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PubMedDate not supplied

[A case study of the contents of radionuclides and of main chemical pollutants in the atmospheric air of Moscow].

The article contains data on monitoring the atmospheric air pollution in Moscow. Thus, the below figures are presented: beta ranges from 2.6 E-0.5 to 5.7 E-0.04 Bk/m3, airborne pollutants amount to 3-80 mkg/m3, sulfates--0.002-1.58 mkg(S)/m3, nitrates--0.05-0.75 mkg(N2)/m3 ammonium ions--0.12-1.20 mkg (N2)/m3, sulfuric dioxides--0.11-1.20 mkg (S)/m3. nitric dioxides--0.05-0.5 mlg (N2)/m3 and nitric acid--0.01-0.08 mkg (N2)/m3. The concentration of airborne pollutants exceeds the regional European level (22 mkg/m3) and that of Russia's European part (12 ... 28 mkg/m3) approximately by 1.5 times. It is noteworthy that it reaches 50 ... 70 mkg/m3 in large industrial centers of Europe. The share of sulfuric and nitric acids in the total concentration of airborne pollutants is (by weight) 13%. 0.8 g of sulfur per m2/year and 0.34 g of nitrogen per m2/year fall in the area of Sport-and-Recreation Complex No. 3 with precipitations; the average total beta-activity of atmospheric precipitations amounts to 1.2 Bk/m2 per day. An analysis of relationships between the air dustiness, the ashes samples' weight (of the air) and cuvette (precipitations) is indicative of their direct and tense correlation: the correlation coefficient between dust and ashes samples is 0.716, and between dust and ashes samples of cuvettes--0.559. At the same time, an extremely weak correlation should be pointed out between air dustiness and the total beta-activity of samples--the correlation coefficient is 0.184 (during a warm year season), as well as between dustiness and the beta-activity of cuvettes--0.346.

Air↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Acute intestinal infections in children in areas with industrial environmental air pollution].

Acute intestinal infections were clinically and epidemiologically studied in children residing in the towns with different quantitative and qualitative composition of ambient air pollutants and in the districts of a town, which differ in the level of technogenic ambient air pollution. Six hundred and eighty patients with different types of shigellosis and 421 patients with salmonellosis admitted to the infection hospitals of the towns of Angarsk (an intensively polluted locality) and Irkutsk (a better ecological area) were examined in 1995 to 2000. The technogenic ambient air pollution was found to exert a noticeable impact on the incidence with S. sonnei dysentery. In poor environmental areas, all the infections under study are characterized by a great burden, duration, more severe clinical symptoms, and poor laboratory changes in the presence of a decreased responsiveness.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1965

CRITERIA AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONCENTRATIONS OF AIR POLLUTION.

The article describes experience in the USSR in establishing standards for air pollution control. The author emphasizes that health considerations must be the main criterion in deciding permissible concentrations, which constitute the "hygienic" standards ultimately to be achieved. Economic and technological reasons may dictate temporary "sanitary" standards, which modify the requirements for a limited period. "Technological" standards relate to the economic and technological consequences of air pollution and do not concern health.The maximum permissible concentrations of toxic substances used in toxicology and industrial hygiene are not sufficiently stringent for general use, and control standards are therefore based on the results of tests carried out on animals and human subjects.Tests on animals show that certain concentrations of toxic substances cause functional changes (e.g., in higher nervous activity, cholinesterase activity, and excretion of coproporphyrin) as well as a number of protective adaptational reactions. The results are used to establish maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants within a 24-hour period.Tests on human volunteers provide a basis for determining the maximum average concentrations at a given time. Reactions to odorous substances give the olfactory threshold and the level of concentration causing respiratory and visual reflexes, as well as subsensory effects such as changes in light sensitivity and in the activity of the cerebral cortex.Morbidity statistics also provide evidence of harmful pollution, but cannot serve as a basis for establishing maximum permissible concentrations, which should aim not only at preventing illness but also at avoiding pathological and adaptational reactions.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2002

Water pollution from major industries in Paradip area--a case study.

This paper reveals the present status of water pollution generated from major industries in Paradip area. The source of water pollution and the existing pollution control measures are outlined. The quality of the surface water and ground water have been studied thoroughly and in consequence to this, further pollution control measures are recommended.

Fresh Water↗
PubMed1992

The problems of water pollution: an overview.

Most potentially toxic chemicals eventually find their way into waterways. The most common source of this pollution is from the air. More than 50 percent of the chemical pollution of the Great Lakes is believed to come from airborne pollutants, and the main sources of this pollution are smokestacks (energy plants, nuclear or conventional; trash-to-steam incinerators; industrial factories, chemical and wood pulp) and road traffic exhaust. Chemicals may reach waterways directly through partially filtered or untreated sewage and waterway traffic, both industrial and pleasure; or they may be deposited into the soil and reach rivers and estuaries through leakage (PCBs on cables, landfills, and regular or low-level nuclear waste) or locally from fields (fertilizers, herbicides, phosphates, and other chemicals.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Soil heavy metal pollution in Ryazan: ecological and hygienic aspects].

The paper presents the results of investigations evaluating the soil pollution with heavy metals in Ryazan. The authors have determined the priority pollutants, geochemical anomalies on the territory of the town and the qualitative and qualitative composition of the pollutants in relation to the source of waste and to the specific features of an atmospheric and technogenic transfer. They propose measures to improve the urban ecological and sanitary status, which are associated with the utilization of the plants that accumulate heavy metals and with the replacement of the polluted soil with artificial soil-like masses.

Cities↗
PubMed2004

[Regular pattern of non-point source pollutants losses in Luxi watershed].

The losses of non-point pollutant combined with natural rainfall events were monitored at outlets of Luxi watershed and several field plots with different land use. The paper probes characteristics of the sediment and chemical losses during a single rainfall-runoff process. The impact of preceding precipitation is also discussed. The results of field experiments show that the concentration of SS in runoff dropped off obviously with the increase of antecedent rainfall. The observed data were 265.6, 145.8, 124.2mg/L respectively with precipitation of 15, 115, 161 mm in preceding 5 days. Compared to the losses of SS, nutrients and COD were not changed greatly by the preceding rainfalls. The fluctuations of pollutant concentration were less than 15%. The results from plots suggested that land use play an important role in pollutant losses. The following is the list ordered according to concentration of pollutant in runoff, from the highest to the lowest: Dry land,residential area, grassland, woodland and paddy land. Vegetation cover is effective on the reduction of soil erosion and sediment loss. About 80% SS could be cut down when the coverage changed from 50% to 90%. Losses of TN were mainly determined by the TN concentration in soil. The ratios of TN concentration in runoff to that in soil were 2.75%, 2.79%, 2.42 % respectively for the land use of dry land, grassland and woodland. Augment of vegetation overage contributed to increment of N losses,including NO3- -N and NH+ -N.

China↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Air-dispersed asbestos fiber pollution in urban areas: current and previous levels].

Over the last twelve years (since the Lombard Regional Law n 41 on asbestos came out in 1986) I have had the opportunity to actively take part into monitoring campaigns both in working environments and in several urban areas. At the beginning analysis were performed almost exclusevely using phase contrast optical microscope (MOCF). This technique, even with its well known limits, has lead to measurments of asbestos pollution never exceeding 4-5 fibers L(-1) in urban areas. The reported value had lowered to 1-2 fibers L(-1) by the beginning of the nineties and, in the following years it has become even lower. The introduction of scanning electronic microscope (SEM) has not only confirmed these data but also shown lowered values of asbestos fibers in air (< 0.05 fibers L(-1)). This is to be related with the use of artificial fibers (glass and synthetical fibers) in cars braking systems instead of natural mineralfibers (asbestos). Nowadays the concrete-asbestos roof coverages can be a potential environmental pollution source if their surfaces are not protected. The reported indoor levels of pollution are similar to the outdoor ones and to levels reported in areas nearby rock-caves. The levels of asbestos pollution reported in the previous years using MOCF have been nowadays confirmed using SEM, expecially as far as buildings reclaimed from asbestos are concerned.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Mass balance approach for assessment of pollution load in the Krishna River.

River Krishna in the Southern Peninsula of India is a typical receiving water body of both point and non-point discharges. Comparisons between upstream and downstream monitoring sites reveal changes in the concentrations and load to the river. This information is used to discriminate between point and non-point source contribution to pollution. The pre-monsoon and post-monsoon water quality and flow data are used to assess river pollution loads. The resulting differential loads, if adjusted for uncharacterized non-point source contribution may represent the total point loads to the river minus losses due to volatilization, sedimentation, adsorption and other physical, chemical and biological phenomena. The results of the mass balances indicate that non-point sources to be major contributors to the pollutant loads. The non-point sources in the study area predominantly include pollution due to agricultural practices and activities, soil erosion, dissolution of soil minerals or combination of these sources.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

[Effects of air pollution on asthma in Seoul: comparisons across subject characteristics].

OBJECTIVES: Korean epidemiological studies have used reduced samples according to the subject's characteristics, such as the health services provided, the historical note with asthma, and age, to examine the acute effect of air pollution on asthma using the Korean National Health Insurance records. However, there have been few studies on whether the effects shown in these reduced samples are different from those of all samples. This study compared the effects of air pollution on asthma attacks in three reduced samples with those of entire samples. METHODS: The air pollution data for PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3 and weather conditions including temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure in Seoul, 2002, were obtained from outdoor monitoring stations in Seoul. The emergency hospital visits with an asthma attack in Seoul, 2002 were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance records. From these, the reduced samples were created by health service, historical notes with asthma, and age. A case-crossover design was adopted and the acute effects of air pollution on asthma were estimated after adjusting for weather, time trend, and seasonality. The model was applied to each reduced sample and the entire sample. RESULTS: With respect to the health service, the effects on outpatients were similar to those for the total sample but were different for inpatients. These similar effect sizes were also observed in the reduced samples according to the historical note with asthma and age. The relative risks of PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3 among the reduced and entire samples were 1.03, 1.04-1.05, 1.02-1.03, 1.04-1.06, and 1.10-1.17, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear evidence to show a difference between the reduced samples and the entire samples.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Particulate air pollution and daily mortality: a synthesis.

Episodes of high concentrations of particulate-based fog were associated with substantial increases in daily mortality earlier in this century. The sharp rise and fall of mortality with equally dramatic changes in air pollution left little doubt about causality. Other studies have shown associations of daily fluctuations in particulate-based air pollution and daily mortality in long time series. These associations continued to quite low concentrations of air pollution, although the optical-based measures do not readily allow direct comparisons with current pollution measurement techniques. This paper reports the results of seven studies examining the relationship between gravimetrically measured airborne particles and daily mortality. In Poisson regressions controlling for weather, time trends, and serial correlation, TSP or PM10 were significantly associated with daily mortality. The association with particles was independent of SO2, but not vice versa. The similarity of the regression coefficients among the studies was striking, and suggests that a 100 micrograms/m3 increase in daily TSP concentrations is associated with about a 6% increase in mortality. The same coefficient also suffices to explain the more than two-fold increase in mortality in London in 1952. The use of covariate adjusted quintile plots showed no evidence of a threshold down to concentrations of 40 micrograms/m3 or less. The relationship was significant in St. Louis, where daily concentrations of PM10 never exceeded 97 micrograms/m3. Given the similar results in all six studies, and the strong associations recently reported between particles and morbidity, the association is likely causal.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1991

[Air pollution and morbidity in the Haifa region].

The effects of exposure to air pollution (defined by levels of SO2) were studied in a representative sample of over 3,500 households in the greater Haifa area. The sample was drawn from 16 high and low pollution neighborhoods which also represented different socioeconomic strata. A very significant relationship was found between levels of pollution in residential and work areas and self-reported respiratory symptoms and diseases. This finding was strongly supported by a statistically significant relationship between actual measured levels of pollution in the 2 weeks prior to the interview and the use of medical services by both adults and children, as well as by the number of days their activity was restricted during that period.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Suggestion for a physical-chemical assessment of the sea coastal waters pollution on the basis of the analysis of the examination on the Gdańsk Bay waters.

The study presents the results of physical-chemical examinations of the coastal water of the Baltic Sea, carried out from 1984-1988 on 18 sampling stations located in the region of Gdynia and Gdańsk, and along the Hel Peninsula. The samples were collected weekly from the surface of water in the distance of about 5 m from the shore during 5 years. The results indicated a considerable physical and chemical pollution of the coastal water of Gdańsk Bay. Noted is the absence of the criteria of sanitary evaluation of the sea water regarding its usability for recreation. Mean concentration values of phosphates, ammonia compounds and nitrites as well as BOD5 in the coastal water of Gdańsk Bay were on the average 5-10 times higher than in the water of the open Baltic Sea. If the level of reference is the open sea water, it must be assumed that the coastal water of the Gdańsk Bay is strongly polluted. Useful seems to be the determination of the level of the physical and chemical pollution of the sea coastal water by comparison of certain indices with the values characteristic for open, clean sea or by relating them to the values making the "background" for the sea area examined. There is a need to elaborate evaluation criteria of physical and chemical pollution of sea coastal waters.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1990

[General environmental pollutants and passive smoking].

Epidemiological studies-especially data from smog episodes-indicate that antropogenous outdoor air pollution exercises a deleterious effect on health and particularly on the respiratory organs. Controlled exposure test in animals and man confirm this. The main pollutants are SO2, suspended dust particles (dust aerosols or solid atmospheric condensation nuclei) as well as NO2 (NOx) and O3. The adverse influence of quite a number of meteorological factors such as low temperature and inversion cannot be denied. During smog conditions in January 1985 in the Federal Republic of Germany there was a highly significant negative correlation between atmospheric temperature and the rate of exacerbations of bronchitis. Indoor air pollution is gaining in importance. Airtight sealing of buildings associated with reduced indoor ventilation results in novel health upsets ("sick building syndrome"). Interiors are characterised by an accumulation of CO2, CO, NO2, dust aerosols and various organic substances such as benzene, benzypyrene, formaldehyde, nitrosamines etc. Cigarette smoke is a frequent cause of indoor air pollution. The possible unhealthy effects of passive smoking (mainly the inhalation of sidestream smoke) have been frequently studied. Infants of smoking parents are more often affected by respiratory diseases than non-exposed children. The same applies to schoolchildren: the incidence of bronchial signs and symptoms increases with increasing smoke consumptions of the parents. However, no definitely established effect on lung function has been seen in children, adults and asthmatics. The important question as to whether passive smoking increases lung cancer risk is still a subject of controversial discussion among experts.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Relationship of blood protein levels to outdoor air pollutant concentrations in a semicohort of school-age children living in urban areas differing by quality of air.

Variations in some humoral immune responses to polluted air were studied in two semicohorts of children, initial age 10 years, from two urban communities differing from each other by the degree of ambient air pollution. The material for analysis (blood, saliva) was collected every autumn and spring in 3 successive years, giving a total of 6 sets of specimens for each examinee. All blood specimens were examined for the serum level of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM), lysozyme (LYS), total serum protein (TP) and the level of the acute reactants alpha 2 macroglobulin (A2M), alpha 1 antitrypsin (A1AT), transferrin (TRF) and ceruloplasmin (CPL). The saliva specimens were examined for the level of lysozyme (sLYS) and secretory IgA (sIgA). The mean protein concentrations for each of the 6 sampling series were correlated with the mean of 24-h emission concentrations measured in the last 3 months preceding the autumn or spring sampling series. In the community area characterized by a low-degree non-industrial pollution of air the correlations of immunoglobulins to SO2 and floating particles (FP) in air were as a rule inversed while the response from TP, LYS and acute reactants was direct. In the community contaminated by industrial pollutants, correlations between proteins and SO2 were markedly weaker, but there was a significant positive correlation between H2S and levels of IgA and A2M in blood and sIgA and sLYS in the saliva. A high degree of positive correlation was also observed between H2S and levels of IgM and LYS. Inverse correlations were only between levels of LYS and FP, SO2 and H2S. Significant correlations were also between contaminant concentrations and FP. The associations found between the contaminant concentrations in air and levels of blood and saliva proteins supports the hypothesis that quality of air may have considerable impacts on defense mechanisms. Seasonal variations in the quality of air may increase the rates of childhood morbidity for acute upper respiratory tract infections.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Research, education and environmental health related to pollution in the Gulf].

At Italian-Russian International Conference on "Rôle of the University on ecological education and training", was illustrate six topics of 30 years of our scientific and didactic activity on Environmental Hygiene, here below summarized: I. At first time, sludges of biological treatment plants and domestic sewage were frequently utilized under bacteriological control as economical and ecological fertilizers of land and waters. At present such a custom is very rare owing the chemical pollution of sewage continuously increasing; but in some countries it is still in use, and is our opinion and experience that organic waste material must be reused as fertilizer of land, more and more devoid of humus and subject to erosion of winds and waters. Some treatment plants are shown, and related plankton pyramid's. II. Pilot sewage treatment plants are frequently used in our experiments and training, for study and control of the biological degradation of organic matter, for evaluate the disappearance rate of bacteria and viruses, for investigate the foric action and behaviour of chemical and radioactive pollutants, for quantify their accumulation in the sludges of sewage treatment plants, and so forth. Different pilot plants are used, located both in our laboratories both in industries; in nuclear power plant are tested at the same time 3 models of 3 different plants (biodiscs, activated sludges, biofiltering channels), working with prevalent algal growth. III. Many species of microorganisms (metazoa, protozoa, algae, fungi, bacteria, viruses and new species like Bdellovibrio) are present in aerobic sewage treatment plants (activated sludge, bacterial bed, biodiscs, lagooning, etc.); in anaerobic treatment (digesters) prevail only methane-producing bacteria. Some of these organisms are very abundant and very active as consumers of organic matter; others are characteristic indicators of well balanced purification or of bad purification owing acute variation of organic load or presence of toxic substances in sewage. Many strains are antibiotic-producing, or Vit. B12 producing; others explain a strong lytic activity or are neuraminidase-formers. Production of great amount of biofloculant polysaccharides useful on sedimentation of organic matter is enhanced by adding particular organic pollutants like distillery wastes and others. Sewage treatment plants are good means for scientific research of particular biota continuously available and for food microbiological training for students and technicians on pathogens present in treated and untreated sewage and in sludges. IV. Big fecal pollution of coastal waters is clearly dangerous because of bathing beaches, shellfish farming, bacterial aerosols, damage to marine biota, eutrofication, aesthetic problems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1989

[The respiratory health of children and industrial and domestic air pollution].

At the request of its inhabitants, an epidemiological survey was conducted among the children of Carling, a particularly polluted industrialized town in the department of the Moselle in North-East France. Contrary to all expectations, no major toxic effect of industrial pollution on the respiratory health of the children was found. There was some correlation between the fact of living in a polluted area and a claimed respiratory morbidity. However, the potentially harmful effect of atmospheric pollution could not be translated in terms of abnormalities of respiratory function. In contrast, a significant effect of the smoking habits of the parents, and particularly of the mothers, on respiratory symptoms and spirographic data of their children was observed.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1987

Bronchoscopy and nitrous oxide pollution.

The purpose of the investigation was to assess the extent of nitrous oxide pollution during bronchoscopy (rigid ventilation bronchoscope) and further to elucidate the possible reduction in air pollution during local scavenging of leaking gas by a suction catheter placed in the pharynx. The study included 14 adult patients. The leakage of anaesthetic gas was 11.4 +/- 3.2 l min-1 and the median value of the nitrous oxide concentration in the breathing zone of the endoscopist was greater than 300 ppm. Air pollution could not be reduced significantly by scavenging with a suction catheter. The use of inhalation anaesthetics is therefore inadvisable during bronchoscopy in adults unless sufficient anaesthetic scavenging can be established. Other ways of reducing air pollution are discussed and the use of total intravenous anaesthesia or local anaesthesia is advocated.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗