Evaluating the feasibility of estimating particulate mass emissions of older-model diesel vehicle using smoke opacity measurements.

Real-world emissions of particulate matter (PM) and smoke opacity were studied for an older-model diesel pickup truck during four types of driving tests, namely fixed-point test, snap-acceleration test, road test, and hill road test (uphill/downhill). A portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) and an opacimeter were used to measure real-time concentrations of PM and smoke opacity, respectively, and simultaneously. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive association between PM and opacity, suggesting the feasibility of using an opacimeter to estimate PM mass emissions from diesel vehicles.

Enrichment of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Microplastics from Coastal Waters.

Despite the adsorption of microplastics (MPs), the precise quantification of their concentrating effect on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remains uncertain. Therefore, in this study, POPs in MPs, POPs in suspended particulate matter (SPM), and dissolved POPs in seawater were distinguished to quantify the enrichment factor (EF) for characterizing the concentrating effects of MPs and SPM on POPs. The results showed that the logarithm of EF (log EF) for POPs in MPs was 5.

Accumulation of persistent organic pollutants by MPs in coastal wastewater treatment plants.

The abundance and fate of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) has been reported extensively. However, in the wastewater, the extent to which hazardous chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulated by MPs not been clearly explored. In this study, MPs was sampled from influents and effluents in WTPs to characterize POPs in sorption within MPs.

Association between ambient temperature and cause-specific mortality: An individual-level case-crossover study in Suzhou, China.

The changing climate poses a growing challenge to the population health. The objective of this study was to assess the association between ambient temperature and cause-specific mortality in Suzhou. Based on the non-accidental mortality data collected during 2008-2022 in Suzhou, China, this study utilized an individual-level case-crossover design to evaluate the associations of temperature with cause-specific mortality.

Deseasonalized trend of ground-level ozone and its precursors in an industrial city Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Mitigating ground-level ozone (GLO) remains challenging due to its highly nonlinear formation process. Thus, understanding GLO pollution trends is crucial for developing effective control strategies, especially Kaohsiung industrial city, Taiwan. Based on the long-term monitoring data set of 2011-2022, temporal analysis reveals that monthly mean GLO peaks in autumn (40.

Persistent Halogenated Organic Pollutants in Deep-Water-Deposited Particulates from South China Sea.

POP data are limited in the marine environment; thus, this study aimed to investigate background persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels in oceanic deep-water-deposited particulates in the South China Sea (SCS). Six POPs, including polychlorinated dibenzo--dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated dibenzo--dioxins/dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs), polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs), and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), were investigated in eight pooled samples from the SCS from 20 September 2013 to 23 March 2014 and 15 April 2014 to 24 October 2014 at depths of 2000 m and 3500 m. PBDEs were the most predominant compounds, with the highest mean ΣPBDE of 125 ± 114 ng/g dry weight (d.

Prognostic Value of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Hemoglobin in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background: The association between baseline red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and hemoglobin levels and outcomes after acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is not well studied. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline RDW and hemoglobin levels with early hematoma expansion (HE) and mortality at 3 months and 1 year in acute ICH patients.

Methods: A total of 393 ICH patients from January 2014 to February 2019 were included.

Effects of fuel injection system and exhaust gas catalytic treatments on PAH emissions from motorcycles.

The motorcycles are unignorable near-ground pollutant emission sources that increase the human exposure in the dense area. However, the information of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions under different scenarios of engine and emission control for motorcycle is limited. This study focused on the PAH emissions from two fuel-injection types of motorcycles, including the premixed fuel-injection (PFi) with carburetor and electronic fuel-injection (EFi).

Elevated emissions of volatile and nonvolatile nanoparticles from heavy-duty diesel engine running on diesel-gas co-fuels.

This study experimentally examines the effects of four diesel-gas co-fuels, two engine loads and an aftertreatment on regulated and unregulated emissions from a 6-cylinder natural-aspirated direct-injection heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE) with an engine dynamometer. Fuel energy of ultra-low-sulfur diesel was substituted with 10% and 20% of gas fuels, including pure H, CH, and two CH-CO blends. The particle number size distributions of volatile and nonvolatile nanoparticles were measured under ambient temperature and after 300 °C heating, respectively.

Long-term metal fume exposure assessment of workers in a shipbuilding factory.

This study aims to assess the metal fume exposure of welders and to determine exposure rates for similar exposure groups in a shipyard through the use of Near-field/Far-field (NF/FF) mathematical model and Bayesian decision analysis (BDA) technique. Emission rates of various metal fumes (i.e.

Occurrence and emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water treatment plant sludge in Taiwan.

The concentrations level and distribution of 16 US EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) from the water treatment plant (WTP), sewage treatment plant (STP), and industrial water treatment plant (ITP) sludge in Taiwan were determined and then assessed the sources, and potential toxicity (carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [CPAHs] and toxic BaP equivalent [TEQ]). Results indicated that the total concentrations of PAHs ranged between 58 and 16,436 μg/kg dw. Among the 17 samples, the 2-4 ring of total PAHs were the predominant compound in three kinds of treatment plant (> 60%).

The sorption of persistent organic pollutants in microplastics from the coastal environment.

Microplastic (MP) pellets were sampled from six sandy beaches around Taiwan in order to investigate the concentrations and compositions of POPs, including: PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs, PBDEs, PCBs, PBBs, and their congeners. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs on the surface (C) of MP pellets from the six sampling sites were from 1.9 to 14.

Change in mortality rates of respiratory disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study explored the change in mortality rates of respiratory disease during the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: Death data of registered residents of Suzhou from 2014 to 2020 were collected and the weekly mortality rates due to respiratory disease and all deaths were analyzed. The differences in mortality rates during the pandemic and the same period in previous years were compared.

Feasible and effective control strategies on extreme emissions of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants during the start-up processes of municipal solid waste incinerators.

A typical two-day start-up of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) can yield polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) emission quantities around 10 times higher than those from an entire year of normal operations, as measured in this study. Thus, we tested specific control strategies for inhibiting the formation of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants (Cl-POPs), namely, extensively cleaning the ash accumulated beneath the furnace bed of the combustion chamber and deposited on the walls of the superheater and economizer and shortening the residence time of the flue gas in the optimal temperature window for Cl-POP formation. Also, we advanced the injection times of the activated carbon and lime slurry to lower Cl-POP emissions during start-up.

Comparative investigation of coal- and oil-fired boilers based on emission factors, ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation potentials of VOCs.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the important precursors of the tropospheric ozone (O) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), both of which are known to harm human health and disrupt the earth's climate system. In this study, VOC emission factors, O and SOA formation potentials were estimated for two types of industrial boilers: coal-fired boilers (n = 3) and oil-fired boilers (n = 3). Results showed that ∑VOCs concentrations were more than nine times higher for oil-fired boilers compared to those for coal-fired boilers.

The impact of low to high waste cooking oil-based biodiesel blends on toxic organic pollutant emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines.

As yet, the effect of biodiesels on the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) from heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) has only been studied using limited fuel blend ratios. To clarify the influence of using higher fractions of biodiesel on the emissions of toxic organic pollutants from diesel engines, in this research, the emissions of PM, PAHs, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from EURO IV and EURO III HDDEs fueled by low to high waste cooking oil (WCO)-based biodiesel-petrodiesel fuel blends were studied, including D100 (0% biodiesel), B20 (20%), B40 (40%), B60 (60%), B80 (80%), and B100 (100%). The engines were tested according to the US FTP-75 test procedure.

Changes in Life Expectancy From 2006 to 2015 in Suzhou, East China: Contributions of Age- and Cause-Specific Mortality.

This study was designed to estimate the contribution of age- and disease-specific mortality, particularly that attributable to chronic noncommunicable diseases and at-birth life expectancy (LE) in Suzhou, East China, between 2006 and 2015. In total, data on 427 290 deaths were analyzed. From 2006 to 2015, the at-birth LE increased from 78.

Impact of serum albumin levels on long-term all-cause, cardiovascular, and cardiac mortality in patients with first-onset acute myocardial infarction.

Background: To evaluate the association of serum albumin (SA) with long-term all-cause, cardiovascular, and cardiac mortality in patients with first-onset acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: The cohort study enrolled 2305 patients with first-onset AMI. The median follow-up was of 1088days (3years).

Emission factors and congener-specific characterization of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PBDD/Fs and PBDEs from an off-road diesel engine using waste cooking oil-based biodiesel blends.

Few studies have been performed up to now on the emission factors and congener profiles of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) emitted from off-road diesel engines. This investigation elucidates the emission factors and congener profiles of various POPs, namely polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in the exhausts of a diesel generator fueled with different waste cooking oil-based biodiesel (WCO-based biodiesel) blends. The PCDD/Fs contributed 87.

Persistent organic pollutants in the Antarctic coastal environment and their bioaccumulation in penguins.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been identified in penguins, lichens, soils, and ornithogenic soils in the Antarctic coastal environment in this study. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has reported PBDD/F and PBB data from Antarctica. The POP mass contents in penguins were in the following order: PCBs >> PBDEs >> PCDD/Fs; PCBs were the dominant pollutants (6310-144,000 pg/g-lipid), with World Health Organization toxic equivalency values being 2-14 times higher than those of PCDD/Fs.

Emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers from a municipal solid waste incinerator during the start-up operation.

This study examines the emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) during the start-up processes of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). Both normal and modified emission control start-ups were tested. Fifteen samples were taken from the flue gas with increasing furnace temperature.

Carbonaceous composition changes of heavy-duty diesel engine particles in relation to biodiesels, aftertreatments and engine loads.

Three biodiesels and two aftertreatments were tested on a heavy-duty diesel engine under the US FTP transient cycle and additional four steady engine loads. The objective was to examine their effects on the gaseous and particulate emissions, with emphasis given to the organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) in the total particulate matter. Negligible differences were observed between the low-sulfur (B1S50) and ultralow-sulfur (B1S10) biodiesels, whereas small reductions of OC were identified with the 10% biodiesel blend (B10).