Spatial and Temporal Variation of Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and Its Health Effects during the Haze Event in Malaysia

This study aims to assess and compare levels of particulate matter(PM10 and PM2.5)in urban and industrial areas in Malaysia during haze episodes,which typically occur in the south west monsoon season.The high concentrations of atmospheric particles are mainly due to pollution from neighbouring countries.Daily PM concentrations were analysed for urban and industrial areas including Alor Setar,Tasek,Shah Alam,Klang,Bandaraya Melaka,Larkin,Balok Baru,and Kuala Terengganu in 2018 and 2019.The analysis employed spatiotemporal to examine how PM levels were distributed.The data summary revealed that PM levels in all study areas were right-skewed,indicating the occurrence of high particulate events.Significant peaks in PM concentrations during haze events were consistently observed between June and October,encompassing the south west monsoon and inter-monsoon periods.The study on acute respiratory illnesses primarily focused on Selangor.Analysis revealed that Klang had the highest mean number of inpatient cases for acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma(AEBA)and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)with values of 260.500 and 185.170,respectively.Similarly,for outpatient cases of AEBA and AECOPD,Klang had the highest average values of 41.67 and 14.00,respectively.Shah Alam and Sungai Buloh did not show a significant increase in cases during periods of biomass burning.The statistical analysis concluded that higher concentrations of PM were associated with increased hospital admissions,particularly from June to September,as shown in the bar diagram.Haze episodes were associated with more healthcare utilization due to haze-related respiratory illnesses,seen in higher inpatient and outpatient visits(p<0.05).However,seasonal variability had minimal impact on healthcare utilization.These findings offer a comprehensive assessment of PM levels during historic haze episodes,providing valuable insights for authorities to develop policies and guidelines for effective monitoring and mitigation of the negative impacts of haze events.

Mineralogical characterization of airborne individual particulates in Beijing PM10

This work mainly focuses on the mineralogical study of particulate matter（PM10） in Beijing. Samples were collected on polycarbonate filter from April, 2002 to March, 2003 in Beijing urban area. Scanning electronic microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray（SEM/EDX） was used to investigate individual mineral particles in Beijing PM10. 1454 individual mineral particulates from 48 samples were analysed by SEM/EDX. The results revealed that mineral particulates were complex and heterogeneous. 38 kinds of minerals in PM10 were identified. The clay minerals, of annual average percentage of 30.1%, were the main composition among the identified minerals, and illite/smectite was the main composition in clay minerals, reaching up to 35%. Annual average percentage of quartz, calcite, compound particulates, carbonates were 13.5%, 10.9%, 11.95%, 10.31%, respectively. Annual average percentage less than 10% were gypsum, feldspar, dolomite, and so on. Fluorite, apatite, halite, barite and chloridize zinc（ZnCl2） were firstly identified in Beijing PM10. Sulfurization was found on surface of mineral particles, suggested extensive atmospheric reaction in air during summer.

Improved source assessment of Si,Al and related mineral components to PM_(10) based on a daily sampling procedure

Samples obtained from an industrialized valley in the East Alpine region were collected daily for a half year and analyzed using X-ray fluorescence to examine the elements Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Zn, P, S and Cl. Some factors affecting the changes of these elements were considered, including time, elemental correlations, weekday, weekend and seasonal changes. Diagnostic analysis provided an insight into a decoupling behavior that occursin siliceous and carbonates minerals. A decrease in Si and Al and an increase in carbonates, Na, K, Zn and P were observed during the cold season. However, a consistently high correlation of Si and Al was observed in all seasons. It was established that such high levels originated from street surface abrasion. The increase in variability and absolute levels of carbonates during the cold season was demonstrated by adding carbonates to the street surface as gritting material to increase the grip on snowy surfaces. A marked increase in Na and Cl was observed in winter which may have been caused by thaw salt that is widely used in winter in Austria. This was associated with a significant increase in K, Zn, and P in the cold season that was the result of domestic space heating with wood. PM10 levels in December were 12 μ/m^3 and were higher than levels detected in July. It was established that such high levels originated from mineral oxides, wood smoke, and inorganic ionic material（s）.

Evaluation of Air Quality in the City of Istanbul during the Years 2013 and 2015

Air pollution has been the most important health issue in recent years. In this study, the aim was to evaluate the results of regular measurements of air pollutants PM10 （Particulate Matter of 10 Microns in Diameter） and SO2 （Sulfur Dioxide） concentrations in the city of Istanbul by taking the years 2013 and 2015 as a sample. The data were obtained through the website http：//www.havaizleme.gov.tr, which was published by the Administration of Marmara Clean Air Center of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in Turkey. For the years 2013 and 2015, the mean SO2 concentration was 8.35 ± 6.04 and 10.60 ±7.16 μg/m^3. The mean PMI0 concentration was 73.06 ± 30.63 μg/m^3 for 2013 and 51.57 ± 18.84μg/m^3 for 2015. The acceptable upper limit values by WHO （World Health Organization） for daily mean SO2 and PMI0 concentrations respectively are 20 μg/m^3 and 50μg/m^3. In Istanbul, SO2 concentrations were above the upper limit values recommended by WHO, but PM10 concentrations during 2013 and 2015 were over the recommended limit values by WHO. As the particulate matter pollution is at high concentrations during these two years, it has shown that air pollution emerges as a problem awaiting solutions in Istanbul, where is industrially intense, highly populated and also with high traffic density.

A toxicological study of inhalable particulates by plasmid DNA assay:A case study from Macao

Oxidative damage to plasmid DNA induced by airborne PM10 （particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less） is caused by the bioavailable （i.e., soluble） heavy metals on the particle surface. However, quantitative analyses of the links between PM10 and oxidative damage are limited. In this study, plasmid DNA assay and ICP-MS were applied to study oxidative capacity and trace element compositions, respectively, of summer and winter PM10 samples collected at several sites （Sun Yat Sen Municipal Park （SYSP） and Av. de Horta e Costa （AHC） on the Macao peninsula and Macao University on Tai- pa Island （TI）） in Macao. At AHC and TI, the oxidative capacity of PM10 collected in winter was higher than that collected in summer, for both the whole sample and the water-soluble fraction. In contrast, no seasonal variation was noted at SYSP. PMI0 exhibited the highest oxidative capacity at SYSP and lowest oxidative capacity at TI in both seasons, demonstrating that the PMl0 collected on the Macao peninsula had a higher toxicity than that from Taipa Island. ICP-MS analyses revealed that the concentrations of total analyzed trace elements and their water-soluble components in PMI0 from TI and AHC were higher in winter than in summer, whereas SYSP displayed the opposite trend. The extents of oxidative damage induced by the wa- ter-soluble fractions and intact whole particles were generally similar, implying that the oxidative damage caused by particles in Macao resulted mainly from the water-soluble fraction. The oxidative capacities of PM10 were positively correlated with both whole and soluble Zn at the 95% confidence level, indicating that Zn was the major element responsible for the oxidative damage caused by particles in Macao. Other heavy metals, such as Cr, Cu, Cd, Ni, As, and Pb, also exhibited elevated concen- trations, and the potential health impacts of these metals should be considered.