Citizen-Led Air Quality Sensor Networks

The Air Quality Egg Project (An Open Hardware project in New York, NY by @EdBorden) Also discussed  here: Air Quality Egg  (Wiki) And here: You can help build an open air quality sensor network (Pachube, Dec. 7, 2011) And here: MIMAQ (15 slides, mobile pollution sensors) And here: Air Quality Monitoring: A Few Precedents (12 [...]

Monitoring Pollution from Downtown Construction and from Traffic in a Large City

Air Quality Monitoring Study of Construction Activities between 69th and 87th Street on Second Avenue  (22 page pdf,  Parsons Brinkerhoff, MTA Capital Construction, Jan. 17, 2012) Today we review an interesting study from New York City, where health concerns about dust from road construction were addressed by an assessment of air quality by roadside monitors [...]

Real-time Urban Air Quality on a Smart Phone

New Air Quality iPhone Application (King’s College London, Mar. 30, 2010) Also discussed here: London Air iPhone app (King’s College London, YouTube video) And here: Winter smog mid January 2012 (King’s College London, Jan. 2012) For the last two years, the city of  London has been using smart phone technology to distribute up to the [...]

Hamilton’s Air Pollution Hot Spots

Mobile Air Quality Monitoring to Determine Local Impacts  (39 page pdf, Denis Corr, Rotek Environmental Inc. July 2011) Also discussed here: Unique study maps neighbourhood air pollution  (Hamilton Spectator, Jan. 20, 2012) And here: A Public Health Assessment of Mortality and Hospital Admissions Attributable to Air Pollution in Hamilton  (3 page pdf, School of Geography [...]

Vehicle Emissions in Some Irish Cities

Air Quality in Ireland 2010 Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality (61 page pdf, Environmental Protection Agency, Irleand, Sep. 2011) Today we review a report from the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland which notes concern about NO2 and particulate emissions from  vehicle emissions and the burning of coal to heat homes. While the latter is [...]

Why Not Report Urban Air Pollution Publicly?

WikiLeaks reveals China’s failure to measure dangerous pollution- pollutant levels were not measured and made public because findings would have been ‘too sensitive’ for the authorities (Jonathan Watts, Guardian, Aug. 26, 2011) Today’s focus is on a report provided by Wikileaks from the US foreign service in 2006 about the reluctance of Chinese officials to [...]

Monitoring Local Pollution Across Canada

Creating National Air Pollution Models for Population Exposure Assessment in Canada (7 Page pdf, Perry Hystad, Eleanor Setton, Alejandro Cervantes, Karla Poplawski, Steeve Deschenes, Michael Brauer, Aaron van Donkelaar, Lok Lamsal, Randall Martin, Michael Jerrett, and Paul Demers, Environmental Health Perspectives, volume 119, number 8, August 2011) Today’s focus is on a study of how [...]

Managing Hot Spots in Urban Municipalities in England

Mapping Air Quality Action Plan Guidance available to Local Authorities (52 page pdf, prepared by Entec UK Limited for DEFRA, Apr. 14, 2011) Since legislation was enacted in 1995 to improve urban air quality in the UK,  over 200 local authorities have declared over 500 Air Quality Management  Areas (AQMA). The report reviewed today critically [...]

Lichens as Air Pollution Biomonitors

lichens as biomonitors (Lichens of Ireland project)   Lichens have long been known for their ability to indicate the state of air quality because pollutants accumulate in them. This results in either further growth or decay depending on the concentration and type of pollutant and lichen. A number of references have been collected here which [...]

Does the Charging of Hybrid Cars Produce Significant Pollution?

Air quality impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Texas: evaluating three battery charging scenarios (12 page pdf, Tammy M Thompson, Carey W King, David T Allen and Michael E Webber, Environmental Research Letters, Volume 6, Number 2, Apr. 19, 2011)   Today’s focus is on the impact of the charging of hybrid cars on [...]

Plans for Roadside Air Quality in Hong Kong

Budget Speech – Pilot Green Transport Fund (Hong Kong Budget 2010-11) Although much remains to be done to reduce traffic congestion in the former British colony, much credit should be given to the current administration for targeting roadside emissions in its budget for 2011. To read more about this post with Key Quotes and References [...]

Counting Particles from Wood Stoves

Image via Wikipedia Tracking Down Particulates (Science Daily, Dec. 14, 2010) For northern countries in winter and tropical countries year round, particulates released from the burning of wood as a fuel is a major pollution problem and contributes to the health impacts from particulate matter. The new probe described in the article under review today [...]

Roadside Traffic Pollution

Image via Wikipedia Roadside Air Worst in 5 Years – Renew AQO Retire Euro II Buses (Friends of the Earth- Hong Kong, Nov. 26, 2010) Also discussed here: Hong Kong roadside air pollution hits record high (Guardian, Sept. 8, 2010) Although the review article today focuses on Hong Kong, there are parallels to the health [...]

Air Pollution in the World’s Megacities

Image by SEDACMaps via Flickr Urban Air Pollution in Megacities of the World (6 Page pdf, Atmospheric Environment, 30,5, 1996) The article reviewed today was written 14 years ago and assesses the capability of most of the megacities of the world at that time. How much progress has been made? Key Quotes: “A study of [...]

Micro-Environmental Monitoring

Image via Wikipedia Monitoring of long-term personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (9 page pdf, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, Apr. 23, 2010) Advances in air quality monitors:  accuracy, portability and allied technologies to locate the observations (GIS and GPS) have progressed to the point where it is possible to continuously monitor personal exposure [...]

Using Smart Phones as Air Pollution Monitors

Visibility Monitoring using Mobile Phones (14 pages, University of Southern California) Also discussed here: Air Quality Monitoring Gets Smart (The Front Page, American Meteorological Society, Oct. 21, 2010) And here: Mapping Pollution with Pigeons (Pollution Free Cities, July 10, 2010)   Key Quotes: “The user takes a picture of the sky which is tagged with [...]

Hazardous air pollutants- Highlights from EPA Workshop

Image via Wikipedia Estimating the Benefits of Reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants: Summary of 2009 Workshop and Future Considerations (26 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., Oct. 4, 2010) Key Quotes: “Challenges related specifically to benefits analysis for air toxics include uncertainties in emissions information, air quality and exposure modeling, effects estimation, and economic valuation, as well [...]

Wireless Roadside Air Quality Monitors

Newcastle University develops wireless air quality monitor (the Engineer, Sept. 23, 2010) Also discussed here: New Pollution Hotspot Sensor (Sky News video 2 min 20 sec, Jun. 30, 2009) And here: Mobile Environmental Sensing System Across Grid Environments (MESSAGE web site) And here: Field deployments of the MESSAGE system for environmental Monitoring (9 page pdf, [...]

Monitoring Local Air Pollution in Ontario

Image via Wikipedia Brief Review: Using Air Monitoring as a Tool to Assess & Address Local Airsheds & Micro-Environments in Ontario (66 pages, March 9, 2010, Kim Perrotta for the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario) Also discussed here: 2009/2010 Annual Report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (232 pages pdf, Sept. 22, 2010) The report reviewed [...]

Global Satellite Mapping of Particulates Over Long Term

Global Estimates of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations from Satellite-Based Aerosol Optical Depth: Development and Application (9 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect 118:847–855, 16 March 2010) Also discussed here: New Map Offers a Global View of Health-Sapping Air Pollution (Science Daily, Sept. 23, 2010) The first estimates of long term air quality, based on satellite [...]

Measuring Vehicle Emissions with Infrared Technology

New Method for Infrared Remote Sensing to Analyze Traffic Pollution (Science Daily, Sept. 7, 2010) Also discussed here: New method for infrared remote sensing to analyze traffic pollution (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid – Oficina de Información Científica, September 7, 2010) Key Quotes: “infrared remote sensing technology to evaluate the pollutant emissions associated with motor [...]

Mapping Pollution with Pigeons

Pigeon Blog Also discussed here: Pigeons to set up a smog blog (New Scientist, Feb. 2, 2006) And here: Pigeon Blog (Towards Better Interaction, Mar. 3, 2009) And here: At ZeroOne, Paintings Are So Last Century (New York Times, Jun. 8, 2006) What a novel idea! Assemble air pollution sensors, a GPS and a cell [...]

Greenhouse Gas Measurement from Space

Consumption-based accounting of CO2 emissions (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Mar. 8, 2010) Also discussed here: Trading down (On sustainability, csr and climate change, May 4,2010) And here: Highs and lows – Monitoring greenhouse gases (The Economist, Mar. 4,2010) And here: The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA) And here: Integrated [...]

Mobile Air Quality Studies

Image via Wikipedia Mobile Air Quality Studies (MAQS) – an international project (22 page pdf, Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, 9 April 2010) Also discussed here: Mobile Air Quality Studies (MAQS) – an international project (Institut für Arbeitsmedizin, 2010) Key Quotes: “Aim: To assess air pollutant exposure in relation to urban and rural infrastructure, [...]

London Air Pollution in 3D

This short video shows the relationship between roadside emissions and the city of London‘s topography and building architecture- as well as the future direction of the merging of Geographical Information System (GIS) data bases with air pollution monitoring and mapping. Related articles by Zemanta London’s air pollution worst is Europe, so city faces stiff fines [...]

Monitoring Population Exposure to Particulate Matter from Satellite

Global Estimates of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations from Satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth: Development and Application (33 page pdf, Environmental Health Perspectives, 16 March 2010) Key Quotes: “Global ground-level PM2.5 concentrations were mapped using total column aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the MODIS and MISR satellite instruments and coincident aerosol vertical profiles from the GEOS-Chem [...]

Can Highway Barriers Contain Pollution from Traffic?

Tracer studies to characterize the effects of roadside noise barriers on near-road pollutant dispersion under varying atmospheric stability conditions (Atmospheric Environment, Volume 44, Issue 2, January 2010, Pages 204-214) Discussed here: Highway Barriers Stifle Sound, Sight, and Soot (Science Daily, Jan. 5, 2010) Also discussed here Highway Barriers Stifle Pollution (the earthy report, Jan. 8,2010) [...]

Satellite-based Estimates of Aerosol Optical Depth and Particulate Matter

What Can Affect AOD–PM2.5 Association? ( 2 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect,  Mar.1, 2010) Also discussed here: Limitations of Remotely Sensed Aerosol as a Spatial Proxy for Fine Particulate Matter (6 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, June 2009) Key Quotes: “The columnar measurement of AODS consists of aerosols generated by anthropogenic (human) sources …is influenced [...]

Monitoring Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Pinpointing Emissions at Their Source (New York Times Green Inc Column, February 14, 2010) Secondary reference: Picarro WS-CRDS gas analyzers Following the Climate Change discussions at Copenhagen, much attention is being paid to the evaluation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions according to national, regional and local targets. These estimates are based on inventories and [...]

Progress on Regulating Roadside Emissions in USA

EPA cracks down on pollution spikes near roads (Washington Post, 25 Jan 2010) Key Quotes: “The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it would control – for the first time – short-lived spikes of an air pollutant common along major roads and linked to respiratory problems.” “The new national standard sets a one-hour limit for [...]

Mapping NOx with a Smart E-Bike

The Copenhagen Wheel is a very interesting development in the growth and popularity of electrically assisted bikes world-wide. For many countries with a rapidly aging population who may not have the stamina to use an ordinary bike for trips in cities, the e-bike provides an easy option – if a little expensive right now. In [...]

APHEIS

The Apheis project: Air Pollution and Health—A European Information System (14 page pdf, Air Qual Atmos Health, 2009) Key Quotes: “Apheis project.. has tracked the effects of air pollution on health in 26 European cities and continues to do so as the new Aphekom project.” “roughly 40,000 people were dying every year from the effects of [...]

Tracking Air Pollution by Cell Phone

Californians and Cell Phones to Track Air Pollution “San Diego County has 3.1 million residents, 4,000 square miles, and only five official EPA air quality monitors. We know about the air quality in those exact spots but we know much less about the air quality in other places.” “The goal of CitiSense is to build [...]

Air Pollution Monitoring and Exposure Assessment

Considerations in the use of ozone and PM2.5 data for exposure assessment (8 page pdf, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, Dec. 2009) Key Quotes: “The US national ambient-air monitoring network..now doubles as an important source of exposure data for the epidemiological analyses on which these standards increasingly rest “ “Setting standards in terms of community [...]

Engineered Nanoparticles and Human Health

Hazards and Risks of Engineered Nanoparticles for the Environment and Human Health (34 page pdf- Sustainability, Nov. 30, 2009) – excellent review paper of ENPs , “evaluated in the context of the current state of knowledge of the risks of nanomaterials, limitations were identified and recommendations were given on how to overcome them” on this [...]

New short term sulfur dioxide air standards

Proposal to Revise the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) (16 page pdf from EPA) The EPA (in the USA) proposes to apply a new hourly  standard for SO2 concentrations between 50 and 100 ppb, to be signed into law on June 2, 2010 – a welcome focus on the health [...]

Seven traffic hotspots to be tackled

Seven traffic hotspots to be tackled Published Date: 13 July 2009 Seven traffic hotspots to be tackled – Seven traffic hotspots in Northampton will have action plans drawn up to tackle air pollution after it was found emissions exceeded national guidelines. This is an example of how Ottawa could proceed to monitor, identify and correct [...]

Tips on avoiding traffic pollution

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8091929.stm Tips on avoiding traffic pollution Source: news.bbc.co.uk Researchers at the university warn that levels of particulates are often higher than shown by official monitoring devices and that the pollution can be most intense at the height of many children. Key Quote: “When we do our leaf magnetic measurements, our research shows that down at [...]

“Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health”

http://springerlink.com/content/4g63554l28688172/fulltext.pdf springerlink.com Source: springerlink.com Near-road air quality monitoring: Factors affecting network design and interpretation of data R. Baldauf & N. Watkins & D. Heist & C. Bailey & P. Rowley & R. Shores Published online: 12 March 2009 “Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health” journal – excellent, easy to read and up to date review paper [...]

Air pollution at street level in European cities

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/technical_report_2006_1/at_download/file “Air pollution at street level in European cities” European Environment Agency, Copenhagen , 2005 (52 pages) Executive Summary: “Traffic-related air pollution is still one of the most pressing problems in urban areas. Evidence of the adverse health effects of fine particulate matter is continuously emerging and it is alarming that most of the traffic-related [...]

Predicting Air Quality at Street Level – A State-of-Science Review

http://www.eco.on.ca/eng/uploads/eng_pdfs/2008/2008%20air%20quality.pdf “Predicting Air Quality at Street Level – A State-of-Science Review” by RWDI AIR Inc. Consulting Engineers(2008, 30 pages) SUBMITTED TO: Mr. Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Key Quote: “These measurement and forecast systems have proven useful to advise the public about large scale smog events, but do not deal with public exposure to [...]

AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT: WEB-BASED TOOLS

AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT: WEB-BASED TOOLS | BAQ 2008 Source: http://baq2008.org/sw3-fedra Within the framework of the international RTD project WEBAIR (EUREKA E! 3266 EUROENVIRON), a web-based air quality assessment and management information system is being developed in collaboration of partners from 18 countries (http://www.ess.co.at/WEBAIR).

Consultation on draft local air quality management guidance

Defra, UK – consultations – Consultation on draft local air quality management guidance http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/airqualitymanage-guidance/index.htm This consultation concerns Policy Guidance and Technical Guidance on local air quality management. The Policy Guidance, and the four Practice Guidance documents under it, apply to England only. The Technical . Updated info on the 13 year national program, applied to [...]