Airborne particulate matter (APM) samples collected at a semiresidential area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, during the periods of 1994 and 1997-2000 have been studied to assess the impact of the use of unleaded gasoline in Bangladesh. According to scanning electron microscopy/ energy-dispersive X-ray microanalyzer studies, lead (Pb) was found as Pb sulfates and Pb halides in motor-vehicle exhaust particles, whose diameters were some hundreds of nanometers. No significant changes in the annual averages of APM mass and black carbon concentrations have been observed over the period. The yearly average Pb concentration reached a maximum value of 370 ng/m3 in the particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 microm fraction in 1998. In 2000, the concentration decreased to approximately one-third (106 ng/m3) of the high earlier values after the introduction of unleaded gasoline in 1999. A significant lowering of the blood Pb level of the population over next few years is expected as a result of this great decrease in Pb concentration.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2003.10466299 | DOI Listing |
Molecules
December 2024
Department of Soil Science and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
One of the key challenges in environmental protection is the reclamation of soils degraded by organic pollutants. Effective revitalization of such soils can contribute to improving the climate and the quality of feed and food, mainly by eliminating harmful substances from the food chain and by cultivating plants for energy purposes. To this end, research was carried out using two sorbents, vermiculite and agrobasalt, to detoxify soils contaminated with diesel oil and unleaded gasoline, using maize as an energy crop.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
August 2024
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China. Electronic address:
Megacities face significant pollution challenges, particularly the elevated levels of heavy metals (HMs) in particulate matter (PM). Despite the advent of interdisciplinary and advanced methods for HM source analysis, integrating and applying these approaches to identify HM sources in PM remains a hurdle. This study employs a year-long daily sampling dataset for PM and PM to examine the patterns of HM concentrations under hazy, clean, and rainy conditions in Hangzhou City, aiming to pinpoint the primary sources of HMs in PM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDid the 1980s automotive standards reflect the European Economic Community's move toward a "technical democracy" or a broader democratic deficit? In the early 1980s, Europe's automotive sector faced multiple challenges: the European Commission's desire to harmonize technical standards and achieve greater European integration, intense competition between manufacturers, and environmental issues like acid rain. Debates on reducing air pollution focused on unleaded petrol and catalytic converters. Two associations representing civil society in Brussels responded to the increase in environmental concerns with a 1982 joint campaign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemosphere
May 2024
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tang, Hong Kong; Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Chung-li, 32003, Taiwan. Electronic address:
The wettability of the surface of hydrophilic cotton fabrics was modified using a one-step protocol with tannic acid (TA) to provide its excess catechol groups to be grafted with 1-eicosanamine at pH 8.5 and room temperature with catalysts CuSO/HO. The modification over the synthesis conditions revised the contact angles of water and diiodomethane droplets from 132.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Process Impacts
February 2024
Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
Insulin resistance is closely related to many metabolic diseases and has become a serious public health problem worldwide. So, it is crucial to find its environmental pathogenic factors. Methyl -butyl ether (MTBE), a widely used unleaded gasoline additive, has been proven to affect glycolipid metabolism.
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