Laboratory and field evaluation of real-time and near real-time PM smoke monitors.

Increases in large wildfire frequency and intensity and a longer fire season in the western United States are resulting in a significant increase in air pollution, including concentrations of PM (particulate matter <2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) that pose significant health risks to nearby communities. During wildfires, government agencies monitor PM mass concentrations providing information and actions needed to protect affected communities; this requires continuously measuring instruments.

Deriving fuel-based emission factor thresholds to interpret heavy-duty vehicle roadside plume measurements.

Unlabelled: Remote sensing devices have been used for decades to measure gaseous emissions from individual vehicles at the roadside. Systems have also been developed that entrain diluted exhaust and can also measure particulate matter (PM) emissions. In 2015, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reported that 8% of in-field diesel particulate filters (DPF) on heavy-duty (HD) vehicles were malfunctioning and emitted about 70% of total diesel PM emissions from the DPF-equipped fleet.

Seasonal influences on CAPs exposures: differential responses in platelet activation, serum cytokines and xenobiotic gene expression.

Increasing evidence suggests a role for a systemic pro-coagulant state in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction subsequent to inhalation of airborne particulate matter (PM). We evaluated platelet activation, systemic cytokines and pulmonary gene expression in mice exposed to concentrated ambient particulate matter (CAPs) in the summer of 2008 (S08) and winter of 2009 (W09) from the San Joaquin Valley of California, a region with severe PM pollution episodes. Additionally, we characterized the PM from both exposures including organic compounds, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Influence of season and location on pulmonary response to California's San Joaquin Valley airborne particulate matter.

Season and location have documented impacts on particulate matter (PM)-induced morbidity and mortality. Seasonal and regional influences on the physical and chemical properties of PM₂.₅ (also known as fine/ultrafine PM) contribute to differences in exposure burden and adverse respiratory health outcomes experienced in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV), which ranks among the worst in the nation for PM pollution.