Analysis of PM inorganic and organic constituents to resolve contributing sources in Seoul, South Korea and Beijing, China and their possible associations with cytokine IL-8.

China and South Korea are the most polluted countries in East Asia due to significant urbanization and extensive industrial activities. As neighboring countries, collaborative management plans to maximize public health in both countries can be helpful in reducing transboundary air pollution. To support such planning, PM inorganic and organic species were determined in simultaneously collected PM integrated filters.

Source apportionment of PM in Seoul, South Korea and Beijing, China using dispersion normalized PMF.

East Asian countries experience severe air pollution owing to their rapid development and urbanization induced by substantial economic activities. South Korea and China are among the most polluted East Asian countries with high mass concentrations of PM. Although the occurrence of transboundary air pollution among neighboring countries has been recognized for a long time, studies involving simultaneous ground-based PM monitoring and source apportionment in South Korea and China have not been conducted to date.

The impact of size-segregated particle properties on daily mortality in Seoul, Korea.

To investigate the causative component for certain health outcomes, the associations between the properties of ambient particles and cause-specific mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory-related mortality) measured in Seoul, Korea, from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, were evaluated with a quasi-Poisson generalized additive model (GAM). The total mass of PM and PM moderately affected respiratory-related mortality but had almost no impact on all-cause and cardiovascular-related mortality. Among PM mass compositions, ammonium sulfate, which is in generally 300-500 nm as a secondary species, showed the most statistically significant effect on respiratory-related mortality at lag 4 (p < 0.

Sources of airborne particulate matter-bound metals and spatial-seasonal variability of health risk potentials in four large cities, South Korea.

Fifteen airborne particulate matter-bound metals were analyzed at 14 sites in four large cities (Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daegu) in South Korea, between August 2013 and June 2017. Among the seven sources resolved by positive matrix factorization, soil dust and marine aerosol accounted for the largest and second largest portions in the three cities; however, in Seoul, soil dust and traffic occupied the largest and the second largest, respectively. Non-carcinogenic risk assessed by inhalation of eight metals (Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, As, Al, Mn, and V) was greater than the hazard index (HI) of 1 at four sites located at or near the industrial complexes.

Seasonal characteristics of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen in PM in Seoul, Korea: Source and atmospheric processes of free amino acids and aliphatic amines.

The seasonal characteristics of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) in particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or smaller (PM) were analyzed focusing on sources and atmospheric processing. Daily collected samples over 23 h (10:00-9:00) from 7 August 2018 to 31 December 2019 on quartz filters with a high-volume sampler at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Seoul were considered.

The impact of organic extracts of seasonal PM on primary human lung epithelial cells and their chemical characterization.

Lung epithelial cells serve as the first line of defense against various inhaled pollutant particles. To investigate the adverse health effects of organic components of fine particulate matter (PM) collected in Seoul, South Korea, we selected 12 PM samples from May 2016 to January 2017 and evaluated the effects of organic compounds of PM on inflammation, cellular aging, and macroautophagy in human lung epithelial cells isolated directly from healthy donors. Organic extracts of PM specifically induced neutrophilic chemokine and interleukin-8 expression via extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation.

Source attribution of air pollution using a generalized additive model and particle trajectory clusters.

Speciated hourly measurements of fine aerosols were made for more than two years at an urban, an industrial and a port site in Busan, Korea. A Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was designed to deconvolve factors contributing to the pollutant concentrations at multiple scales. The model yields estimates of source contributions to pollution by separately identifying the signals in the time series due to meteorology, vertical mixing, horizontal wind transport and temporal variations such as diurnal, weekly, seasonal and annual trends.

Personal exposure to fine particulate air pollutants impacts blood pressure and heart rate variability.

Air pollution has increasingly been recognized as a major healthcare concern. Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter [PM]) has demonstrated an increase in adverse cardiovascular events.

Fifteen-year trends in carbon species and PM in Seoul, South Korea (2003-2017).

This study focused on particulate matter (PM) and carbon species in Seoul, South Korea, to quantitatively evaluate their long-term trends and assess the main correlating factors. Ambient PM samples were collected over a 24 h period every third or sixth day from March 2003 to December 2017. The mean concentrations of PM, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), primary and secondary OC (POC and SOC) in Seoul over 15 years were 32.

The major chemical constituents of PM and airborne bacterial community phyla in Beijing, Seoul, and Nagasaki.

Ambient particle (PM) samples were collected in three East Asian cities (Beijing, China; Seoul, South Korea; Nagasaki, Japan) from December 2014 to November 2015 to quantitatively investigate airborne bacteria at the phylum level. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria represented the top five airborne bacterial phyla in all three cities. The most dominant airborne phylum, Proteobacteria, was more prevalent during the winter (at rates of 67.

Long term trends of chemical constituents and source contributions of PM in Seoul.

PM was measured and analyzed between 2014 and 2015 in Seoul, and its sources were identified with a positive matrix factorization (PMF) to characterize chemical constituents and sources of the measured PM. To verify policy interventions in reducing PM levels in Korea, the results were compared with previously published results from 2003 to 2007 at the same study site. A total of 215 PM samples were collected and analyzed for 24 species, i.

Source apportionment of PM and PM air pollution, and possible impacts of study characteristics in South Korea.

Introduction: Studies of source apportionment (SA) for particulate matter (PM) air pollution have enhanced understanding of dominant pollution sources and quantification of their contribution. Although there have been many SA studies in South Korea over the last two decades, few studies provided an integrated understanding of PM sources nationwide. The aim of this study was to summarize findings of PM SA studies of South Korea and to explore study characteristics.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity of ambient fine particles (PM) measured in Seoul, Korea.

Substantial increase in level of particulate matter has raised concerns in South Korea recently. Ambient particulate matter is classified as Group I carcinogen (IARC, 2013) and multiple epidemiological studies has demonstrated adverse health effects due to exposure of particulate matter. Fine particulate matter (PM) which has a diameter <2.

Source apportionment of PM using positive matrix factorization (PMF) at a rural site in Korea.

The sources of different pollutants contributing to ambient fine particles (PM) on Daebu Island, Korea, were estimated. Twenty four hour integrated filter samples were collected from May 21-November 1, 2016, and analyzed for organic carbon, elemental carbon, ions, and trace elements. Positive matrix factorization was conducted on the PM chemical speciation data from the samples to define the pathways and sources of PM at the sampling site.

Cardiovascular Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution: A Population-Based Study With 900 845 Person-Years of Follow-up.

Background: Studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution such as fine particulate matter (≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter [PM]) increases the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. To date, however, there are limited data on the impact of air pollution on specific cardiovascular diseases.

Emission of greenhouse gases from waste incineration in Korea.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission factors previously reported from various waste incineration plants have shown significant variations according to country-specific, plant-specific, and operational conditions. The purpose of this study is to estimate GHG emissions and emission factors at nine incineration facilities in Korea by measuring the GHG concentrations in the flue gas samples. The selected incineration plants had different operation systems (i.

Source apportionments of ambient fine particulate matter in Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian cities.

This manuscript evaluates spatial and temporal variations of source contributions to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) in Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian cities. Twenty-four hour integrated PM samples were collected every six days over a 1-year period (January to December 2007) in four cities in Israel (West Jerusalem, Eilat, Tel Aviv, and Haifa), four cities in Jordan (Amman, Aqaba, Rahma, and Zarka), and three cities in Palestine (Nablus, East Jerusalem, and Hebron). The PM samples were analyzed for major chemical components, including organic carbon and elemental carbon, ions, and metals, and the results were used in a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model to estimate source contributions to PM mass.

Heat, heat waves, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objective: Cardiac arrest is one of the common presentations of cardiovascular disorders and a leading cause of death. There are limited data on the relationship between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and ambient temperatures, specifically extreme heat. This study investigated how heat and heat waves affect the occurrence of OHCA.

ROS-generating/ARE-activating capacity of metals in roadway particulate matter deposited in urban environment.

In this study we investigated the possible causal role for soluble metal species extracted from roadway traffic emissions in promoting particulate matter (PM)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant response element (ARE) promoter activation. To this end, these responses have been evaluated in alveolar macrophage and epithelial lung cells that have been exposed to 'Unfiltered', 'Filtered' and 'Filtered+Chelexed' water extracts of PM samples collected from the roadway urban environments of Thessaloniki, Milan and London. Except for Thessaloniki, our results demonstrate that filtration resulted in a minor decrease in ROS activity of the fine PM fraction, suggesting that ROS activity is attributed mainly to water-soluble PM species.

Ambient air pollution and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of cardiovascular death. This study aimed at investigating the impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on the incidence of OHCA.

Methods: We identified OHCA cases that occurred in Seoul between 2006 and 2013 from the nationwide emergency medical service database.

Assessing the role of chemical components in cellular responses to atmospheric particle matter (PM) through chemical fractionation of PM extracts.

In order to further our understanding of the influence of chemical components and ultimately specific sources of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) on pro-inflammatory and other adverse cellular responses, we promulgate and apply a suite of chemical fractionation tools to aqueous aerosol extracts of PM samples for analysis in toxicity assays. We illustrate the approach with a study that used water extracts of quasi-ultrafine PM (PM0.25) collected in the Los Angeles Basin.

Understanding the sources and composition of the incremental excess of fine particles across multiple sampling locations in one air shed.

Well-designed health studies and the development of effective regulatory policies need to rely on an understanding of the incremental differences in particulate matter concentrations and their sources. Although only a limited number of studies have been conducted to examine spatial differences in sources to particulate matter within an air shed, routine monitoring data can be used to better understand these differences. Measurements from the US EPA Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) collected between 2002-2008 were analyzed to demonstrate the utility of regulatory data across three sites located within 100 km of each other.

Spatial and temporal variation in fine particulate matter mass and chemical composition: the Middle East Consortium for Aerosol Research Study.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected from January to December 2007 to investigate the sources and chemical speciation in Palestine, Jordan, and Israel. The 24-h PM2.