Health impacts due to particulate air pollution in Volos City, Greece.

There is great consensus among the scientific community that suspended particulate matter is considered as one of the most harmful pollutants, particularly the inhalable particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10) causing respiratory health problems and heart disorders. Average daily concentrations exceeding established standard values appear, among other cases, to be the main cause of such episodes, especially during Saharan dust episodes, a natural phenomenon that degrades air quality in the urban area of Volos. In this study the AirQ2.

Case studies on summertime measurements of O3, NO2, and SO2 with a DOAS system in an urban semi-industrial region in Athens, Greece.

The objective of this study is to analyze the concentrations of SO2, NO2, and O3 measured by a Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) system that was operating at the campus of Technological Education Institute of Piraeus during 2008 and 2009 warm periods (July to September) in relation to the prevailing meteorological conditions. The DOAS system was operating in a particularly polluted area of the West part of Attica basin on a continuous basis, measuring the concentration levels of the main pollutants (O3, NO2, and SO2) as well as aromatic hydrocarbon substances (benzene, toluene, and xylene). According to the analysis, the SO2 concentration levels at this measuring site are rather high and this may be attributed to the characteristics of this measuring site.

Seven-days-ahead forecasting of childhood asthma admissions using artificial neural networks in Athens, Greece.

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were developed and applied in order to predict the total weekly number of Childhood Asthma Admission (CAA) at the greater Athens area (GAA) in Greece. Hourly meteorological data from the National Observatory of Athens and ambient air pollution data from seven different areas within the GAA for the period 2001-2004 were used. Asthma admissions for the same period were obtained from hospital registries of the three main Children's Hospitals of Athens.

Acute effects of air pollution on pediatric asthma exacerbation: evidence of association and effect modification.

We investigated the short-term effects of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10 μg/m(3) (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) on pediatric asthma emergency admissions in Athens, Greece over the period 2001-2004. We explored effect modification patterns by season, sex, age and by the presence of desert dust transported mainly from the Sahara area. We used daily time-series data provided by the children's hospitals and the fixed monitoring stations.

Outdoor particulate matter and childhood asthma admissions in Athens, Greece: a time-series study.

Background: Particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) that originates from anthropogenic activities and natural sources may settle in the bronchi and cause adverse effects possibly via oxidative stress in susceptible individuals, such as asthmatic children. This study aimed to investigate the effect of outdoor PM10 concentrations on childhood asthma admissions (CAA) in Athens, Greece.

Methods: Daily counts of CAA from the three Children's Hospitals within the greater Athens' area were obtained from the hospital records during a four-year period (2001-2004, n = 3602 children).