 500 ± 50.07 ng/m3, 466 ± 77.38 ng/m3, and 422 ± 147.38 ng/m3. A principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the main sources of BTEX were originated from vehicle emissions and exacerbate because of temperature variations. Hazard quotient results for BTEX showed that the compounds were below acceptable limits and thus did not possess potential carcinogenic risks. However, a measured output of lifetime cancer probability revealed that benzene and ethylbenzene posed definite carcinogenic risks. Pollutants that originated from heavy traffic next to the sampling site contributed to the indoor pollution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  11. Othman M, Latif MT, Mohamed AF
    Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2018 Feb;148:293-302.
    PMID: 29080527 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.10.034
    This study intends to determine the health impacts from two office life cycles (St.1 and St.2) using life cycle assessment (LCA) and health risk assessment of indoor metals in coarse particulates (particulate matter with diameters of less than 10µm). The first building (St.1) is located in the city centre and the second building (St.2) is located within a new development 7km away from the city centre. All life cycle stages are considered and was analysed using SimaPro software. The trace metal concentrations were determined by inductively couple plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Particle deposition in the human lung was estimated using the multiple-path particle dosimetry model (MPPD). The results showed that the total human health impact for St.1 (0.027 DALY m-2) was higher than St.2 (0.005 DALY m-2) for a 50-year lifespan, with the highest contribution from the operational phase. The potential health risk to indoor workers was quantified as a hazard quotient (HQ) for non-carcinogenic elements, where the total values for ingestion contact were 4.38E-08 (St.1) and 2.59E-08 (St.2) while for dermal contact the values were 5.12E-09 (St.1) and 2.58E-09 (St.2). For the carcinogenic risk, the values for dermal and ingestion routes for both St.1 and St.2 were lower than the acceptable limit which indicated no carcinogenic risk. Particle deposition for coarse particles in indoor workers was concentrated in the head, followed by the pulmonary region and tracheobronchial tract deposition. The results from this study showed that human health can be significantly affected by all the processes in office building life cycle, thus the minimisation of energy consumption and pollutant exposures are crucially required.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  12. Ng KY, Awang N
    Environ Monit Assess, 2018 Jan 06;190(2):63.
    PMID: 29306973 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-017-6419-z
    Frequent haze occurrences in Malaysia have made the management of PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic less than 10 μm) pollution a critical task. This requires knowledge on factors associating with PM10 variation and good forecast of PM10 concentrations. Hence, this paper demonstrates the prediction of 1-day-ahead daily average PM10 concentrations based on predictor variables including meteorological parameters and gaseous pollutants. Three different models were built. They were multiple linear regression (MLR) model with lagged predictor variables (MLR1), MLR model with lagged predictor variables and PM10 concentrations (MLR2) and regression with time series error (RTSE) model. The findings revealed that humidity, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, carbon monoxide and ozone were the main factors explaining the PM10 variation in Peninsular Malaysia. Comparison among the three models showed that MLR2 model was on a same level with RTSE model in terms of forecasting accuracy, while MLR1 model was the worst.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  13. Andersen ZJ, Stafoggia M, Weinmayr G, Pedersen M, Galassi C, Jørgensen JT, et al.
    Environ Health Perspect, 2017 10 13;125(10):107005.
    PMID: 29033383 DOI: 10.1289/EHP1742
    BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence on the association between ambient air pollution and breast cancer risk is inconsistent.

    OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer in European women.

    METHODS: In 15 cohorts from nine European countries, individual estimates of air pollution levels at the residence were estimated by standardized land-use regression models developed within the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) and Transport related Air Pollution and Health impacts – Integrated Methodologies for Assessing Particulate Matter (TRANSPHORM) projects: particulate matter (PM) ≤2.5μm, ≤10μm, and 2.5–10μm in diameter (PM2.5, PM10, and PMcoarse, respectively); PM2.5 absorbance; nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx); traffic intensity; and elemental composition of PM. We estimated cohort-specific associations between breast cancer and air pollutants using Cox regression models, adjusting for major lifestyle risk factors, and pooled cohort-specific estimates using random-effects meta-analyses.

    RESULTS: Of 74,750 postmenopausal women included in the study, 3,612 developed breast cancer during 991,353 person-years of follow-up. We found positive and statistically insignificant associations between breast cancer and PM2.5 {hazard ratio (HR)=1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77, 1.51] per 5 μg/m3}, PM10 [1.07 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.30) per 10 μg/m3], PMcoarse[1.20 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.49 per 5 μg/m3], and NO2 [1.02 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.07 per 10 μg/m3], and a statistically significant association with NOx [1.04 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.08) per 20 μg/m3, p=0.04].

    CONCLUSIONS: We found suggestive evidence of an association between ambient air pollution and incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer in European women. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1742.

    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  14. Shaharom S, Latif MT, Khan MF, Yusof SNM, Sulong NA, Wahid NBA, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Sep;25(27):27074-27089.
    PMID: 30019134 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2745-0
    This study aims to determine the concentrations of surfactants in the surface microlayer (SML), subsurface water (SSW) and fine mode aerosol (diameter size
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  15. Sugeng DA, Yahya WJ, Ithnin AM, Abdul Rashid MA, Mohd Syahril Amri NS, Abd Kadir H, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Sep;25(27):27214-27224.
    PMID: 30030755 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2760-1
    The focus of this work is to investigate the emission characteristics of a stationary diesel engine while utilizing an emulsion fuel from a novel preparation process. The emulsion preparation was performed in real time without using any surfactant. Instead of mechanically breaking the water down into droplets, the water is delivered thermally, by changing its phase from gas to liquid. Steam is used in this proposed process, where it will be converted into suspended water droplets once it meets colder diesel. The product is called steam-generated water-in-diesel emulsion fuel (S/D). The method is expected to reduce the moving components of a previous surfactant-less system; therefore, reducing costs and increasing the system reliability. The emission characteristics of S/D were compared with EURO 2 diesel (D2), and a conventional emulsion denoted as E10. E10 was prepared using 10% water (volumetric) and SPAN80 as a surfactant. The emission characterizations were carried out based on the exhaust gas of a single cylinder naturally aspirated CI engine fueled with D2, S/D, and E10. Compared to D2, both emulsions significantly reduced the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) (E10 max ↓58.0%, S/D max ↓40.0%) and particulate matter (PM) (E10 max ↓20.0%, S/D max ↓57.0%).
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  16. Solarin SA, Al-Mulali U, Ozturk I
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Nov;25(31):30949-30961.
    PMID: 30182312 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3060-5
    We investigate the role of military expenditure on emission in USA during the period 1960-2015. To achieve the objectives of this study, two measures of military expenditure are utilised, while several timeseries models are constructed with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population, energy consumption per capita, non-renewable energy consumption per capita, renewable energy consumption per capita, urbanisation, trade openness and financial development serving as additional determinants of air pollution. We also use ecological indicator as an alternative measure of pollution. Moreover, different timeseries methods are utilised including a likelihood-based approach with two structural breaks. The output of this research concluded that all the variables are cointegrated. It is found that military expenditure has mixed impact on CO2 emissions. Real GDP per capita, energy consumption per capita, non-renewable energy consumption per capita, population and urbanisation increase CO2 emissions per capita in the long-run, while renewable energy consumption, financial development and trade openness reduce it. There is also evidence for the mixed role of military expenditure, when ecological footprint is utilised as the environmental degradation index. From the output of this research, few policy recommendations are offered for the examined country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
  17. Monirul IM, Masjuki HH, Kalam MA, Zulkifli NWM, Shancita I
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Aug;24(22):18479-18493.
    PMID: 28646309 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-9333-6
    The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the polymethyl acrylate (PMA) additive on the formation of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emission from a diesel coconut and/or Calophyllum inophyllum biodiesel-fueled engine. The physicochemical properties of 20% of coconut and/or C. inophyllum biodiesel-diesel blend (B20), 0.03 wt% of PMA with B20 (B20P), and diesel fuel were measured and compared to ASTM D6751, D7467, and EN 14214 standard. The test results showed that the addition of PMA additive with B20 significantly improves the cold-flow properties such as pour point (PP), cloud point (CP), and cold filter plugging point (CFPP). The addition of PMA additives reduced the engine's brake-specific energy consumption of all tested fuels. Engine emission results showed that the additive-added fuel reduce PM concentration than B20 and diesel, whereas the PM size and NOX emission both increased than B20 fuel and baseline diesel fuel. Also, the effect of adding PMA into B20 reduced Carbon (C), Aluminum (Al), Potassium (K), and volatile materials in the soot, whereas it increased Oxygen (O), Fluorine (F), Zinc (Zn), Barium (Ba), Chlorine (Cl), Sodium (Na), and fixed carbon. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results for B20P showed the lower agglomeration than B20 and diesel fuel. Therefore, B20P fuel can be used as an alternative to diesel fuel in diesel engines to lower the harmful emissions without compromising the fuel quality.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  18. Nadzir MSM, Ashfold MJ, Khan MF, Robinson AD, Bolas C, Latif MT, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jan;25(3):2194-2210.
    PMID: 29116536 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0521-1
    The Antarctic continent is known to be an unpopulated region due to its extreme weather and climate conditions. However, the air quality over this continent can be affected by long-lived anthropogenic pollutants from the mainland. The Argentinian region of Ushuaia is often the main source area of accumulated hazardous gases over the Antarctic Peninsula. The main objective of this study is to report the first in situ observations yet known of surface ozone (O3) over Ushuaia, the Drake Passage, and Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) on board the RV Australis during the Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise 2016 (MASEC'16). Hourly O3 data was measured continuously for 23 days using an EcoTech O3 analyzer. To understand more about the distribution of surface O3 over the Antarctic, we present the spatial and temporal of surface O3 of long-term data (2009-2015) obtained online from the World Meteorology Organization of World Data Centre for greenhouse gases (WMO WDCGG). Furthermore, surface O3 satellite data from the free online NOAA-Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) database and online data assimilation from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)-Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) were used. The data from both online products are compared to document the data sets and to give an indication of its quality towards in situ data. Finally, we used past carbon monoxide (CO) data as a proxy of surface O3 formation over Ushuaia and the Antarctic region. Our key findings were that the surface O3 mixing ratio during MASEC'16 increased from a minimum of 5 ppb to ~ 10-13 ppb approaching the Drake Passage and the Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) region. The anthropogenic and biogenic O3 precursors from Ushuaia and the marine region influenced the mixing ratio of surface O3 over the Drake Passage and CAP region. The past data from WDCGG showed that the annual O3 cycle has a maximum during the winter of 30 to 35 ppb between June and August and a minimum during the summer (January to February) of 10 to 20 ppb. The surface O3 mixing ratio during the summer was controlled by photochemical processes in the presence of sunlight, leading to the depletion process. During the winter, the photochemical production of surface O3 was more dominant. The NOAA-AIRS and ECMWF-MACC analysis agreed well with the MASEC'16 data but twice were higher during the expedition period. Finally, the CO past data showed the surface O3 mixing ratio was influenced by the CO mixing ratio over both the Ushuaia and Antarctic regions. Peak surface O3 and CO hourly mixing ratios reached up to ~ 38 ppb (O3) and ~ 500 ppb (CO) over Ushuaia. High CO over Ushuaia led to the depletion process of surface O3 over the region. Monthly CO mixing ratio over Antarctic (South Pole) were low, leading to the production of surface O3 over the Antarctic region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  19. Nazif A, Mohammed NI, Malakahmad A, Abualqumboz MS
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jan;25(1):283-289.
    PMID: 29032528 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0407-2
    The devastating health effects of particulate matter (PM10) exposure by susceptible populace has made it necessary to evaluate PM10 pollution. Meteorological parameters and seasonal variation increases PM10 concentration levels, especially in areas that have multiple anthropogenic activities. Hence, stepwise regression (SR), multiple linear regression (MLR) and principal component regression (PCR) analyses were used to analyse daily average PM10 concentration levels. The analyses were carried out using daily average PM10 concentration, temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction data from 2006 to 2010. The data was from an industrial air quality monitoring station in Malaysia. The SR analysis established that meteorological parameters had less influence on PM10 concentration levels having coefficient of determination (R 2) result from 23 to 29% based on seasoned and unseasoned analysis. While, the result of the prediction analysis showed that PCR models had a better R 2 result than MLR methods. The results for the analyses based on both seasoned and unseasoned data established that MLR models had R 2 result from 0.50 to 0.60. While, PCR models had R 2 result from 0.66 to 0.89. In addition, the validation analysis using 2016 data also recognised that the PCR model outperformed the MLR model, with the PCR model for the seasoned analysis having the best result. These analyses will aid in achieving sustainable air quality management strategies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis*
  20. Azam M, Khan AQ, Bin Abdullah H, Qureshi ME
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2016 Apr;23(7):6376-89.
    PMID: 26620862 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5817-4
    The main purpose of this work is to analyze the impact of environmental degradation proxied by CO2 emissions per capita along with some other explanatory variables namely energy use, trade, and human capital on economic growth in selected higher CO2 emissions economies namely China, the USA, India, and Japan. For empirical analysis, annual data over the period spanning between 1971 and 2013 are used. After using relevant and suitable tests for checking data properties, the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method is employed as an analytical technique for parameter estimation. The panel group FMOLS results reveal that almost all variables are statistically significant, whereby test rejects the null hypotheses of non cointegration, demonstrating that all variables play an important role in affecting the economic growth role across countries. Where two regressors namely CO2 emissions and energy use show significantly negative impacts on economic growth, for trade and human capital, they tend to show the significantly positive impact on economic growth. However, for the individual analysis across countries, the panel estimate suggests that CO2 emissions have a significant positive relationship with economic growth for China, Japan, and the USA, while it is found significantly negative in case of India. The empirical findings of the study suggest that appropriate and prudent policies are required in order to control pollution emerging from areas other than liquefied fuel consumption. The ultimate impact of shrinking pollution will help in supporting sustainable economic growth and maturation as well as largely improve society welfare.
    Matched MeSH terms: Air Pollutants/analysis
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