Clean Air Journal最新文献

{"title":"Characterisation of Atmospheric Particulate Matter from Opencast Coal Mining Activities and Adjacent Communities","authors":"Lerato Khumalo, G. Kornelius, P. V. van Zyl, G. Hall","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8564","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8564","url":null,"abstract":"Standard source apportionment techniques for atmospheric particulate (PM) collected near opencast coal mines provide less accurate results, as the inorganic mineral components in the overburden and at adjacent residential locations are similar. This study explores the use of the stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope ratios (13C/12C and 15N/14N) and thermal optical methods to differentiate sources of carbonaceous material in the atmospheric PM samples from the opencast coal mines and adjacent communities.  Both techniques allow a clear distinction between atmospheric PM samples from the opencast coal mines and communities to be made, although distinguishing between the contributions of coal combustion, liquid fuel combustion and the domestic use of biomass for requires further analysis.","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43467402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical characterization of fine particulate matter, source apportionment and long-range transport clusters in Thohoyandou, South Africa","authors":"R. Novela, W. Gitari, H. Chikoore, Péter Molnár, R. Mudzielwana, J. Wichmann","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8735","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Ambient air pollution is a major environmental health issue globally due to several health implications associated with various air pollutants (Olaniyan et al., 2015). Of all air pollutants fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is of major concern since it is linked to a number of health implications including premature death in adults with heart and lung disease, strokes, heart attacks, chronic respiratory disease such as bronchitis, aggravated asthma and premature deaths of children from acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia (CCAC, 2019). It is estimated that about 7 million people die prematurely every year as a result of exposure to PM2.5 (WHO, 2014). The World Health Organization (WHO) has therefore set the daily guideline value of 25 μg/m3 for PM2.5 concentrations in ambient air and further issued recommendations to countries to lower PM2.5 levels in ambient air (WHO, 2016). In South Africa, the daily standard for PM2.5 is set at 40 μg/m 3 which is much higher compared to the WHO daily guideline.","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42071459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impacts of commissioning coal-fired power stations on air quality in South Africa: insights from ambient monitoring stations","authors":"Itumeleng P. Morosele, Kristy E. Langerman","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8833","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8833","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Coal is the major source of electricity in South Africa, generating 85.7% of the country’s power in 2016 (StatsSA, 2018). Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (hereafter referred to as Eskom) generates more than 90% of South Africa’s electricity and approximately 40% of Africa’s electricity (Eskom, 2019). Coal-fired power station emissions have been flagged for their impact on ambient air quality and associated health issues (Xue et al., 2005; Keen and Altieri, 2016a; Keen and Altieri, 2016b; Holland, 2017; Mannucci and Franchini, 2017; Wright et al., 2017; Langerman and Pauw, 2018; Gray, 2019).","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47892196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Air pollution in Kigali, Rwanda: spatial and temporal variability, source contributions, and the impact of car-free Sundays","authors":"R. Subramanian","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/2.8023","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Ambient air pollution, especially fine particulate mass (PM2.5) and ozone (O3), has been associated with premature human mortality (Dockery et al., 1993; Jerrett et al., 2009; Laden et al., 2006). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2016, ambient air pollution caused about three thousand deaths in Rwanda (Brauer et al., 2012; WHO, 2018). However, such estimates can be uncertain because exposure is inferred from satellite estimates. There has been no long-term groundbased monitoring in major cities like Kigali to validate estimated Abstract Ambient air pollution, particularly fine particulate mass (PM2.5) and ozone (O3), is associated with premature human mortality and other health effects, but monitoring is scarce to non-existent in large parts of Africa. Lower-cost real-time affordable multi-pollutant (RAMP) monitors and a black carbon (BC) monitor were deployed in Kigali, Rwanda to fill the air quality data gap here. PM2.5 data were corrected using data from a coincident, short-term campaign that used standard filter-based gravimetry, while gas data were verified by collocation with reference carbon monoxide (CO) and O3 monitors at the Rwanda Climate Observatory at Mt Mugogo, Rwanda. Over March 2017-July 2018, the ambient average PM2.5 in Kigali was 52 μg/m 3, significantly higher than World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 1. Study average BC was 4 μg/m3, comparable to mid-sized urban areas in India and China and significantly higher than BC in cities in developed countries. Spatial variability across various urban background sites in Kigali appears to be limited, while PM2.5 at Mt Mugogo is moderately correlated with PM2.5 in Kigali. A sharp diurnal profile is observed in both PM2.5 and BC, with the Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE) indicating that the morning peak is associated with rush-hour traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) while the late evening peak can be attributed to both traffic and domestic biofuel use. PM2.5 in the dry seasons is about two times PM2.5 during the following wet seasons while BC is 40-60% higher. Local sources contribute at least half the ambient PM2.5 during wet seasons and one-fourth during dry seasons. Traffic restrictions on some Sundays appear to reduce PM2.5 and BC by 10-12 μg/m 3 and 1 μg/m3 respectively, but this needs further investigation. Dry season ozone in Kigali can exceed WHO guidelines. These lowercost monitors can play an important role in the continued monitoring essential to track the effectiveness of pollution-control policies recently implemented in Rwanda.","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42164490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in health risk associated with air pollution and policy response effectiveness, Richards Bay, South Africa","authors":"Nick O. Okello, Tom W. Okello, M. Zunckel","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8012","url":null,"abstract":"Lung and bronchus cancer, asthma, acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), ischemic heart diseases (IHD), cerebrovascular diseases (CEV) are disorders that have been widely associated with air pollution. More so, research shows that more than 5.5 million people die prematurely every year due to household and outdoor air pollution placing it as the fourth highest-ranking risk factor for death globally (Forouzanfar et al., 2015). \u0000Setting a minimum emission standard for industrial sources is a way to control air pollution and to minimize adverse impacts on people. With an aim to ascertain pollution policy intervention effectiveness, this study uses the case of Richards Bay to determine changes in health risk associated with air quality pollution exposure and the benefits of policy intervention. The study looks at trends of mortality in the last 20 years, the change in the ranking of 6 air-related mortality causes and Year of Life Lost (YLL) as a result of pollution. Results indicate a 24% decrease in the YLL due to air quality related diseases since 2009 when minimum emission standards were promulgated. The decrease can be observed across all age groups except for the 15-24-year-old, where cases of asthma and acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are the major mortality drivers. The adults and the older generation are now living slightly longer, although cases of CEV in that generation as well as the younger generation is still an issue that requires continuous monitoring and intervention. The study concludes that there is an improvement that could be attributed to policy implementation. However, the increase in mortality due to certain disease cases such as cancer of the bronchus and lung whose onset could be prior to 2010 signifies that the pollution control efforts need to continue and be stepped up. The increase of ALRI, which adversely affects children, is of concern","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44363584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the potential of remote sensing imagery in mapping ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for the Vaal Triangle Priority Area","authors":"Luckson Muyemeki, R. Burger, S. Piketh","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8066","url":null,"abstract":"The quality of air breathed in South Africa is of great concern, especially in industrialised regions where PM2.5 concentrations are high. Long term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with serious adverse health impacts. Traditionally, PM2.5 is monitored by a network of ground-based instruments. However, the coverage of monitoring networks in South Africa is not dense enough to fully capture the spatial variability of PM2.5 concentrations. This study explored whether satellite remote sensing could offer a viable alternative to ground-based monitoring. Using an eight-year record (2009 to 2016) of satellite retrievals (MODIS, MISR and SeaWIFS) for PM2.5 concentrations, spatial variations and temporal trends for PM2.5 are evaluated for the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area (VTAPA). Results are compared to corresponding measurements from the VTAPA surface monitoring stations. High PM2.5 concentrations were clustered around the centre and towards the south-west of the VTAPA over the highly industrialised cities of Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg. Satellite retrievals tended to overestimate PM2.5 concentrations. Overall, there was a poor spatial agreement between satellite-retrieved PM2.5 estimates and ground-level PM2.5 measurements. Root mean square error values ranged from 6 to 11 µg/m3 and from -0.89 to 0.32 for the correlation coefficient. For satellite remote sensing to be effectively exploited for air quality assessments in the VTAPA and elsewhere, further research to improve the precision and accuracy of satellite-retrieved PM2.5 is required.","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41575748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On the importance of considering land surface reflectance in earth system studies","authors":"Kathleen Smart","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8448","url":null,"abstract":"If we consider the disciplinary divisions which make up earth science: ocean-atmosphere, land-atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and stratosphere-troposphere, we can see the acknowledgement of the importance of the surface of the earth in understanding the stocks and fluxes of energy, water and matter. Yet understanding the features of the land surface lag behind our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and the health impacts of air pollution. This raises a philosophical question: ‘if we are unable to understand the land surface accurately over a range of temporal and spatial scales, how confident can we be in our understanding of the earth system?’.","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46251215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Call for Papers: Special Issue of the Clean Air Journal","authors":"Kristy E. Langerman, R. Garland, G. Feig","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8516","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48347461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clean Air Journal: supporting discussion on key African air quality issues","authors":"R. Garland, G. Feig, Kristy E. Langerman","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8520","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41810695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using citizen science to assess cumulative risk from air and other pollution sources in informal settlements","authors":"Romanus Opiyo, P. Osano, Andriannah Mbandi, William Apondo, C. Muhoza","doi":"10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17159/caj/2020/30/1.8374","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental challenges in informal settlements Residents of informal settlements in developing countries such as Kenya are faced with a myriad of environment challenges that exposes them to a combination of risks from multiple exposures to environment stressors, including pollution and environmental contamination. Researchers and development planners usually focus on and typically address a single environmental issue, such as air pollution, rather than to take a holistic approach that considers the combination of risks, that cumulatively affect these residents due to multiple exposure. This lack of a holistic approach is made worse in informal settlements that are considered illegal, unplanned and therefore ignored in urban development frameworks (McCartney& Krishnamurthy, 2018; Jones, 2017). The sustainable development goals (SDGs), including the New Urban Agenda (NUA), which emerged from SDG 11 presents policy opportunities for a holistic approach to urban development, given the attention paid to the progressive and democratic approaches such as liveable, inclusive, and just cities. The focus of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) of “leaving no one behind” has generated positive responses in some African countries, which, taken together with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 can lead to sustainable cities in Africa (UN 2019).Given the uniqueness of cities in Africa, homegrown models present the most suitable opportunities for the realisation of sustainable cities, and to achievement of all the 17 SDGs. Transdisciplinary research models is central for African cities as it enables scientists, practitioners and local communities to work together to co-generate solutions that are embedded in local realities and context (International Council for Science 2020).","PeriodicalId":37511,"journal":{"name":"Clean Air Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44735170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}