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Martinez-Sancho, Lou. "Impacts de l'optimisation du mix énergétique des villes de demain : vulnérabilité, éthique, santé publique et territoires durables". Electronic Thesis or Diss., Université Côte d'Azur, 2024. http://www.theses.fr/2024COAZ6045.
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La qualité de vie des citoyens est directement corrélée à l'énergie qui se transforme en travail et mouvement pour améliorer le IDH (indice de développement humain). En même temps, la production d'énergie détériore l'environnement, la santé humaine et l'écosystème global de la ville-santé. Cette thèse explore le dilemme énergétique, en étudiant l'impact de la transition vers des systèmes énergétiques à faible teneur en carbone sur la santé et les vulnérabilités urbaines. La recherche combine des méthodologies quantitatives, incluant la statistiques différentielle DOE (Design of Experiment) et la modélisation Monte Carlo (Stochastic), ainsi que des méthodes qualitatives comme post-phénoménologie pour étudier l'impact des systèmes énergétiques sur l'exposome urbain, en utilisant une étude de cas dans la ville de Oak Ridge, Tennessee. La thèse conclut qu'il existe un impact des systèmes de production d'énergie dans l'exposome urbain car des niveaux plus élevés de pollution peuvent être attribués à des populations à faible revenu et aider à établir cette corrélation. Le gradient médian du revenu des ménages suggère une relation négative entre la diminution de la richesse et l'exposition aux rejets toxiques et aux particules de diesel. La thèse souligne également 3 variables majeures, les émissions de CO2, la capacité énergétique et le LCOE, qui ont un impact sur les taux de mortalité dans la ville d'Oak Ridge, TN. Il suggérait que pour contrôler l'intensité en carbone d'une production énergétique donnée, nous pourrions réduire le taux de mortalité. Le modèle énergétique optimal 3D correspond aux émissions les plus faibles avec la capacité optimale du système et du LCOE. Pour pouvoir reproduire l'étude et les méthodologies appliquées dans cette thèse nous proposons 3 archétypes épistémologiques reproductibles (NOW-NEW-NEXT) afin de traiter le dilemme énergétique et son impact sur l'exposome énergétique urbain. Il appelle à une approche multidisciplinaire et humble pour intégrer les divers systèmes de connaissances. La thèse souligne le rôle de la post-phénoménologie dans la compréhension de l'exposome énergétique urbain et son impact sur la santé publique, suggérant que l'air non pollué est insuffisant pour créer des villes-santé. Le passage de la conscience et de l'expérience individuelles à une conscience collective est un mouvement transcendantal où passé, présent et futur contribuent à la prise de décision et à l'acceptabilité par la communauté. Ainsi, la thèse conclut qu'un équilibre entre les innovations technologiques et les approches humanistes sont nécessaires pour faire face au dilemme énergétique et préconise l'intégration de diverses épistémologies afin de faire progresser la compréhension de l'exposome énergétique urbain et son impact sur la justice environnementaleThe quality of life of inhabitants is directly correlated with energy, which is transformed into work and movement to improve the Human Development Index (HDI). At the same time, the production of energy deteriorates the environment, human health, and the overall ecosystem of a healthy city. This thesis explores the energy dilemma, researching the impact of the transition to low-carbon energy systems on urban health and vulnerabilities. The research combines quantitative methodologies, including DOE (Design of Experiments) and Monte Carlo (stochastic) modeling, with qualitative methods such as postphenomenology to study the impact of energy systems on the urban exposome, using a case study in the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The thesis concludes that energy production systems affect the urban exposome, as higher pollution levels may place inhabitants with lower incomes at greater risk, establishing this correlation. The median household income gradient suggests a negative relationship between decreasing wealth and exposure to toxic releases and diesel particulate matter (PM). The thesis also identifies three major variables—CO2 emissions, energy capacity, and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)—as impacting mortality rates in Oak Ridge, TN. It suggests that controlling the carbon intensity of a given energy production could reduce the mortality rate. The 3D optimum energy model corresponds to lower emissions with the optimal capacity of the system and LCOE. To transfer the study and methodologies applied in this thesis, we propose three replicable epistemological archetypes (NOW-NEW-NEXT) to address the energy dilemma and its impact on the urban energy exposome. This calls for a multidisciplinary and humble approach to integrate diverse knowledge systems. The thesis underscores the role of postphenomenology in understanding the urban energy exposome and its impact on public health, suggesting that non-polluted air alone is insufficient for creating healthy cities. The transition from individual consciousness and experience to a collective one is a transcendental movement where past, present, and future contribute to community decision-making and acceptability. Thus, the thesis concludes that a balance between technological innovations and humanistic approaches is necessary to tackle the energy dilemma and advocates for the integration of diverse epistemologies to advance the understanding of the urban energy exposome and its impact on environmental justice
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Adams, Helen Sarah. "Exposure assessment of urban transport users to particulate air pollution". Thesis, Imperial College London, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.246812.
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Strauss, Jillian. "Cyclist injury risk and pollution exposure at urban signalized intersections". Thesis, McGill University, 2012. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=107775.
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Cycling as a mode of travel is becoming more popular especially in urban areas like Montreal, Canada. With this reality come serious concerns for cyclist safety and health. These concerns have initiated the need to study the determinants of cyclist injury risk as well as cyclist exposure to traffic-related air pollution. These two issues are particularly important at intersections where cyclists are exposed to high vehicular traffic and as a result are exposed to the risk of collisions and air pollution. With the goal of improving road safety and reducing cyclist exposure to air pollution, this report seeks to meet the following objectives, to: i) investigate the impact of motor-vehicle traffic, geometric design and built environment factors on cyclist injury occurrence and bicycle activity at signalized intersections in Montreal and ii) study the association between bicycle activity (volume) and traffic-related air pollution concentrations. As an application environment, this research makes use of a large sample of signalized intersections on the island of Montreal. In this work, cyclist injury risk was examined looking not only at aggregate cyclist and motor-vehicle flows passing through intersections but also at disaggregate traffic movements and potential conflicts. It was found that a 10% increase in bicycle flow is associated with a 5.3% increase in the frequency of cyclist injuries whereas a 10% increase in motor-vehicle flow would result in a 3.2% increase in cyclist injury occurrence. When disaggregating motor-vehicle flows into its constituent movements it becomes apparent that right turn movements have the greatest effect on injury occurrence. The conflict measure again confirms this result. Regarding the geometric design and built environment factor analysis, the presence of an arterial and bus stops were found to increase cyclist injury occurrence whereas protected left turn signals, pedestrian signals with countdown and there being three approaches instead of four were found to have the opposite effect on cyclist injury risk. From a health perspective, applying the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) land use regression model for Montreal, has revealed some interesting results. It was found that NO2 levels are highest in the central neighbourhoods of the island of Montreal which is also where cyclist flows are the greatest. The central neighbourhoods are also where Montreal's bicycle network is most dense and most frequented. Also, the corridor analysis revealed that corridors with a bicycle facility have more than twice as many cyclists as those without any facility but they also have, on average, higher air pollution levels. To investigate the indirect impact of built environment and bicycle infrastructure on the two variables of interest (cyclist injury risk and air pollution exposure at intersections), the determinants of bicycle activity were investigated. For this purpose, a bicycle activity modeling framework was developed to measure the impact of built environment, road and transit network attributes and bicycle facilities on bicycle activity. Regression models accounting for spatial autocorrelation between intersections were developed and it was found that land use mix, metro (subway) stations, schools and bicycle facilities all have a positive effect on bicycle activity whereas average street length and presence of parking entrances have a negative impact. Knowledge of the factors that increase or decrease cyclist injury occurrence combined with the knowledge of the factors that increase or decrease bicycle activity through intersections can guide engineering countermeasures and recommendations of land use strategies as well as the location of new facilities. This report provides initial insight into the currently limited body of research into cyclist injury risk and pollution exposure at urban signalized intersections.De nos jours, le vélo gagne en popularité dans les milieux urbains surtout dans les grandes villes telles que Montréal, Canada. Cette réalité présente des inquiétudes sérieuses pour la sécurité et la santé des cyclistes et exigent la nécessité d'étudier les déterminants des risques de blessure ainsi que l'exposition des cyclistes aux polluants dans l'air. Les cyclistes y sont exposés à des débits de circulation élevés qui augmentent le risque d'accidents ainsi que l'exposition aux polluants. Dans le but d'améliorer la sécurité routière et de réduire l'exposition des cyclistes aux polluants, ce rapport vise à étudier: i) l'impact du débit des véhicules motorisés, de la conception géométrique des intersections et de l'environnement dans lequel se trouvent les intersections sur l'occurrence des blessures chez les cyclistes et les volumes de cyclistes aux intersections signalisées à Montréal et ii) la relation qui existe entre le volume de cyclistes et les polluants émis par les véhicules motorisés. Ce projet fait l'étude d'un large échantillon d'intersections signalisées sur l'île de Montréal. L'occurrence des blessures chez les cyclistes aux intersections n'est pas seulement examinée en évaluant les volumes totaux mais aussi en fonction des trois mouvements (gauche, droite et tout droit) et les conflits potentiels. D'après les résultats, si le volume de cyclistes augmente de 10%, il y aura une augmentation du nombre de blessures de 5.3% alors qu'une hausse de 10% dans les débits de circulation se traduira par une hausse de blessures de 3.2%. En désagrégeant les mouvements des véhicules motorisés, il est apparent que les virages à droite représentent le plus grand danger pour les cyclistes aux intersections. En prenant en considération la conception géométrique des intersections et l'environnement bâti, nous sommes arrivés à la conclusion suivante: la fréquence des accidents cyclistes augmente autour des intersections aux artères et des arrêts d'autobus. En revanche, les virages protégés à gauche, les signaux lumineux piétonniers munis de décompte et les intersections avec trois approches au lieu de quatre, diminuent le risque d'accidents. Les concentrations de dioxyde d'azote (NO2), qui ont été obtenues en appliquant la méthode de régression sur l'aménagement du territoire à Montréal, ont servi à réaliser l'impact de la pollution sur la santé des cyclistes. Les quartiers du centre qui comptent une haute densité d'aménagements cyclables, sont fréquentés par un grand nombre de cyclistes et comptent les plus grands niveaux de concentration de NO2. D'autre part, les corridors équipés d'aménagements cyclables sont fréquentés par plus que deux fois plus de cyclistes que les corridors n'en possédant pas. Le taux de pollution de ces corridors est plus élevé que la moyenne de ceux qui n'en possèdent pas. Les facteurs affectant les volumes de cyclistes sont examiné pour étudier l'impact indirect de l'environnement bâti et des aménagements cyclables sur les deux variables qui nous intéressent. Dans ce but, une méthodologie est proposée pour mesurer l'impact de l'environnement bâti, des caractéristiques de routes et de celles du transport en commun et des aménagements cyclables sur le nombre de cycliste qui traverse les intersections. Les résultats démontrent un effet positif de la mixité du territoire, des stations de métro, des écoles et de la présence des aménagements cyclables sur l'activité des cyclistes. Cependant, la longueur moyenne des routes et la présence des entrées de stationnement à proximité des intersections ont un effet négatif. Sachant les facteurs qui impactent l'occurrence des blessures et en prenant connaissance des facteurs affectant l'activité des cyclistes aux intersections aident à identifier des traitements efficaces, à faire des recommandations d'aménagement du territoire et aident aussi avec la localisation des nouveaux aménagements cyclables.
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Costa, Ana Margarida Lobo Lourenço da. "Microscale modelling of exposure to atmospheric pollutants in urban areas". Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/11334.
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Doutoramento em Ciências Aplicadas ao AmbienteA poluição atmosférica é considerada um dos maiores problemas ambientais, afectando em particular a saúde das populações urbanas. Esta problemática tem um impacto directo no ambiente exterior, mas assume especial relevância nos espaços interiores, onde a população dispende a maior percentagem do seu tempo. Para a avaliação dos impactos da poluição atmosférica na saúde das populações é necessário proceder à estimativa da exposição humana aos poluentes atmosféricos nos ambientes exterior e interior. Os principais objectivos deste trabalho centram-se no desenvolvimento de um modelo de exposição tridimensional de microscala (MEXPO) para a estimativa da exposição individual de curto termo aos poluentes PM10 e NO2, e na sua aplicação à área urbana de Viseu, com dados de duas campanhas experimentais, com o intuito de avaliar a exposição de crianças com problemas respiratórios aos referidos poluentes. O modelo de exposição tem capacidade para estimar os campos tridimensionais de vento e de concentração no ar ambiente, considerando a influência dos edifícios existentes na área urbana. O modelo simula, igualmente, as taxas de ventilação natural e as concentrações de poluentes no interior dos edifícios. O modelo de exposição inclui um modelo Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) de qualidade do ar para a estimativa dos campos exteriores de vento e de concentração de poluentes. O referido modelo CFD foi previamente validado de acordo com uma metodologia específica para modelos de microscala, e que inclui a utilização de critérios de validação desenvolvidos para o estudo da dispersão de poluentes em áreas urbanas. A aplicação do modelo de exposição à área urbana de Viseu para os dois períodos experimentais permitiu estimar quais as crianças mais expostas a concentrações de PM10 e NO2. Estes resultados estão directamente relacionados com o tempo dispendido pelas crianças no interior das suas residências e pelos valores de concentração determinados para esses espaços interiores. As crianças mais expostas terão uma maior probabilidade de desenvolver problemas respiratórios. A metodologia desenvolvida poderá ser usada como uma primeira abordagem para a estimativa da exposição individual a poluentes, substituindo a utilização de técnicas de medição directa intrusivas e dispendiosas. O modelo de exposição desenvolvido poderá ter ainda um papel relevante na aplicação a cenários futuros de alterações climáticas com influência no clima urbano, permitindo conhecer as concentrações futuras de poluentes no espaço urbano exterior e interior, e, consequentemente, estimar a futura exposição humana a poluentes atmosféricos.
Air pollution is a major environmental health problem focusing on the ambient air quality in cities but also on the air quality of indoor environments, where people spend most of their time. In order to evaluate the real impacts of urban air pollution in the population health is necessary to undergo a complete assessment of human exposure to atmospheric pollutants that includes both outdoor and indoor exposure assessments. The main goals of this study are the development of a three-dimensional (3D) Microscale EXPOsure model (MEXPO) to estimate the short-term individual exposure to PM10 and NO2 and its application to the Viseu urban area, using experimental data from two field campaigns, in order to assess the exposure to the referred pollutants on children with known respiratory problems. To perfom this goal the exposure model is able to estimate the outdoor flow and pollutant concentrations, considering the influence of the urban built-up area, as well to assess the air exchange rates as result of natural ventilation mechanisms. The indoor pollutant concentrations on the defined microenvironments are also estimated by the model. With the purpose of estimating the outdoor pollutant dispersion, the exposure model MEXPO includes a Computational Fluid Dynamic model (CFD) model that has the advantage to fully characterize the flow and the transport of the urban air pollution on a 3D basis. The CFD model was successfully evaluated according to a established procedure, using specific model acceptance criteria that were defined in agreement with the intended model purpose, which is the study of meteorology and pollutant dispersion in urban areas. The application of MEXPO to the Viseu urban area allowed determining the most exposed children to PM10 and NO2 concentrations during both campaigns. These children are therefore more sensitive to develop respiratory problems such as asthma. The developed methodology may be seen as a valid approach to assess the individual human exposure to atmospheric pollutants in urban areas, replacing direct measurement techniques that are considered invasive and expensive. The developed exposure model has also an important role in the application to future climate change scenarios with direct consequences in the urban climate, allowing to determine the future human exposure to atmospheric pollutants and, consequently, also the future outdoor and indoor atmospheric pollutants concentrations in an urban area.
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MUDELE, OLADIMEJI EZEKIEL. "Modeling Urban Areas Epidemiological Risk Exposure Using Multispectral Spaceborne Data". Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Pavia, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11571/1436356.
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In recent decades, the world has been fast urbanizing. More than half of the world’s human population now live in urban areas. Such high density of urban population is resulting in air and water pollution, land degradation, and infectious diseases spread risks prominence. However, the increasing quality (in terms of finer spatial and temporal resolution)and quantity of Earth Observation (EO) satellite data provide new perspectives for analysing these phenomena.
Within the specific domain of epidemiological risks dynamics in urban areas which is the focus of this work, the use of multispectral optical EO sensor data has created new opportunities. These data through their visible, near, mid, far and thermal infrared bands provide planetary-‐scale access to environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, and vegetation types, location and conditions. Since these environmental variables affect the development of vectors causing infectious disease (e.g., mosquitoes), there is the possibility to use EO data to estimate them, and obtain disease risk models.
The Ae. aegypti mosquito species transmits Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya, diseases widespread in more than 100 world countries, and is concentrated in urban areas. The development of this vector depends significantly on local environmental temperature, humidity, precipitation and vegetation. In this regard, multispectral EO data can provide globally consistent and scalable sources to obtain the required environmental variable inputs, and extract significant and consistent monitoring and forecasting models for vector population.
The work reported in this thesis about this topic has led to the following results:
1) A method to map vegetation types in urban areas at high spatial resolution using Sentinel2 multispectral EO data. The results show an improvement in the quality of the resulting vegetation maps with respect to what is available by means of state-of-the-art techniques.
2) A method that combines EO-based spectral indices, temperature layers, and precipitation measurement to model the temporal evolution of the local mean Ae. aegypti population. The approach leverages the random forest (RF) machine learning (ML) technique and its embedded nonlinear features importance ranking (mean decrease impurity, MDI) to rank the effects of environmental variables and explain the resulting model.
3) A weighted generalized linear modeling (GLM) technique to predict Ae. aegypti population using multispectral EO data covariate inputs. GLMs are generally simple to implement and explain, but do not provide the same level of prediction quality as ML methods. The proposed weighted GLM compares well with ML techniques in quality, and provides capability for more explicitly interpretation of the results.
4) A recurrent neural network (RNN) technique for spatio‐temporal modeling of Ae. Aegypti population at the urban block level using multispectral EO data as inputs. This study is needed because spatial models obscure seasonality effects while temporal model are blind to spatial changes in micro-climates. The proposed technique shows great promise with respect to the use of free multispectral EO data for spatio-temporal epidemiological modeling.
All the proposed techniques have been applied in the Latin American region where the risk of Ae. aegypti vector transmitted diseases are the highest in the world. They were validated thanks to the long term partnership with the University of Alagoas in Maceio (Brazil) and the Brazilian company: ECOVEC.
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Burns, Emily. "Assessing exposure and risks of pharmaceuticals in an urban river system". Thesis, University of York, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20448/.
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Pharmaceuticals are ubiquitous in the freshwater environment, a result of an increasingly urbanised water cycle. Environmental risk assessments are available for a small proportion of the over 1900 pharmaceuticals in use, raising concern over the potential risks posed by pharmaceuticals with limited data, as effects on non-target organisms have been observed. Experimentally filling these gaps is a large, costly and likely unnecessary task. Risk-based prioritisation is a potential tool for addressing this challenge by identifying which pharmaceuticals may pose risks and are therefore a priority for study. Simple exposure models are commonly used to predict environmental concentrations (PECs), however the suitability of these models for prioritisation is unknown. A scoping study targeted 95 pharmaceuticals in samples from the Rivers Ouse and Foss in York, UK, 25 were quantified. Measured environmental concentrations (MECs) were compared with simple PECs based on local usage data and dilution factors. MECs and simple PECs were used to prioritise pharmaceuticals and, for the larger River Ouse, different priority lists using the two approaches emerged. This conclusion was based on limited monitoring data, therefore an HPLC-MS/MS quantification method for 33 pharmaceuticals was developed, validated and applied to a year-long monitoring campaign to build a robust monitoring dataset. Significant spatial and temporal trends were observed in both rivers apparently driven by flow, pharmaceutical usage, wastewater treatment removal, and in-stream attenuation. These drivers differently influenced concentrations in either river. The simple PECs and PECs derived from a higher-tier spatial exposure model (LF2000-WQX) were validated against annual average MECs. LF2000-WQX outperformed the simple PEC in both rivers. A re-prioritisation using LF2000-WQX demonstrated that improved predictive power translated into better agreement of prioritisation outcomes with MECs. The use of simple PECs for the prioritisation and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals should be avoided and the use of higher-tier spatial exposure models encouraged.
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Defoe, Phillip Peterson. "Urban brownfields to gardens : minimizing human exposure to lead and arsenic". Diss., Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17584.
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Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Agronomy
Ganga M. Hettiarachchi
Urban gardens have been a popular re-use option in the transformation of brownfields—located in older industrialized cities and near peri-urban developments. They provide accessible, available, and affordable supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables, effectively reducing the enigma of “food deserts” across U.S. cities. However, direct (soil ingestion, inhalation) and indirect (soil-plant-human) human exposure concerns about real or perceived trace element contamination in urban soils persist due to previous use. Elevated lead (Pb) and/or arsenic (As) concentrations were found at two (Tacoma and Seattle, WA) urban gardens. The Tacoma site was contaminated with Pb (51 to 312 mg kg-1) and As (39 to 146 mg kg-1), whereas soil Pb at the Seattle site ranged from 506 to 2,022 mg kg-1, and As concentrations were < 20 mg kg-1. Experimental design at both sites was a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement (main plots: biosolids/compost vs. non-amended control; sub-plot: plant type). Tacoma site treatment included a Class A biosolids mix (TAGRO) with dolomite. The Seattle site was amended with Cedar-Grove Compost (CGC) plus dolomite. Efficacy of biosolids/compost amendment in reducing Pb and As concentrations was evaluated using root, leafy, and fruit vegetables. Soil Pb and As bioaccessibility were also evaluated. Food chain transfer of Pb and As in vegetables due to surface contamination of produce samples were evaluated on the basis of cleaning procedures. A laboratory incubation study and a controlled greenhouse experiment were conducted on soils collected from the Tacoma site. Effectiveness of addition of laboratory synthesized ferrihydrite (Fh: iron oxyhydroxide) and TAGRO mix, each alone or in combination were screened and tested on the Pb and As co-contaminated Tacoma soil. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy studies of Pb and As were conducted on incubation study samples to understand treatment-induced Pb- and As-speciation changes. Dilution of soil Pb (10 to 23%) and As (12 to 25%) were observed for biosolids amendment at the Tacoma site, while CGC amendment resulted in 20 to 50% dilution in soil Pb at the Seattle site. Biosolids and CGC amendments reduced Pb concentrations in the vegetables by 50% to 71%. At both sites, Pb concentrations of root vegetables exceeded the MLs established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Arsenic concentrations in vegetables were below an estimated ML and were reduced by 46% to 80% when grown on biosolids amended soils. Laboratory cleaning further reduced Pb and As food-chain transfer in vegetables grown in contaminated urban soils. Laboratory incubation and greenhouse studies showed dissolution of Pb in TAGRO plus Fh, and Pb concentrations in Fh amendments were significantly lower than the other amendments. Bioaccessible Pb and As were low. Significant reductions in bioaccessible As were observed when soils were amended with both TAGRO and Fh. X-ray absorption spectroscopy results indicated that chloropyromorphite-like (stable Pb phosphates) phases were the most dominant Pb species. Arsenic existed mainly as As5+, scorodite (FeAsO4•2H2O)-like species in all the treatments ranging from about 60% (control) to about 70% (TAGRO plus ferrihydrite). Amendments utilizing both biosolids and Fh significantly reduce human exposure risks present in urban soils contaminated with Pb and As.
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Amin, Maryse R. "Lead Exposure and the Risk of Dental Caries in Urban Children". University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1406901155.
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Kennedy, Jason Forrest. "Estimating Pedestrian Crashes at Urban Signalized Intersections". Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/36308.
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Crash prediction models are used to estimate the number of crashes using a set of explanatory variables. The highway safety community has used modeling techniques to predict vehicle-to-vehicle crashes for decades. Specifically, generalized linear models (GLMs) are commonly used because they can model non-linear count data such as motor vehicle crashes. Regression models such as the Poisson, Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP), and the Negative Binomial are commonly used to model crashes. Until recently very little research has been conducted on crash prediction modeling for pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes. This thesis considers several candidate crash prediction models using a variety of explanatory variables and regression functions. The goal of this thesis is to develop a pedestrian crash prediction model to contribute to the field of pedestrian safety prediction research. Additionally, the thesis contributes to the work done by the Federal Highway Administration to estimate pedestrian exposure in urban areas. The results of the crash prediction analyses indicate the pedestrian-vehicle crash model is similar to models from previous work. An analysis of two pedestrian volume estimation methods indicates that using a scaling technique will produce volume estimates highly correlated to observed volumes. The ratio of crash and exposure estimates gives a crash rate estimation that is useful for traffic engineers and transportation policy makers to evaluate pedestrian safety at signalized intersections in an urban environment.Master of Science
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Kousa, Anu. "PM2.5 and NO2 exposure assessment of urban population in the Helsinki metropolitan area and other European urban areas". Helsinki : University of Helsinki, 2002. http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/mat/fysik/vk/kousa/.
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Goveia, Danielle E. "An Analysis of the Potential Risk Exposure to Lead (Pb) through Urban Community Gardens". FIU Digital Commons, 2013. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/847.
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Community gardening in cities is increasing, driven by social interaction and food security. City soils are sinks for heavy metals; including neurotoxic lead (Pb). Exposure routes are primarily through inhalation/ingestion of soil, or second by ingestion of plants that have accumulated Pb. This research evaluates soil at three Liberty City, Florida sites estimating risk of Pb exposure through primary and secondary pathways.
Soil cores were collected from Liberty City, and red Malabar spinach (Basella rubra) was grown in Pb soil treatments in a greenhouse. Total soil Pb levels and plant tissues were measured after acid digestion, by ICP-OES. In Liberty City, two sites had hotspots with areas of elevated soil Pb levels. Plants grown on Pb contaminated soil all accumulated statistically significant Pb concentrations. Therefore, there is a potential risk of Pb exposure to residents in Liberty City by exposure in hotspot sites through both the primary and secondary pathways.
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Cannell, Robert J. "Radiation exposure in an urban dwelling following an accidental release of radioactivity". Thesis, Imperial College London, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/46984.
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Kaur, Surbjit. "Exposure assessment of urban street users to particulate matter & carbon monoxide". Thesis, Imperial College London, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.430470.
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McKinley, Alex R. "Investigating erythemal UV exposure and vitamin D production in the urban canyon". Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2008. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/26381/1/Alex_McKinley_Thesis.pdf.
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Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) results in both damaging and beneficial health outcomes. Excessive UV exposure has been linked to many skin and eye problems, but moderate exposure induces vitamin D production. It has been reported that humans receive 90-95% of their vitamin D from production that starts after UV exposure. Although it is possible to acquire vitamin D through dietary supplementation, the average person receives very little in this manner. Therefore, since most people acquire their vitamin D from synthesis after exposure to UV from sunlight, it is very important to understand the different environments in which people encounter UV.
This project measured UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production in the urban canyon and at a nearby suburban location. The urban canyon is an environment consisting of tall buildings and tropospheric air pollution, which have an attenuating effect on UV. Typically, UV measurements are collected in areas outside the urban canyon, meaning that at times studies and public recommendations do not accurately represent the amount of UV reaching street-level in highly urbanized areas. Understanding of UV exposure in urban canyons becomes increasingly important as the number of people working and living in large cities steadily increases worldwide.
This study was conducted in the central business district (CBD) of Brisbane, Australia, which models the urban canyons of large cities around the world in that it boasts a great number of tall buildings, including many skyscrapers, meaning that most areas only see a small amount of direct sunlight each day. During the winter of 2007 measurements of UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production were collected in the CBD and at a suburban site approximately 2.5km outside the CBD. Air pollution data was obtained from a central CBD measurement site. Data analysis showed that urban canyon measurements of both UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production were significantly lower than those collected at the suburban site. These results will aid both future researchers and policy makers in better understanding human UV exposure in Brisbane’s CBD and other urban canyons around the world.
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McKinley, Alex R. "Investigating erythemal UV exposure and vitamin D production in the urban canyon". Queensland University of Technology, 2008. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/26381/.
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Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) results in both damaging and beneficial health outcomes. Excessive UV exposure has been linked to many skin and eye problems, but moderate exposure induces vitamin D production. It has been reported that humans receive 90-95% of their vitamin D from production that starts after UV exposure. Although it is possible to acquire vitamin D through dietary supplementation, the average person receives very little in this manner. Therefore, since most people acquire their vitamin D from synthesis after exposure to UV from sunlight, it is very important to understand the different environments in which people encounter UV.
This project measured UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production in the urban canyon and at a nearby suburban location. The urban canyon is an environment consisting of tall buildings and tropospheric air pollution, which have an attenuating effect on UV. Typically, UV measurements are collected in areas outside the urban canyon, meaning that at times studies and public recommendations do not accurately represent the amount of UV reaching street-level in highly urbanized areas. Understanding of UV exposure in urban canyons becomes increasingly important as the number of people working and living in large cities steadily increases worldwide.
This study was conducted in the central business district (CBD) of Brisbane, Australia, which models the urban canyons of large cities around the world in that it boasts a great number of tall buildings, including many skyscrapers, meaning that most areas only see a small amount of direct sunlight each day. During the winter of 2007 measurements of UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production were collected in the CBD and at a suburban site approximately 2.5km outside the CBD. Air pollution data was obtained from a central CBD measurement site. Data analysis showed that urban canyon measurements of both UV radiation and in-vitro vitamin D production were significantly lower than those collected at the suburban site. These results will aid both future researchers and policy makers in better understanding human UV exposure in Brisbane’s CBD and other urban canyons around the world.
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Bourrier, Stefan Christian. "Take a hike! : the cognitive effects of exposure to natural and urban environments". Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/54719.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate links between attention restoration theory and executive function. A series of four experiments, each using a pre- versus post-test design, studied the influence of various interventions on executive function, as assessed by a backward digit span task and Raven’s progressive matrices. Experiment 1 began by testing the influence of cognitive strategy as manipulated through task instructions. Experiment 2 tested the influence of viewing slides of nature versus urban scenes, as predicted by attention restoration theory (Berman, et al., 2008). Experiment 3 repeated these procedures, using more engaging 10-min video tours of nature versus urban environments. Experiment 4 combined the successful instructional manipulations of Experiment 1 and the video manipulation of Experiment 3 to examine interactions between strategy and environment on executive function. The results showed that the nature video intervention reduced the influence of task instructions relative to the urban intervention. This supports Berman et al. (2008), who claim that exposure to nature has a restorative influence on executive function.Arts, Faculty of
Psychology, Department of
Graduate
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Datema, Jason Alexander. "Human pulmonary function response to a controlled exposure to fine urban particulate matter". Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape9/PQDD_0003/MQ45903.pdf.
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Tight, Miles Richard. "Accident involvement and exposure to risk for children as pedestrians on urban roads". Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1987. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1317615/.
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A detailed literature review reveals the need for further study of several aspects of road accidents to child pedestrians in urban areas. Some of these aspects are explored using data for selected residential parts of five urban areas in Britain. Road accidents in the five study areas are examined using Local Authority accident data, police accident reports, local knowledge, and data from the 1981 census of population. Variations in occurrence of these accidents are analysed using variables such as age and sex of the child, type of location, distance from home, severity, and time of occurrence. Collection and analysis of data concerning exposure on journeys to and from school and during some other uses of the roads are described. Data on journeys to or from school was collected by questionnaire from most of the schools in each of the study areas. Analysis examines several features of exposure including mode of travel, accompaniment, time spent outside, distance travelled, and the number of roads crossed. These features are analysed for different groups of people, at different times, and in different sorts of area. Where possible results are related to accidents to produce measures of risk. Data on journeys other than those to and from school, with particular emphasis on play, was collected in two of the study areas by direct observation of children on the streets. These observations were carried out to a preset schedule, using routes predefined on the basis of accident and other local information. Analysis examines the variety of children using the roads in different areas and time periods. Where possible, accident data and traffic flow information are related to the results to produce measures of accident risk. Suggestions for preventative measures, and for additional research, both within these study areas and more widely, are given.
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Peel, Robert. "Towards the integrated assessment of human exposure to grass pollen in urban environments". Thesis, University of Worcester, 2013. http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/3056/.
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Pollen allergy affects a substantial proportion of the European population, and in many European countries the greatest rates of sensitisation are found for grass pollen allergen. Pollen allergy incidence rates tend to be greater in urban than in rural areas, likely due in part to the effects of urban air pollution on the allergy-causing potential of pollen grains. Background pollen concentrations measured at roof level monitoring stations are typically used as a proxy for exposure, but may differ considerably from the exposure experienced by allergy sufferers. In a 2003 report on phenology, the World Health Organisation highlighted the need for an improved understanding of the relationship between pollen monitoring station data and actual personal exposure. Four studies are presented in this thesis. Three of these address three different aspects of urban exposure to grass pollen, whilst the fourth supporting study concerns pollen sampler effciency. In Study A, the relative efficiency relationships between three models of pollen sampler were established under field conditions, and effciency correction factors derived. These factors enable the quantitative comparison of data collected with different samplers, as is often necessary during exposure assessment. The results contribute to Study B, in which background grass pollen concentrations measured at roof level were compared with those at street level within an urban canyon. A tendency for lower concentrations within the canyon was observed, consistent with the deposition of pollen from the recycling component of within-canyon air, and indicating that monitoring station data typically overestimates exposure in the canyon environment. In Study C, grass pollen dose rates estimated through personal sampling were compared with monitoring station data, and dose rate/background concentration ratios determined. These ratios, which as far as the author is aware have not been reported previously, may be used to estimate inhaled pollen dose from monitoring station data. In Study D, diurnal grass pollen concentration profiles were shown to vary systematically throughout the pollen season, with this variation apparently associated with a succession of different grass species with different flowering patterns dominating pollen emission as the season progresses. Profles averaged over entire seasons are commonly used to advise allergy sufferers on avoidance strategies, however such systematic intra-seasonal variation is not thought to have previously been demonstrated. As far as the author is aware, each of these four studies represents a novel contribution to the area of pollen exposure assessment. As a body of work, this thesis furthermore lays foundations for the development of a human exposure model for grass pollen, an important constituent of an integrated pollen exposure assessment strategy.
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Antwi-Agyei, Prince. "Wastewater use in urban agriculture : an exposure and risk assessment in Accra, Ghana". Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2015. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/2352419/.
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In order to minimize the health risks to agricultural workers, and consumers of wastewater irrigated produce, the World Health Organisation has developed guidelines for the safe use of wastewater in agriculture. This study sought to test the appropriateness of the current Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment model and the multiple-barrier approach advocated by the WHO guidelines. Over a one year period, over 500 produce and ready-to-eat salad samples were collected from fields, markets, and kitchens in Accra, Ghana, and over 300 soil and irrigation water samples were collected. All samples were analysed for E. coli, human adenovirus and norovirus using standard microbiological procedures. In addition, almost 700 participants including farmers, food vendors, and consumers were interviewed and observed to assess critical exposures associated with the transmission of faecal pathogens. The results showed that irrigation water was significantly more contaminated than farm soil, though exposure to soil was found to pose the key risk to farmers due to hand-to-mouth events. Over 80% of produce samples were found contaminated with E. coli, with street food salad being the most contaminated (4.23 Log E. coli/g), and that consumption of salads did not meet health standards. Risk factors identified for produce contamination included farm soil contamination, wastewater use for irrigation, poor hygiene, and operating with a hygiene permit. Awareness of the source of irrigation water was low, but despite the high awareness of health risk, consumers did not prioritize health indicators when buying produce from vendors. Similarly, farmers’ awareness of health risk did not influence their adoption of safer farm practices. The study recommends the promotion of interventions that would result in more direct benefits to producers and vendors, together with hygiene education and inspection, hygiene certification and enforcement of food safety byelaws in order to increase the uptake of the multi-barrier approach.
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Davis, Cindy. "Prolonged Exposure to non-school related media use and violence among urban youth". ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2478.
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Youth violence is a pervasive and ongoing public health concern. Based on the paradigm of resilience, the purpose of this quantitative study was to test the relationship between prolonged (3 or more hours) of non-school related media use and youth violence. Secondary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were utilized for this study. Logistic and multiple regression models were used to test whether exposure to prolonged non-school related media (video games and TV) use was associated with violent behavior, and whether there was a relationship between prolonged exposure to non-school related media use and electronic bullying among urban youth (N = 1228). Prolonged exposure to both types of non-school related media use was associated with violent behavior (carrying a weapon, physical fighting, perpetrating physical bullying), and playing video and computer games 3 or more hours per day was positively associated with electronic bullying. However, 3 or more hours of TV viewing per day was not associated with electronic bullying. Policy makers, constituents, and parents may benefit from a greater understanding of media exposure and urban youth violence. The knowledge gained from this study may promote positive social change within family systems by increasing parental awareness of what youth do in their unstructured free time and how this impacts subsequent behaviors. Public health professionals, community organizations, and social service agencies in urban communities could incorporate the results to create a culture that supports youth leadership programs that focus on limited use of non-school related media and on violence prevention.
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Thielen, Sharon Leanne. "Factors influencing urban students to major in agriculture". Diss., Kansas State University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/15044.
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Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction
Steven Harbstriet
Colleges of agriculture across the country are challenged to produce more graduates in order to meet the increase in employment opportunities in the areas of agriculture, food, and renewable natural resources. To attract students from areas with the most growth, urban communities, this study identified factors such as exposures to agriculture, college factors, and career aspirations that influenced urban students to major in agriculture and enroll in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University (KSU). The accessible sample consisted of 125 students currently majoring in the College of Agriculture (agriculture students) and 18 students no longer majoring in the College of Agriculture (non-agriculture students) who completed the online questionnaire. Students from both groups were predominately female, non-minority students from the state of Kansas who entered KSU as incoming freshmen. The majors most represented were animal sciences and industry, pre-veterinary medicine, and food science and industry. The mean ACT score for agriculture students was 26.23 and 24.81 for non-agriculture students. For both groups of students, having a relative who worked in a field related to agriculture (grandparents, parent/guardian, aunt and uncle) was influential when they chose their academic major. A higher percentage of agriculture students had a relative who worked in a field related to agriculture or in production agriculture, compared to non-agriculture students. Career opportunities for graduates, hands-on-learning opportunities, friendly atmosphere in the College of Agriculture, visit to campus, quality and reputation of college faculty, availability of academic programs, and affordability of KSU were college factors most influential among the sample of students. Least influential factors were interaction with alumni, agriculture related camps and competitive events on campus, and ability to take online courses. Agriculture students were more influenced by career aspirations specific to career interests, such as working with people and animals, being able to use their creativity, or work with their hands. Non-agriculture students were influenced by broader career aspirations, such as having a job they enjoyed or being able to advance in their career.
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Ampleman, Matthew D. "Inhalation and dietary exposure to PCBS in urban and rural cohorts via congener-specific airborne PCB measurements". Thesis, University of Iowa, 2014. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1532.
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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of 209 persistent organic pollutants, whose documented carcinogenic, neurological and respiratory toxicities are expansive and growing. Existing inhalation estimates demonstrate ubiquitous exposure to World Health Organization (WHO) indicator PCBs and limited other PCB congeners in North America and Europe. However, inhalation exposure estimates of most lower-chlorinated congeners are lacking, and continuing release of PCBs from urban areas demands location-specific assessments of PCB exposure in ambient air and contaminated environments. Using paired indoor and outdoor airborne PCB measurements and activity questionnaires from the AESOP Study, we assess congener-specific exposure rates for adolescent children and their mothers in East Chicago, Indiana and Columbus Junction, Iowa. Our cohorts of 129 (EC) and 135 (CJ) and our detection of 202 individual congeners and coelutions allows unprecedented quantification of congener-specific inhalation exposure, which we compare to dietary exposure using Total Diet Survey PCB concentrations. ∑PCB inhalation is greater for children than for their mothers in both locations, and is greater for East Chicago mothers and children than for Columbus Junction mothers and children, respectively. Schools attended by AESOP Study children have higher indoor PCB concentrations than do homes, and contribute to more than half of children's inhalation PCB exposure. Inhalation of the potentially neurotoxic congeners PCB 11, 40/41/71, and 51 was apparent among individuals at each location. Additional, congener-specific and biological inferences are possible via comparison with sera-based PCB concentrations for these cohorts.
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Mueller-Anneling, Linda J. "Endotoxin in the urban and rural environment ambient concentration and biomarkers of pulmonary exposure /". Diss., University of Iowa, 2004. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/110.
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Matar, Hamad Bandar. "Indoor and outdoor exposure to PM10 in properties in the vicinity of urban streets". Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3000.
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Occupants of buildings are exposed to indoor pollution from cooking and smoking and infiltrated outdoor pollution. The fabric of a building (doors, windows, ventilation etc.) has an influence on the infiltration of outdoor pollution into the building. In some studies, personal exposure has been investigated within homes and different transport modes. However, there is a lack of knowledge about pollution level variations along congested, busy and quiet roads in urban areas and its infiltration into the buildings located some distance from or along the roads. Only a few studies have investigated dynamic and static indoor/outdoor monitoring simultaneously in the same urban area to establish relative levels of exposure in different microenvironments. The aim of this study was to investigate PM10 exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution simultaneously as a function of activity patterns in urban streets/areas. This thesis describes the research carried out to investigate indoor and outdoor monitoring of PM10 exposure within and outside the air quality management area (AQMA), in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. It examined the results of several days (at a sampling rate of one second or one minute) of monitoring of particulate matter (PM10) levels simultaneously indoors (static monitoring) and outdoors (static and dynamic monitoring). The static monitoring was conducted in a number of houses and commercial premises in Gosforth and Jesmond areas in Newcastle whilst dynamic monitoring was conducted along the High Street in Gosforth. For static monitoring, PM10 monitors were installed in the lounge and kitchen in houses and the reception areas of the commercial properties. The property owners were asked to record activity (such as cooking, vacuum cleaning, door opening etc.) in a diary for at least one day during the week and a day at weekends. For dynamic monitoring along the High Street Gosforth, the observer carried a portable PM10 monitor and a GPS monitor in a back pack and walked on the pavement alongside the street. The observer also noted the traffic condition, passing of HGV and buses, crossing of junctions and other activities, such as street cleaning, construction, cigarette smoking, all of which influence PM levels. Arc GIS software and statistical techniques were used to map spatial and temporal variations in PM10 levels recorded during several dynamic monitoring campaigns. Similarly, temporal variations in PM10 levels in houses were also plotted. Statistical techniques were used to fit distributions to the temporal variations in PM10 ii concentrations. Timestamps of traffic activities and events aligned with the time series for the dynamic monitoring have helped to identify their influence on PM10 levels. This research applied the basic theory of the statistical technique known as ‘decomposition’ to reveal features in the probability density functions (pdfs) derived from static measurements (indoor/outdoor) as well dynamic. The decomposition technique was used to characterise the influence of various sources and events on indoor and outdoor PM10 levels, to provide a richer understanding of whether exposure is influenced by the traffic flow regimes in the vicinity of properties. The decomposition technique was used to characterize pollution measured indoors disaggregating the contributions to the total pdfs of sources such as cleaning, cooking, sleeping as well as from outdoors with sources mainly traffic activity, street works. The dynamic second by second averaged to one minute PM10 levels were also decomposed to map onto sources associated with traffic condition. Component distributions fitted by the decomposition technique were lognormal for both static and dynamic monitoring. The results of the time series analysis have shown that monitored exposures vary substantially and are unique to the location and temporal variation of the measured microenvironment whether indoors in a kitchen or lounge, inside a commercial property or whether out of doors at the facade of a building or dynamically on a pavement alongside a road. The application of the decomposition technique was demonstrated to be promising. Static indoor and outdoor pdfs were mainly characterised by three or more log-normal distributions whilst the dynamically monitored data were fitted with three. Activities such as cooking, those associated with doors and windows opened or closed, use of extractor fan in the kitchen and vacuum cleaning were found to have a strong influence on indoor PM10 concentrations. Also, outdoor PM10 levels were governed more by the stop-start and idling characteristics of traffic rather than level of flow and traffic has little influence on temporal variations in indoor PM10 over time of the day. Instead it is the indoor activity that mainly governs the temporal variations in measured indoor concentrations of PM10. Multi-lognormal distributions explained typically 83% to 98% of the measured variance in the total pdfs. Finally, the author is not aware of any studies which have used the decomposition statistical technique to analyse dynamic and static indoor/outdoor monitoring in the same urban area to develop a fundamental understanding of the relative importance of the different sources of pollution in different microenvironments on personal exposure levels.
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Ngwenya, Bigboy. "Heat exposure and adaptation strategies of outdoor informal sector workers in urban Bulawayo - Zimbabwe". Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2019. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2183.
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Ambient temperatures have risen over the past few decades and are expected to increase even further due to climate change impacts. Extreme temperatures, accompanied by high humidity levels, will exacerbate occupational heat stress, heat related illnesses and mortality amongst vulnerable groups, particularly among outdoor workers in developing countries in the tropics. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, a large portion of the population work outdoors in the informal sector as street vendors (hawkers) due to a lack of employment opportunities. These hawkers spend long hours in the sun or under makeshift sheds with poorly developed adaptation strategies, and no access to cooling systems both at work and at home. This mixed method study, conducted during the summer of 2015, explored heat exposure and adaptation strategies of informal street vendors in Bulawayo. Study participants were exposed to temperatures above 38°C during heat wave events and they were unable to cool down effectively at night due to the condition of their housing. Focus group discussions with health professionals and policy makers identified a lack of policies, programs and resources for heat prevention at local authority and national levels. It was recommended that the Zimbabwe government develop heat prevention policies and strategies in its National Climate Change Strategy and embrace community-based adaptation responses that will address heat related health impacts, particularly amongst people that work in the informal sector, who are deemed most vulnerable.
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Leavey, Anna L. "Insights into the variables controlling human exposure to ultrafine particle concentrations in urban affinity zones". Thesis, University of Manchester, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.508619.
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Goosey, Emma Rae. "Towards understanding the fate of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) within urban environments : implications for human exposure". Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1052/.
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Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been detected across the globe in a variety of media. The toxicity of these compounds and other precursors has led to concern about human exposure. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the presence of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in UK indoor and outdoor microenvironments and the impact this may have on human exposure. Both PFOS and PFOA were chosen for analysis (via LC-ESI-MS/MS) because of their highly persistent behaviour. Additionally, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), was chosen along with precursors to PFOS and PFOA; perfluorooctane sulfonamides (PFOSAs) and perfluorooctane sulfonamidoethanols (PFOSEs). An international comparison of house dust was conducted and concentrations of PFCs in the UK (except for ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide (EtFOSA)) were found to be similar to those from France, Germany, USA, Canada and Australia and much greater than from homes in Kazakhstan and Thailand. Concentrations of EtFOSA were significantly higher in house dust samples from Australia compared to the UK, and were raised in all other countries. The reason for this is uncertain, but is speculated to derive from the use of EtFOSA as an active ingredient in Sulfluramid, which is an insecticide used for control of ants, cockroaches and termites.
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Wu, Hao. "Assessing urban air quality through measurements and modelling and its implications for human exposure assessment". Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/28755.
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Outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to adverse health effects of citizens, in particular those living in urban environments. Air quality monitoring networks are set up to measure air quality in different environments in compliance with national and European legislation. Generally, only a few fixed monitoring sites are located within a city and thus cannot represent air pollutant concentrations in urban areas accurately enough to allow for a detailed human exposure assessment. Other approaches to derive detailed urban air pollutant concentration estimates exist, such as dispersion models and land-use regression (LUR) models. Low-cost portable air quality monitors are also emerging, which have the potential to add value to existing monitoring networks by providing measurements at greater spatial resolution and also to provide individual-level exposure assessment. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how measurements and modelling in combination allow detailed investigations of the variability of air pollutants in space and time in urban area, and in turn improve on the current exposure assessment methods. Three types of low-cost portable monitors measuring NO2, O3 (Aeroqual monitors) and PM2.5 (microPEM monitor) were evaluated against their respective reference instruments. The Aeroqual O3 monitor showed very good correlation (r2 > 0.9) with the respective reference instruments, but biases in the slope and intercept coefficients indicated that calibration of Aeroqual O3 monitor was needed. The Aeroqual NO2 monitor was subject to cross-sensitivity from O3, which, as demonstrated, can be effectively corrected by making O3 and NO2 measurements in tandem. Correlation between the microPEM monitor and its reference instrument was poor (r2 < 0.1) when PM2.5 concentrations were low (< 10 μg m-3), but significantly improved (r2 > 0.69) during periods with elevated PM2.5 concentrations. Relative humidity was not found to affect the raw results of PM2.5 measurements in a consistent manner. All three types of monitors cannot be used as equivalent or indicative methods instead of reference methods in studies that require quantification of absolute pollutant concentrations. However, the generally good correlations with reference instruments reassure their application in studies of relative trends of air pollution. Concentrations of PM2.5, ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC) were quantified using portable monitors through a combination of mobile and static measurements in the city of Edinburgh, UK. The spatial variability of UFP and BC was large, of similar magnitude and about 3 times higher than the spatial variability of PM2.5. Elevated concentrations of UFP and BC were observed along streets with high traffic volumes whereas PM2.5 showed less variation between streets and a footpath without road traffic. Both BC and UFP significantly correlated with traffic counts, while no significant correlation between PM2.5 and traffic counts was observed. The relationships between UFP, NO2 and inorganic components of PM2.5 were further investigated through long-term measurements at roadside, urban background and rural sites. UFP moderately correlated with NOx (NO2 + NO) and showed varying relationships with NOx depending on the particle size distribution. Principal component analysis and air-mass back trajectory analysis revealed that PM2.5 concentrations were dominated by long-range transport of secondary inorganic aerosols, whereas UFP were mainly related to varying local emissions and meteorological conditions. These findings imply the need for different policies for managing human exposure to these different particle components: control of much BC and UFP appears to be manageable at local scale by restricting traffic emissions; however, abatement of PM2.5 requires a more strategic approach, in cooperation with other regions and countries on emissions control to curb long-range transport of PM2.5 precursors. A dispersion model (ADMS-Urban) was used to simulate high resolution NO2 and O3 concentrations in Edinburgh. The effects of different emission and meteorological input datasets on the resulting modelled NO2 concentrations were investigated. The modelled NO2 and O3 concentrations using the optimal model setup were validated against reference instrument and diffusion tube measurements. Temporal variability of NO2 was predicted well at locations that were not heavily influenced by local effects, such as road junctions and bus stops. Temporal variability of O3 was predicted better than for NO2. Long-term spatial variability of NO2 was found to correlate well with diffusion tube measurements, while modelled spatial variability of O3 in ADMS-Urban compared poorly with diffusion tube measurements. However, it was found that the O3 diffusion tube measurements may be subject to some unidentified biases affecting their accuracy. Land-use regression (LUR) models are widely used to estimate exposure to air pollution in urban areas. An appropriately sized and designed monitoring network is an important component for the development of a robust LUR model. Concentrations of NO2 were simulated by ADMS-Urban at ‘virtual’ monitoring sites in 54 different network designs of varying numbers and types of site, using a 25 km2 area including much of the Edinburgh city area. Separate LUR models were developed for each network. These LUR models were then used to estimate ambient NO2 concentrations at all residential addresses, which were evaluated against the ADMS-Urban modelled concentration at these addresses. The improvement in predictive capability of the LUR models was insignificant above ~30 monitoring sites, although more sites tended to yield more precise LUR models. Monitoring networks containing sites located within highly populated areas better estimated NO2 concentrations across all residential locations. LUR models constructed from networks containing more roadside sites better characterised the high end of residential NO2 concentrations but had increased errors when considering the whole range of concentrations. No particular composition of monitoring network resulted in good estimation simultaneously across all residential NO2 concentration and of the highest NO2 levels implying a lack of spatial contrast in LUR-modelled pollution surface compared with the dispersion model. Finally, the results from the measurement and modelling studies presented in thesis are synthesised in the context of current exposure assessment studies. Low-cost air-quality monitors currently do not possess and are unlikely in the near future to provide the robustness and accuracy to replace the existing routine monitoring network. Development of the low-cost air-quality should be aiming at upgrading them as the indicative method as defined in the data quality objective in the EU directive. The monitoring sites used to build LUR models should capture well the population distribution in the study area as opposed to capturing the greatest pollution contrast. The traditional methods of evaluating LUR models are also ineffective in characterising the models’ capability at estimating pollutant concentration at residential address. Given that the dispersion models are also subject to the availability and uncertainties in the input data, future air quality model development should endeavour to incorporate both dispersion and land-use regression models, where the uncertainty in the input data can be reduced by using LUR models built on actual measurements, and the limitation in the statistical modelling can be replaced by adopting the deterministic approach used in the dispersion model.
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Boch, Samantha Jo. "Urban Youth Exposed to Parental Incarceration: the Biosocial Linkages in an Understudied Adverse Childhood Exposure". The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149255012078895.
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Slavin, Courtney Natasha. "The Relationship Between Traffic Signals and Pedestrian, Bicyclist and Transit User Exposure in Urban Areas". PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/616.
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Improving the efficiency of traffic operations along arterials is currently a priority for many agencies as their roadway infrastructure is built out to the largest possible capacity within the urban environment. Many advanced systems are being implemented to optimize traffic signal timing. Air quality is typically not a consideration when these decisions are made. The relationship between exposure to air pollution and traffic signal timing has not been fully explored by other researchers. This study is the first research effort to combine detailed traffic signal timing data (at 5 second intervals) and air pollutant exposure data. Results show that longer green time along the busy arterial reduces pollutant levels, while increased volume per cycle increases pollutant levels. This research quantifies the factors that contribute to pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit user exposure at a busy intersection along an urban arterial. The factors include traffic signal timing, weather related variables, traffic volumes, and heavy vehicle and bus presence. Additionally, the impact of an adaptive traffic signal system on air quality is assessed to understand the implications of signal timing on air pollutant exposure.
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Tenailleau, Quentin. "Multi-exposition en milieu urbain : approche multi-echelle de l'exposition humaine au bruit et à la pollution atmosphérique". Thesis, Besançon, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014BESA2052/document.
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Chaque jour, 15% des Européens sont exposés à des niveaux moyens de bruit ou de polluants atmosphériquesdépassant les valeurs seuils fixées par la législation européenne. L’intensité de la pollution de chaque polluant et sarépartition à l’échelle d’une agglomération dépendent des capacités d’émission des sources, des phénomènes dedispersion, et de l’environnement urbain. Il en résulte une variabilité spatiale du niveau de multi-exposition qui resteencore largement méconnue. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse est d’identifier et de caractériser les situations de multiexpositionsur la ville de Besançon. Les niveaux sonores et les concentrations de plusieurs polluants atmosphériques denatures différentes (NO2, benzène, PM10 et PM2.5) ont été finement modélisés (2m x 2m). La compatibilité des modèlesa été maximisée par l’introduction d’inputs identiques dans les méthodologies de calcul Mithra-SIG pour le bruit, etCOPERT4/ADMS-urban pour les polluants. Dans un premier temps, l’impact de la définition du voisinage sur lesniveaux d’exposition a été exploré pour les deux pollutions. Douze indicateurs, présentant chacun une définitiondifférente de la zone d’exposition au voisinage du domicile, ont permis de quantifier les niveaux d'exposition autour des10865 bâtiments d’habitations bisontins. Les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence un impact significatif de ladéfinition de la zone d’exposition sur les niveaux. Les différentes définitions du voisinage conduisent à l'existence d'unbiais différentiel, dû à la prise en compte particulière des variables environnementales dans chacun des indicateurs. Cebiais se retrouve pour l'ensemble des polluants étudiés, bien que dans des proportions variables en fonction du polluant.Dans un second temps, l’étude des situations de multi-exposition bruit/NO2 a pu être réalisée. Les résultats obtenusindiquent l'existence d'une relation complexe et permettent de décrire les différentes situations de multi-expositionprésentes dans la ville. Ce travail de thèse constitue une des premières approches de ce type en France et permet demieux comprendre les relations existantes entre définition du voisinage, zones d'exposition, paramètresenvironnementaux et niveaux d'expositionEvery day, 15% of the European population is exposed to average noise or air pollution levels exceeding theEuropean legal threshold. Levels and distribution of each pollutant across the city depend of individual sourcesemissions, dispersion phenomenon, and urban environment. Consequently, spatial variability of multi-exposure levelremains mostly unknown. The aim of this Ph. D. thesis is to identify and describe multi-exposure situations in the cityof Besançon. Environmental noise levels, and concentrations of several air pollutants (NO2, benzene, PM10 and PM2.5),have been modeled using a fine scale grid (2m x 2m). Model compatibility has been maximized by the use of commoninput into the calculation software Mithra-SIG (for noise) and COPERT4/ADMS-urban (for air pollutants). In a firsttime, impact of the neighborhood definition on exposure levels has been explored for both pollutions. Twelveindicators, each representing a different definition of the exposure area in the dwelling vicinity, have been used toquantify exposure levels around the 10 865 inhabitable building of Besançon. Obtained results show a significantimpact of the neighborhood definition on the exposure levels. Different neighborhood definitions lead to a differentialbias caused by a different accounting for environmental variables. This bias exists for all studied pollutant, but indifferent proportion depending on the pollutant. In a second time, situations of multi-exposure to noise and NO2 havebeen identified in the city. Results indicate a complex relation between pollutants and allow the description of severalmulti-exposure situations across the city. This work constitute one of the firsts approaches of this kind in France andallow a better understanding of the existing relations between neighborhood, exposure area, environmental parametersand exposure levels
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Nyarku, Mawutorli. "Evaluation and application of emergent and wearable air monitors for assessment of personal exposure in urban microenvironments". Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2020. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/192101/1/Mawutorli_Nyarku_Thesis.pdf.
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The aim of the project was to advance the scientific understanding of human exposure to air pollution. This included investigation of emerging monitors to measure personal exposure to air pollution in urban microenvironments, studies of ultrafine particles (UFPs) in a variety of microenvironments in Accra, Ghana and the assessment of schoolchildren's exposure to UFPs in this city. The thesis demonstrated the applicability conditions of commercially available low-cost sensors and mobile devices for monitoring personal exposure to air pollution and exposed the drivers behind high personal exposure and poor state of air quality in Accra.
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Myers, Rachel Kathryn. "Childhood Witnessing of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) And Early Adulthood IPV Among Urban Women". Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2016. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/377989.
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Public HealthPh.D.
Annually, more than 15 million U.S. children witness intimate partner violence (IPV) in their homes between caregivers. Witnessing IPV during childhood has been associated with increased risk of adulthood IPV victimization, although this relationship has most commonly been examined among older populations of white adults (McKinney, Caetano, Ramisetty-Mikler, & Nelson, 2009; Straus, 1989; Whitfield, Anda, Dube, & Felitti, 2003), not minority women who experience a disproportionately high burden of IPV victimization (Breiding, Chen, & Black, 2014). It also is unclear whether there are specific characteristics of childhood witnessing of IPV that may aid in understanding the increased probability of IPV victimization observed among young, minority women. This study examined associations between four characteristics of childhood witnessing of IPV (direction of violence witnessed, academic disruption, fearfulness, and frequency) and adulthood physical and sexual IPV victimization. Further, psychosocial moderators of these associations were examined. Existing data collected from 315 women residing in North Philadelphia were analyzed. Overall, 28% of women witnessed IPV during childhood and nearly one in four women reported IPV victimization. Among these women there was diversity with regards to the characteristics of witnessing reported. Unadjusted associations observed that women who witnessed bidirectional IPV, experienced academic disruption, or reported fearful witnessing were significantly more likely to experience adulthood IPV victimization than women who did not witness IPV during childhood. After adjusting for covariates, these witnessing characteristics were no longer significantly associated with adulthood IPV victimization; however, the risk of adulthood IPV victimization was consistently related to current depressive symptoms and substance use. Modest support for effect modification by low self-esteem was observed. A significant difference in the predicted probability of adulthood IPV victimization was observed among women reporting bidirectional childhood witnessing of IPV and high self-esteem in adulthood compared to women reporting bidirectional witnessing and low self-esteem (difference=0.51, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.95, p=0.027). Childhood abuse was associated with greater probability of adulthood IPV victimization regardless of the frequency of childhood witnessing of IPV (aOR=5.8, 95% CI: 2.2, 13.6). Given the high prevalence of childhood witnessing of IPV observed in this study, these findings highlight the importance of screening for childhood IPV witnessing. In addition, these results suggest particular groups of urban women who may be at highest risk for adulthood IPV victimization, including those experiencing depressive symptoms, substance use, and a history of childhood abuse. Identifying adolescents and young adults with these characteristics and providing early prevention services may reduce the probability of future IPV victimization among young, sexually active urban women. Additionally, examining the role of low self-esteem during child- and adulthood may inform efforts to prevent IPV victimization. These findings highlight the need for prospective, longitudinal studies of urban children and adolescents to examine the complex causal pathways between childhood witnessing of IPV, psychosocial characteristics, and adulthood IPV victimization.
Temple University--Theses
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Hess, Catherine. "Demographic differences in exposure to toxic trace elements in urban South Africa during the 20th century". Thesis, Bournemouth University, 2013. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/21074/.
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Exposure to toxic elements is a significant threat to public and individual health worldwide. Toxic elements such as heavy metals are associated with increased mortality and morbidity in both men and women and are a substantial contributor to neurological deficits and developmental delay in children. Analysis of skeletal material yields important information regarding exposure to toxic elements in a given population. This project has investigated toxic element exposure in 215 adults living in urban South Africa who died between 1960 and 1999. Exposure to toxic elements, particularly exposure to lead, has significant impacts on human health, even at very low levels. To date, little research has been conducted on human exposure to toxic elements in adult urban South Africans and a clear gap exists regarding toxic element exposure rates during the latter half of the 20th century. Among the primary aims of this research is to address this gap in knowledge and to quantify human exposure to these elements during the apartheid era. Bone element concentration was analysed by ICP-MS to determine the concentration of six elements that are toxic to humans: lead, cadmium, manganese, arsenic, antimony and vanadium. The results of this research demonstrate clear racial divisions in toxic element exposure in all but one element investigated. In the case of lead and cadmium, white males in the sampled population show significantly higher bone element concentrations than either black males or black females. It is surmised that apartheid-era separation of racial groups in regards to residence, occupation and movement within the urban landscape are partly, if not significantly, responsible for these differences in toxic element exposure. Lead exposure is strongly associated with exposure to traffic in urban Pretoria and Johannesburg, which is evident in both the limited environmental data available and the present study. Designated residential areas for white individuals were situated in and adjacent to the central business districts of both cities and are the areas associated with high traffic. Black residential areas were located on the urban periphery, often near industrial areas and mine dumps. The result is a lead exposure pattern by which white individuals in the sampled population yield double the bone lead concentration of black individuals. The wide divide in socioeconomic strata between the black and white population also factors significantly and is an additional result of apartheid policy. For arsenic and antimony, black individuals, particularly females, show significantly higher bone element concentration than white individuals. These elements are strongly associated with acid mine drainage, a form of pollution which results from mining activity. The close proximity of black residential areas to mining activities and the heavy reliance on ii contaminated surface water is likely responsible for higher exposure rates to these elements in the black population. This research has established that rates of exposure to toxic elements in urban Transvaal were moderate considering the level of industrial and mining activity in the region and the notably lax environmental regulations in place during the latter half of the 20th century. Despite this, bone element levels, particularly that of lead, cadmium and manganese are within ranges documented to cause negative impacts on human health. It is highly likely, given the bone element concentrations reported here, that these elements caused significant and negative health effects in the sampled population and were a clear threat to overall public health in urban South Africans.
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Liu, Wenling. "L' écrit des enseignes commerciales : une écriture exposée chinoise dans l'espace urbain". Paris, EHESS, 2008. http://www.theses.fr/2008EHES0581.
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Cette thèse considère les enseignes commerciales chinoises comme écritures exposées dans l'espace urbain, tant à Pékin qu'à Paris. On analyse d'abord la dimension formelle et linguistique de l'enseigne au travers de plusieurs thèmes: l'usage de sémiotique de Peirce appliquée à l'enseigne; le nom propre et sa situiation d'étiquetage; la traduction des noms d'enseignes et la situation de digraphie existant en Chine. Une seconde partie adopte la perspective d'une socio-anthropologie de l'objet s'intéressant aux trajectoires sociales de l'enseigne et la situation de digraphie existant en Chine. Une seconde partie adopte la perspective d'une socio-anthropologie de l'objet s'intéressant aux trajectoires sociales de l'enseigne. On étudie notamment le réseau des agents intéressés par son fonctionnement(commerçant, fabricant, client, législateur). Une observation pragmatique permet également de confronter les représentations et les comportements effectifs. Une troisième partie adopte le point de vue d'une anthropologie de l'écriture mettant l'accent à la fois sur les pouvoirs s'exerçant sur l'enseigne (en particulier les normes et les réglementations) net sur l'efficacité propre de l'écriture d'enseigne, compte tenuThe purpose of this thesis is to examine Chinese commercial signs, considered as a kind of public "displayed writing" in a modern urban space, both in Beijing and Paris. In the first part we propose a formal analysis of commercial signs from a linguistic and semiotic perspective partly inspired by Peirce(s semiosis: we analyse the sign as a proper name in a situation of "labelling" (étiquetage) and we consider the problem of translating foreign marks into Chinese in a context of digraphia. The second part approaches the sign from a socio-anthropological point of view, as an object of social transactions involving distinct categopries of agents (merchant, manufacturer, customer, legislator). Empirical observation enables us to confront pragmatically ideal representations and actual behaviors. The last part is devoted to a contribution to an anthropology of writing, from a twofold vantage point: the effects of official powers on the sign (through a study of norms and regulations) and the specific efficiency possessed by writing displayed on a Chinese sign. This latter aspect is highlighted through a comparison with other forms of traditional writings traditionally imbued with magic powers (duilian)
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Shilton, Vaughan Francis. "The significance of indoor:outdoor relationships, and physical and chemical composition in personal exposure to urban particulate matter". Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/88474.
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Popoola, Olalekan Abdul Muiz. "Studies of urban air quality using electrochemical based sensor instruments". Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2012. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/243620.
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Poor air quality has been projected to be the world’s top cause of environmental premature mortality by 2050 surpassing poor sanitation and dirty water (IGBP / IGAC press release, 2012 ). One of the major challenges of air quality management is how to adequately quantify both the spatial and temporal variations of pollutants for the purpose of implementing necessary mitigation measures. The work described in this thesis aims to address this problem using novel electrochemical based air quality (AQ) sensors. These instruments are shown to provide cost effective, portable, reliable, indicative measurements for urban air quality assessment as well as for personal exposure studies. Three principal pollutants CO, NO and NO2 are simultaneously measured in each unit of the AQ instrument including temperature / RH measurements as well as GPS (for time and position) and GPRS for data transmission. Laboratory studies showed that the electrochemical sensor nodes can be highly sensitive, showing linear response during calibration tests at ppb level (0-160 ppb). The instrumental detection limits were found to be < 4 ppb (CO and NO) and < 1 ppb for NO2 with fast response time equivalent to t90 < 20 s. Several field studies were carried out involving deployment of both the mobile and static electrochemical sensor nodes. Results from some short-term studies in four different cities including Cambridge (UK), London (UK), Valencia (Spain) and Lagos (Nigeria) are presented. The measurements in these cities represent snapshot of the pollution levels, the stark contrast between the pollution level especially CO (mean mixing ratio of 16 ppm over 3 hrs) in Lagos and the other three cities is a reflection of the poor air quality in that part of the world. Results from long-term AQ monitoring using network of 46 static AQ sensors were used to characterise pollution in different environments ranging from urban to semi-urban and rural locations. By coupling meteorological information (wind measurements) with pollution data, pollution sources, and phenomena like the street canyon effect can be studied. Results from the long-term study also revealed that siting of the current fixed monitoring stations can fail to represent the actual air quality distribution and may therefore be unrepresentative. This work has shown the capability of electrochemical based AQ sensors in complementing the existing fixed site monitors thus demonstrating an emerging measurement paradigm for air quality monitoring and regulation, source attribution and human exposure studies.
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Steel, S. "A study of tuberculosis in an urban community with particular reference to sunlight exposure and Vitamin D status". Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2012. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1358315/.
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This thesis presents a mixed method study of urban Tuberculosis, with reference to both social and physical factors. The initial study reports the social context of Tuberculosis in Brent, London. 104 subjects participated in focus group discussions from community organisations. Knowledge, perception and barriers to Tuberculosis treatment were explored. Participants included refugee, homeless and immigrant groups. A thematic analysis revealed stigma, memory of home life, knowledge of disease and Tuberculosis as ‘divine punishment’ as significant social factors. The professional groups reported language, patient expectations and the fragmentation of services as barriers to successful treatment. A second study explored the relationship between sunlight exposure and Vitamin D status in Tuberculosis cases and contacts. UVR exposure was measured using Polysulphone film over 8 weeks in an urban setting. Median values for 25(OH)D in index cases were 23.5 nmol/l and 33.0 nmol/l in contacts cases, at the end of the study period. Sun exposure was not significantly related to 25(OH)D in index cases ( r=0.016, sig=0.961, p=0.05) and showed only a weak positive correlation in contacts ( r=0.233, sig=0.44, p=0.05). No seasonal variation was evident in either group. The requirement to wear a film badge prevented some subjects taking part as this was perceived to be stigmatising. This was an unexpected finding. Only 12 index cases and 13 contacts completed the study. Finally, ambient UVR levels were measured in London and these data compared well with measurements from a rural site, suggesting that the potential for sun exposure is similar in both rural and urban settings. The stigma of Tuberculosis hinders treatment success as well as engagement with clinical research. Language difficulties and fragmentation of services make access and treatment completion challenging and complex. The built environment and lifestyle factors may influence the opportunity to obtain sufficient sunlight for Vitamin D sufficiency in those with Tuberculosis. Whether lack of sunlight causes Vitamin D deficiency requires further study.
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VIDORNI, Giorgia. "DAMAGE PROCESSES ON STONES IN URBAN ENVIRONMENT: FIELD EXPOSURE TESTS AND LABORATORY ANALYSES CONTRIBUTING TO POLLUTION IMPACT EVALUATION". Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Ferrara, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11392/2487873.
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Air pollution constantly threatens the conservation of carbonate stone monuments and built heritage mainly in urban areas. Even if different studies focused on the effect of pollution on stone materials, by analysing samples collected from historic buildings, performing tests in simulation chamber and/or in field and monitoring air quality (gases and aerosol) of the environment surrounding specific cultural heritage, lack of knowledge still remains in the quantitative correlation between the concentration of particular atmospheric pollutants and their damage induced to stone. Furthermore, the possible repercussions on built heritage of the current atmosphere in Western Europe, poorer than in the past of SO2 but richer of NOx and organic compounds, merit consideration.
In this regard, the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Research Council of Italy (ISAC-CNR) with the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences of the University of Ferrara performed field exposure tests of stone model samples and passive filters for 24 months in Italian cities characterised by different environmental conditions (i.e. Bologna, Ferrara and Florence) associated with particulate matter monitoring campaigns as a non-invasive methodological approach for studying the impact of urban pollution on carbonate stones. Marble (Carrara Marble) and limestone (Verona Red Marble) were selected as model samples as they were widely used as construction and ornamental elements in historic Italian architecture and for their physico-chemical features. Galvanized metallic racks were prepared to host samples with different exposure orientations (i.e. horizontal, oblique and vertical) in order to identify how positioning may reflect on deposition and removal of pollutants. Polished stone samples were exposed outdoor, partially sheltered from the rain wash-out, in areas strongly affected by pollution due to vehicular traffic. At defined time intervals, several analytical techniques (Colorimetric analysis, IC, EA-IRMS, ESEM-EDX, ICP-MS) were used for characterising the state of degradation of the exposed stone specimens while aerosol monitoring campaigns allowed to compare the atmospheric components (in terms of soluble and carbon fractions) with those actually accumulate on samples surface and passive filters.
The results demonstrate an increasing trend of soiling over time in all sites, more evident in horizontal and oblique marble samples. In particular, blackening and yellowing processes of stone surface were identified in relation with deposition of elemental carbon (EC) and accumulation of organic carbon (OC) and sulphate, respectively. The adopted methodological approach provided information about the real deposition of soluble and carbon fractions per surface unit over time as well as the development of methodology for carbon speciation by thermally-based separation allowed to measure C fractions in damage layers without any chemical attack. Moreover, the high concentration of heavy metals on stone deposit, the prevalence of OC over EC both in atmosphere and in deposit of stone samples and passive filters as well as soluble ions (mainly Cl- and SO42- in deposit and NO3-, SO42- and NH4+ in atmospheric PM) confirm as vehicular traffic has directly (combustion of fossil fuels) or indirectly (re-suspended dust and de-icing salts) affected the composition of the deposited particulate matter.L’inquinamento atmosferico rappresenta uno dei principali fattori di degrado di monumenti e beni architettonici costituiti da rocce carbonatiche, soprattutto in ambiente urbano. Sebbene diversi studi abbiano analizzato gli effetti dell’inquinamento sui materiali lapidei attraverso lo studio di campioni prelevati da edifici storici, test di simulazione in camera climatica e/o in campo e monitoraggio della qualità dell’aria (gas e aerosol) relativa all’ambiente circostante un specifico bene culturale, esistono tuttavia delle lacune riguardo la correlazione quantitativa tra la concentrazione degli inquinanti atmosferici e il danno che possono provocare al substrato lapideo. Vanno inoltre anche considerate le ripercussioni della composizione atmosferica attuale, impoverita di SO2 ma arricchita di NOx e composti organici rispetto al passato. A tal proposito, l’Istituto di Scienze dell’Atmosfera e del Clima del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISAC-CNR) in collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra dell’Università di Ferrara hanno condotto dei test di esposizione in campo di provini lapidei e filtri passivi per 24 mesi in città italiane contraddistinte da situazioni ambientali differenti (Bologna, Ferrara e Firenze) insieme a delle campagne di monitoraggio del particolato atmosferico come approccio non-invasivo per studiare l’impatto dell’inquinamento urbano su rocce carbonatiche. Sono stati scelti come campioni un marmo (Marmo di Carrara) e un calcare (Rosso Ammonitico Veronese) per le loro caratteristiche fisico-chimiche e la loro diffusione come materiali da costruzione e decorazione nell’architettura storica italiana. Gli espositori in metallo galvanizzato sono stati preparati per ospitare i campioni con diversa orientazione (orizzontale, obliqua e verticale) in modo da identificare quanto la posizione possa influire sulla deposizione e rimozione degli inquinanti. I campioni lapidei sono stati levigati ed esposti all’aperto in maniera parzialmente protetta delle precipitazioni in aree affette da intenso traffico veicolare. A intervalli di tempo prestabiliti, sono state utilizzate diverse tecniche analitiche (analisi colorimetriche, IC, EA-IRMS, ESEM-EDX, ICP-MS) per valutare lo stato di degrado dei campioni lapidei esposti mentre le campagne di monitoraggio del particolato atmosferico hanno permesso di confrontare i componenti atmosferici (in termini di ioni solubili e frazioni del carbonio) con quelli che si sono effettivamente depositati sulle superfici lapidee e sui filtri passivi. I risultati dimostrano un trend di soiling crescente nel tempo in tutti i siti, più evidente sui campioni di marmo orizzontali e obliqui. In particolare, sono stati riscontrati un annerimento e un ingiallimento della superficie lapidea in relazione all’accumulo rispettivamente di carbonio elementare (EC) e di carbonio organico (OC) e solfati. L’approccio metodologico scelto ha fornito informazioni relative alla reale deposizione delle frazioni solubili e carboniose per unità di superficie nel tempo così come lo sviluppo della metodologia per la speciazione del carbonio attraverso separazione termica ha consentito di misurare le frazioni di C sulle superfici di degrado senza ricorrere a nessun attacco chimico. Inoltre, l’elevata concentrazione di metalli pesanti nel deposito dei provini lapidei, la prevalenza di OC su EC sia in atmosfera che sul deposito dei campioni lapidei e dei filtri passivi e anche gli ioni solubili (soprattutto Cl- e SO42- sul deposito e NO3-, SO42- e NH4+ nel PM atmosferico) hanno confermato come il traffico veicolare possa influenzare la composizione del particolato atmosferico depositato.
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Klein, Achim. "Annoyance indicators for various urban road vehicle pass-by noises and urban road traffic noise combined with tramway noise". Thesis, Vaulx-en-Velin, Ecole nationale des travaux publics, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015ENTP0002/document.
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La pollution sonore est un problème majeur pour les résidents des zones urbaines. La directive Européenne 2002/49/CE impose aux états membres l’établissement de cartes de bruit. Ces dernières sont construites sur la base de l’indice énergétique Lden, également utilisé dans les relations dose-effet établies pour prédire la gêne. Toutefois, pour l’évaluation de la gêne due au bruit dans les zones urbaines, la pertinence de cet indice est souvent remise en question. En effet, de nombreuses études ont montré que les caractéristiques temporelles et spectrales des bruits environnementaux influencent aussi les réponses de gêne et ne sont pas prises en compte dans cet indice. Cette thèse vise à contribuer à l’amélioration de la caractérisation de la gêne due au bruit des véhicules routiers en ville. Elle est basée sur des expériences réalisées en laboratoire. Elle comprend deux parties principales. La première partie a comme objectif de progresser sur la caractérisation physique et perceptive du bruit des passages de divers véhicules routiers en milieu urbain tels que les bus, les deux-roues motorisés, les poids lourds et les véhicules légers. Une attention particulière a été portée sur la caractérisation de la gêne due aux deuxroues motorisés qui sont cités parmi les véhicules routiers les plus gênants et sont peu étudiés dans la littérature. Dans cette perspective, un indicateur acoustique caractéristique de la gêne due au bruit routier urbain a été déterminé : il rend compte de différents attributs auditifs gênants en associant la sonie, un indice spectral et deux indices de modulation proposés dans le cadre de ces travaux. Dans les zones urbaines, les riverains sont souvent exposés à la circulation routière en présence d’autres sources de bruit de l’environnement. L’objectif principal de la deuxième partie est la prédiction de la gêne totale due au bruit du trafic routier urbain combiné avec le bruit de tramway. Dans le but de caractériser la gêne totale, les phénomènes perceptifs liés à la combinaison de ces bruits sont tout d’abord étudiés. Ensuite, l’indicateur proposé précédemment pour caractériser la gêne due au bruit des passages de différents véhicules routiers est testé lorsque différents trafics routiers urbains sont considérés. Sur la base de ces résultats, des modèles permettant de caractériser la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain combiné au bruit de tramway ont été proposésNoise pollution is a major concern for residents of urban areas. To date, the European directive 2002/49/CE requires member states to represent community noise through noise maps. These are produced using the Lden (day-evening-night level) index which is also employed for dose-effect relationships in noise annoyance prediction. However, for the assessment of noise annoyance in urban areas, its relevance is often questioned. Numerous studies have shown that noise annoyance due to community noise is not solely based on the sound pressure level and other acoustical signal characteristics such as temporal and spectral features influence noise annoyance ratings. This thesis aims to improve the assessment of noise annoyance due to various road vehicle noises in cities. It is based on experiments carried out in laboratory conditions and comprises two main parts. The first addresses the enhancement of the physical and perceptual characterization of annoyance due to various urban road vehicle pass-by noises, such as buses, poweredtwo- wheelers, heavy vehicles and light vehicles. A specific focus is put on the characterization of annoyance due to powered-two-wheelers which are among the most annoying road vehicles and studied little in the existing literature. An indicator accounting for annoyance-relevant auditory attributes of urban road vehicle pass-by noises is determined: it comprises loudness, a spectral index and two modulation indices proposed in this work. In urban agglomerations, people are often exposed to road traffic in presence of a variety of other environmental noise sources. The focal point of the second part is on the prediction of total annoyance due to urban road traffic noise combined with tramway noise. In the aim of adequately characterizing total annoyance, first the perceptual phenomena involved in annoyance due to the combination of the sources are studied. Furthermore, the analysis allows for the testing of the proposed noise annoyance indicator for the characterization of urban road traffic noise. To characterize annoyance due to tramway noise, an indicator determined in a recent study is employed. Based on these indicators and the findings regarding perceptual phenomena, models for the prediction of total annoyance due to combined urban road traffic and tramway noise are proposed
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Yu, Haofei. "A Modeling Investigation of Human Exposure to Select Traffic-Related Air Pollutants in the Tampa Area: Spatiotemporal Distributions of Concentrations, Social Distributions of Exposures, and Impacts of Urban Design on Both". Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4795.
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Increasing vehicle dependence in the United States has resulted in substantial emissions of traffic-related air pollutants that contribute to the deterioration of urban air quality. Exposure to urban air pollutants trigger a number of public health concerns, including the potential of inequality of exposures and health effects among population subgroups. To better understand the impact of traffic-related pollutants on air quality, exposure, and exposure inequality, modeling methods that can appropriately characterize the spatiotemporally resolved concentration distributions of traffic-related pollutants need to be improved. These modeling methods can then be used to investigate the impacts of urban design and transportation management choices on air quality, pollution exposures, and related inequality.
This work will address these needs with three objectives: 1) to improve modeling methods for investigating interactions between city and transportation design choices and air pollution exposures, 2) to characterize current exposures and the social distribution of exposures to traffic-related air pollutants for the case study area of Hillsborough County, Florida, and 3) to determine expected impacts of urban design and transportation management choices on air quality, air pollution exposures, and exposure inequality.
To achieve these objectives, the impacts of a small-scale transportation management project, specifically the '95 Express' high occupancy toll lane project, on pollutant emissions and nearby air quality was investigated. Next, a modeling method capable of characterizing spatiotemporally resolved pollutant emissions, concentrations, and exposures was developed and applied to estimate the impact of traffic-related pollutants on exposure and exposure inequalities among several population subgroups in Hillsborough County, Florida. Finally, using these results as baseline, the impacts of sprawl and compact urban forms, as well as vehicle fleet electrification, on air quality, pollution exposure, and exposure inequality were explored.
Major findings include slightly higher pollutant emissions, with the exception of hydrocarbons, due to the managed lane project. Results also show that ambient concentration contributions from on-road mobile sources are disproportionate to their emissions. Additionally, processes not captured by the CALPUFF model, such as atmospheric formation, contribute substantially to ambient concentration levels of the secondary pollutants such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. Exposure inequalities for NOx, 1,3-butadiene, and benzene air pollution were found for black, Hispanic, and low income (annual household income less than $20,000) subgroups at both short-term and long-term temporal scales, which is consistent with previous findings. Exposure disparities among the subgroups are complex, and sometimes reversed for acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, due primarily to their distinct concentration distributions. Compact urban form was found to result in lower average NOx and benzene concentrations, but higher exposure for all pollutants except for NOx when compared to sprawl urban form. Evidence suggests that exposure inequalities differ between sprawl and compact urban forms, and also differ by pollutants, but are generally consistent at both short and long-term temporal scales. In addition, vehicle fleet electrification was found to result in generally lower average pollutant concentrations and exposures, except for NOx. However, the elimination of on-road mobile source emissions does not substantially reduce exposure inequality.
Results and findings from this work can be applied to assist transportation infrastructure and urban planning. In addition, method developed here can be applied elsewhere for better characterization of air pollution concentrations, exposure and related inequalities.
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Zhao, Huijin. "Assessment of Personal Exposure to Particulate Matter Based on a Space-time Method for a Student Residing near a Large Urban Campus". The Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1316462387.
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Boothe, Vickie L. "Effects of Estimated Exposure to Cumulative Traffic-Related Pollutants on Asthma, Cardiovascular, and Stroke Outcomes in an Urban Area". Digital Archive @ GSU, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/iph_theses/47.
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BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has suggested that exposure to traffic-related emissions is associated with numerous adverse health effects including prevalence and severity of symptoms of asthma, hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarctions, and cardiovascular-related mortality. No previous studies have assessed the association between proximity to traffic and respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes across all age groups. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between proximity to traffic emissions within the City of Atlanta and respiratory and cardiovascular 911 Emergency Management Service (EMS) calls and subsequent emergency department (ED) visits. METHODS: Case and control diagnostic groups were established for 5,450 EMS calls received between 2004 and 2008 from residents of the City of Atlanta based on ICD-9 codes assigned within the ED. Case diagnostic groups included asthma, cardiovascular outcomes, and stroke. Gastrointestinal diagnostic groups were selected as controls. Cumulative traffic within a 100 m buffer of the call origination location was used as an indicator of exposure to traffic emissions. Using a case-control study design, the associations between exposure to traffic emissions and the case diagnostic groups were evaluated using logistic regression, controlling for potential confounding factors including age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status (SES). Subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate differences by select age categories, gender, and SES. P-values of <0.05 and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Increased cumulative traffic near the call location was associated with an increase in the odds of an EMS call and ED visit for cardiovascular outcomes compared to the control diagnostic group even after adjustment for confounding factors (OR = 1.07; 95% CI ,1.01-1.12). The strongest effects were among men and individuals aged 40-75 years. Increased cumulative traffic was also associated with an increased odds of an EMS call and ED visit for stroke among individuals aged 18-39 years after adjusting for confounding (OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34). No statistically significant associations were found between increased cumulative traffic and the odds of an EMS call and ED visit for asthma. CONCLUSION: These results provide additional evidence that proximity to traffic is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and stroke in certain age groups.
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Fisher-, Garibay Shelby Dax. "Urban Waterways, E. coli Levels, and the Surrounding Communities: An Examination of Potential Exposure to E. coli in Communities". The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1606836406924766.
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Huang, Minjuan. "Risk assessments of human exposure to metal(loid)s via urban dust and airborne particles in Guangzhou, South China". HKBU Institutional Repository, 2013. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1494.
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Salimi, Farhad. "Characteristics of spatial variation, size distribution, formation and growth of particles in urban environments". Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/69332/1/Farhad_Salimi_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis is the first comprehensive study of important parameters relating to aerosols' impact on climate and human health, namely spatial variation, particle size distribution and new particle formation. We determined the importance of spatial variation of particle number concentration in microscale environments, developed a method for particle size parameterisation and provided knowledge about the chemistry of new particle formation. This is a significant contribution to our understanding of processes behind the transformation and dynamics of urban aerosols. This PhD project included extensive measurements of air quality parameters using state of the art instrumentation at each of the 25 sites within the Brisbane metropolitan area and advanced statistical analysis.
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Crilley, Leigh R. "Investigations of the physical and chemical properties of ambient fine particles in urban schools". Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2013. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65336/1/Leigh_Crilley_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis reports a comprehensive study on the physical and chemical properties of airborne particles in Brisbane, especially around schools. The sources and potential toxicity of the particles were identified, enabling an assessment of the contributing factors to children's exposure at school. The results from this thesis give a quantitative estimate of the range of airborne particles that children are exposed to at urban schools with different traffic conditions.
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Nugent, Ayres Michelle V. "Spatial and Geochemical Techniques to Improve Exposure Assessment of Manganese in Windsor, Ontario". Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20276.
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This study was conducted to investigate the urban geochemistry of the city of Windsor (Ontario) and to provide added source apportionment information to work being carried out by the Canadian government. The goal of this study was to investigate the distribution, spatial variation and sources of manganese in urban Windsor soil. The literature indicates that human exposure to high levels of manganese, via inhalation, can cause respiratory and/or neurological effects. At the outset of the present study it was first hypothesized that vehicular traffic was the dominant source of anthropogenic manganese. An alternative hypothesis was that there were multiple anthropogenic sources of manganese in Windsor. The sample collection scheme was designed to determine (1) the current and background soil concentrations of manganese in Windsor, (2) the spatial distribution of manganese in order to reveal sources of manganese, and (3) the manganese content of moss-sequestered airborne particles, which can potentially deposit onto the soil surface, using low-technology biomonitoring. The first phase of the study consisted of a preliminary soil survey which identified elevated areas of soil manganese concentrations. During this survey, the field efficiency of a field portable X-ray fluorescence (FPXRF) instrument, as well as sample preparation methods were evaluated. Efficiency of the FPXRF was determined by comparison to ICP-MS, a traditional trace element analysis method. The preliminary soil survey identified several areas of elevated (ranging from 884 to 2390 ppm) soil manganese which were further investigated during the second, more complete, soil survey. The moss biomonitoring technique of using moss bags was used to collect airborne particles for semi-quantitative analysis. Analysis of soil samples included total manganese and other trace elements, pH, moisture and carbon content, and manganese speciation. Urban Windsor soil manganese distribution revealed both natural and anthropogenic sources of soil manganese and three distinct soil sample types, transect, baseline and natural. In general, manganese in Windsor had a west-to-east trend of decreasing levels in soil and moss-sequestered airborne particles. The latter showed a modern-day elemental signature while the former (collocated soil) a legacy elemental signature. It was concluded that both the FPXRF instrument and the moss biomonitoring technique can be useful screening tools in studies of urban environments.
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Chapman, Peter Stuart. "Exposure to street level particulate pollution in urban Hong Kong and the associated health: application of tramsas a mobile monitor". Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B42980021.
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