Machine learning analysis of PM1 impact on visibility with comprehensive sensitivity evaluation of concentration, composition, and meteorological factors.

This study introduces a novel approach to visibility modelling, focusing on PM1 concentration, its chemical composition, and meteorological conditions in two distinct Polish cities, Zabrze and Warsaw. The analysis incorporates PM1 concentration measurements as well as its chemical composition and meteorological parameters, including visibility data collected during summer and winter measurement campaigns (120 samples in each city). The developed calculation procedure encompasses several key steps: formulating a visibility prediction model through machine learning, identifying data in clusters using unsupervised learning methods, and conducting global sensitivity analysis for each cluster.

Seasonal toxicity of urban road dust in runoff process-studies in Poland.

Urban road dust (URD) is one of the most important non-point sources of pollution in agglomerations. The aim of this study was to assess the seasonal toxic effects of URD runoff in two regions of Poland. The concentrations of elements in URD and leachate were studied.

Off-gassing from firefighter suits (nomex) as an indoor source of BTEXS.

The clothes and special equipment of firefighters can be a source of indoor air pollution. Nevertheless, it has not been investigated so far what the scale of the release of various compounds from such materials into the indoor air can be. The following study analysed the results of an experiment involving the passive measurement of concentrations of selected compounds, i.

The ecotoxicity and mutagenicity of fire water runoff from small-scale furnishing materials fire tests.

This study aimed to evaluate the ecotoxicity and mutagenicity of fire water runoff generated during fire operations in a closed non-production facility (apartment, house, warehouse, etc.). For this purpose, insulation and furnishing materials used, especially in houses and apartments, including wood (pine and oak), chipboard, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and polyurethane foam, were burned.

Exploring the Relationship between Particulate Matter Emission and the Construction Material of Road Surface: Case Study of Highways and Motorways in Poland.

Road dust is an important inexhaustible source of particulate matter from traffic and the resuspension of finer particles carried by wind and traffic. The components of this material are of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Sources of particulate pollution are vehicles and road infrastructure.

Is Poland at risk of urban road dust? Comparison studies on mutagenicity of dust.

Depopulation concerns many polish cities, with the exception of a few metropolises such as Wrocław (Lower Silesia) and Katowice (Upper Silesia) where investments are growing and therefore more humans are exposed to urban environmental pollution. Accumulation of toxic substances on road surfaces is a major global challenge requiring methods of assessing risk that initiate the proper management strategies. In this study urban road dust (URD) has been collected at seventeen sites in Lower and Upper Silesia regions in Poland renowned for their elevated level of pollution.

Inhalation risk to PAHs and BTEX during barbecuing: The role of fuel/food type and route of exposure.

The manuscript presents an innovative and holistic approach to quantifying PAHs and BTEX emissions from the grilling process and indicates a novel driven-toxicity-based solution to recognize health effects related to BBQ emissions. The exposure scenario includes the type of grilling device, food type, and individual attitudes, but also a keen understanding of the broad health implications related to the gaseous/particulate PAHs emission, or age-related effects. The calculated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) associated with the exposure to PAH congeners and BTEX indicates an unacceptable level in the case of charcoal and briquette grilling with the highest values for professional cooks.

Particulate Matter Concentration in Selected Facilities as an Indicator of Exposure to Their Service Activities.

In recent years, the correlation between the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere and inside buildings has been reported as high. The air inside living quarters and public utility buildings or the interiors of public transport vehicles, as well as the relationship between the internal and external sources of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, have underwent sufficient research. On the other hand, non-production rooms, i.

The Level of Fear in the Polish Police Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic with the Impact of Sociodemographic Variables.

This study has a twofold objective. First, we aim to measure the levels of fear among Polish police officers using the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) that has a stable unidimensional structure allowing for the provision of additional data by combining variables. This structure allows the second objective to be met to measure the correlation with sociodemographic variables.

New insights into submicron particles impact on visibility.

The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of very fine atmospheric particles (submicron particulate matter; PM) on visibility deterioration. Taking into consideration not only their entirely different physio-chemical properties in comparison to a well-recognized PM but also the origin and a growing environmental awareness of PM, the main research problem has been solved in few steps. At first, the chemical composition of PM was determined in two selected urban areas in Poland.

Properties of Particulate Matter in the Air of the Wieliczka Salt Mine and Related Health Benefits for Tourists.

This study aimed to evaluate the mass concentration of size-resolved (PM, PM, PM, PM, PM) particulate matter (PM) in the Wieliczka Salt Mine located in southern Poland, compare them with the concentrations of the same PM fractions in the atmospheric air, and estimate the dose of dry salt aerosol inhaled by the mine visitors. Measurements were conducted for 2 h a day, simultaneously inside (tourist route, passage to the health resort, health resort) and outside the mine (duty-room), for three days in the summer of 2017 using DustTrak DRX devices (optical method). The highest average PM concentrations were recorded on the tourist route (54-81 µg/m), while the lowest was in the passage to the health resort (49-62 µg/m).

Characteristics of Particles Emitted from Waste Fires-A Construction Materials Case Study.

This study aimed to determine the relative densities of populations of particles emitted in fire experiments of selected materials through direct measurement and parametrization of size distribution as number (NSD), volume (VSD), and mass (MSD). As objects of investigation, four typical materials used in construction and furniture were chosen: pinewood (PINE), laminated particle board (LPB), polyurethane (PUR), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The NSD and VSD were measured using an electric low-pressure impactor, while MSD was measured by weighing filters from the impactor using a microbalance.

Site environment type - The main factor of urban road dust toxicity?

The main objective of the study was to determine the effects of the water extracts of urban road dust (URD) samples on the growth inhibition and mortality rate of Heterocypris incongruens in various site environment type. We collected 24 samples of the road dust close to highways, main roads, crossroads as well as at other places i.e.

Contribution of landfill fires to air pollution - An assessment methodology.

We investigated the contribution of waste fires to air pollution. The annual emission of pollutants (CO, NO, PM, SO) and greenhouse gases (CH, CO) were evaluated. The prediction of emissions is based on statistical data from 79 large fires that took place in Poland in 2018.

Mutagenicity of indoor air pollutants adsorbed on spider webs.

In this study, air pollutants were determined on spider webs collected from six indoor sites in the Lower Silesia region, southwest Poland. In order to assess the mutagenicity (M) of the collected samples, the standard Salmonella assay was used with two Salmonella typhimurium strains, TA98 and YG1041. The assays were conducted with and without metabolic activation (S9 mix).

Monitoring of indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using spider webs.

Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in the spider webs prepared in the laboratory and exposed to indoor air pollution in a defined period of time. We have selected homes differing in location (rural area vs. city), type of room (living room, kitchen, basement), inhabitants' habits (smoking cigarettes vs.

Submicron particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Polish teaching rooms: Concentrations, origin and health hazard.

The goal of the work was to investigate the concentrations of the 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) bound to submicrometer particles (particulate matter, PM) suspended in the air of university teaching rooms and in the atmospheric air outside. Two teaching rooms were selected in two Polish cities, Gliwice, southern Poland, and Warsaw, central Poland, differing with regard to the ambient concentrations and major sources of PM and PAH. The variabilities of indoor and outdoor 24-hr concentrations of PM-bound PAH, the ratio (I/O) of the indoor to outdoor 24-hr concentrations of PM-bound PAH, probable sources of PAH and the level of the hazard from the mixture of the 16 PAH (ΣPAH) to humans at both sites were analyzed.

PM Origin or Exposure Duration? Health Hazards from PM-Bound Mercury and PM-Bound PAHs among Students and Lecturers.

This study assessed inhalation exposure to particulate matter (PM₁)-bound mercury (Hg) and PM₁-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) among university students. For this purpose, simultaneous indoor (I) and outdoor (O) measurements were taken from two Polish technical universities (in Gliwice and Warsaw) located in distinct areas with respect to ambient concentrations and major sources of PM. The indoor geometric mean concentrations of Hg were found to be 1.

Health Risk Impacts of Exposure to Airborne Metals and Benzo(a)Pyrene during Episodes of High PM10 Concentrations in Poland.

Objective: To check whether health risk impacts of exposure to airborne metals and Benzo(a) Pyrene during episodes of high PM10 concentrations lead to an increased number of lung cancer cases in Poland.

Methods: In this work, we gathered data from 2002 to 2014 concerning the ambient concentrations of PM10 and PM10-bound carcinogenic Benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] and As, Cd, Pb, and Ni. With the use of the criterion of the exceedance in the daily PM10 mass concentration on at least 50% of all the analyzed stations, the PM10 maxima's were selected.

Indoor air quality in urban and rural kindergartens: short-term studies in Silesia, Poland.

More than 80% of people living in urban areas who monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed limits defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although all regions of the world are affected, populations in low-income cities are the most impacted. According to average annual levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.

Magnetic susceptibility of spider webs as a proxy of airborne metal pollution.

The purpose of this pilot study was to test spider webs as a fast tool for magnetic biomonitoring of air pollution. The study involved the investigation of webs made by four types of spiders: Pholcus phalangioides (Pholcidae), Eratigena atrica and Agelena labirynthica (Agelenidae) and Linyphia triangularis (Linyphiidae). These webs were obtained from outdoor and indoor study sites.

Inhalation Exposure to PM-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Released from Barbecue Grills Powered by Gas, Lump Charcoal, and Charcoal Briquettes.

The present study seeks to define the possible cancer risk arising from the inhalation exposure to particle (PM)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in barbecue emission gases and to compare the risk depending on the type of fuel used for grill powering. Three types of fuel were compared: liquid propane gas, lump charcoal, and charcoal briquettes. PM and PM were collected during grilling.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons bound to outdoor and indoor airborne particles (PM2.5) and their mutagenicity and carcinogenicity in Silesian kindergartens, Poland.

Assessment of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is important due to the widespread presence of PAHs in the environment and their toxicological relevance, especially to susceptible populations such as children and their health. The aim of this study is to compare indoor and outdoor concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.

Particulate Matter in the Air of the Underground Chamber Complex of the Wieliczka Salt Mine Health Resort.

This study evaluates the mass concentration and chemical composition of particulate matter (PM), collected in the chamber complex of the underground health resort located in the Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland. Physical and chemical properties of PM were examined from the standpoint of their possible connection with therapeutic effects of the subterranean air in the mine. We found that in three underground spots we measured the average concentration of PM did not exceed 30 μg/m.