Standardisation of a European measurement method for the determination of anions and cations in PM: results of field trial campaign and determination of measurement uncertainty.

European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) Technical Committee 264 'Air Quality' has recently produced a standard method for the measurements of anions and cations in PM within its Working Group 34 in response to the requirements of European Directive 2008/50/EC. It is expected that this method will be used in future by all Member States making measurements of the ionic content of PM. This paper details the results of a field measurement campaign and the statistical analysis performed to validate this method, assess its uncertainty and define its working range to provide clarity and confidence in the underpinning science for future users of the method.

Assessing the performance of methods to detect and quantify African dust in airborne particulates.

African dust (AD) contributions to particulate matter (PM) levels may be reported by Member States to the European Commission during justification of exceedances of the daily limit value (DLV). However, the detection and subsequent quantification of the AD contribution to PM levels is complex, and only two measurement-based methods are available in the literature: the Spanish-Portuguese reference method (SPR), and the Tel Aviv University method (TAU). In the present study, both methods were assessed.

Chemical tracers of particulate emissions from commercial shipping.

Despite the increase of commercial shipping around the world, data are yet relatively scarce on the contribution of these emissions to ambient air particulates. One of the reasons is the complexity in the detection and estimation of shipping contributions to ambient particulates in harbor and urban environments, given the similarity with tracers of other combustion sources. This study aimed to identify specific tracers of shipping emissions in a Mediterranean city with an important harbor (Melilla, Spain).

Estimation of personal NO2 exposure in a cohort of pregnant women.

There is a growing concern about the possible adverse effects of exposure to air pollution on health during pregnancy. Therefore, a priority of the INMA (environment and childhood) study was to estimate personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution. In the cohort from Valencia (n=855), ambient levels of NO(2) were measured at 93 sampling sites spread over the study area during four different sampling periods of 7 days each.

Evaluation of the best compromise between the urban air quality monitoring resolution by diffusive sampling and resource requirements.

The need to collect data representative of overall urban pollution is all-important in order to monitor the population exposure. High spatial resolution monitoring using diffusive samplers allows studying of the urban pollutant distribution, thus enabling deeper investigation of their generation and diffusion mechanisms. Nevertheless, such a monitoring campaign has a certain cost.

Estimation of outdoor NO(x), NO(2), and BTEX exposure in a cohort of pregnant women using land use regression modeling.

Land use regression (LUR) has been successfully used to assess the intraurban variability of air pollution. In the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Study, ambient nitrogen oxides (NO(x) and NO(2)) and aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) were measured at 57 sampling sites in Sabadell (northeast Spain). Multiple regression models were developed to predict residential outdoor concentrations in a cohortof pregnantwomen (n = 657), using geographic data as predictor variables.

[Air pollutant exposure during pregnancy and fetal and early childhood development. Research protocol of the INMA (Childhood and Environment Project)].

Introduction: The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [Spanish for Environment and Childhood]) project is a cooperative research network. This project aims to study the effects of environment and diet on fetal and early childhood development. This article aims to present the air pollutant exposure protocol during pregnancy and fetal and early childhood development of the INMA project.

The Spanish Environment and Childhood Research Network (INMA study).

Prenatal and early life exposure to environmental agents, including dietary exposure, is associated with child health and human development and predisposes to late adult effects. Children are more vulnerable than adults to chemical, physical and biological hazards in air, water and soil, because they are still growing and their immune system and detoxification mechanisms are not fully developed. The physical, social and intellectual development of children from conception to the end of adolescence requires a protected environment that is also protective of their health.

PM source apportionment and trace metallic aerosol affinities during atmospheric pollution episodes: a case study from Puertollano, Spain.

Source apportionment study was performed, applying principal component analysis to the results of 221 chemical analyses of PM10 and PM2.5 samples collected daily from the industrial (but low traffic) Spanish town of Puertollano over a 14-month period during 2004-2005. Results reveal compositional variations attributable to different mixtures of natural and anthropogenic materials, mainly soil and rock dust (crustal), marine salt (only in PM10), petrochemical refinery emissions, and particles attributed to the combustion of local coal, which is unusually rich in Pb and Sb.