Non-Exhaust Emissions

An Urban Air Quality Problem for Public Health; Impact and Mitigation Measures

Fulvio Amato, Fulvio Amato

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780128117514
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Sanità, amministrazione e assistenza pubblica

Non-Exhaust Emissions: An Urban Air Quality Problem for Public Health comprehensively summarizes the most recent research in the field, also giving guidance on research gaps and future needs to evaluate the health impact and possible remediation of non-exhaust particle emissions. With contributions from some of the major experts and stakeholders in air quality, this book comprehensively defines the state-of-the-art of current knowledge, gaps and future needs for a better understanding of particulate matter (PM) emissions, from non-exhaust sources of road traffic to improve public health.

PM is a heterogeneous mix of chemical elements and sources, with road traffic being the major source in large cities. A significant part of these emissions come from non-exhaust processes, such as brake, tire, road wear, and road dust resuspension. While motor exhaust emissions have been successfully reduced by means of regulation, non-exhaust emissions are currently uncontrolled and their importance is destined to increase and become the dominant urban source of particle matter by 2020. Nevertheless, current knowledge on the non-exhaust emissions is still limited.

This is an essential book to researchers and advanced students from a broad range of disciplines, such as public health, toxicology, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, atmospheric chemistry and physics, geochemistry, epidemiology, built environment, road and vehicle engineering, and city planning. In addition, European and local authorities responsible for air quality and those in the industrial sectors related to vehicle and brake manufacturing and technological remediation measures will also find the book valuable.

• Acts as the first book to explore the health impacts of non-exhaust emissions
• Authored by experts from several sectors, including academia, industry and policy
• Gathers the relevant body of literature and information, defining the current knowledge, gaps and future needs

Chapter 1

Current State of Particulate Air Quality

Philip K. Hopke¹, Roy M. Harrison^2,3, Frank de Leeuw⁴, and Xavier Querol^{5 1}University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States ²Department of Environmental Sciences/Centre for Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ³School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom ⁴National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Environmental Quality (MIL), Bilthoven, The Netherlands ⁵Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

To reduce health impacts from airborne particulate matter (PM), the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines. Multiple jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) have promulgated regulations. However, areas remain in nonattainment. Data from the EU, US, and from across south and southeastern Asia are reviewed for their concentrations, trends, and compliance with their regulatory standards. PM concentrations are generally being reduced. In the US, road dust has been substantially reduced as a contributor to coarse particles through the use of extensive street sweeping. However, non-exhaust emissions represent significant fractions of coarse PM. In the EU, many locations are now in compliance with the air quality directive but far from the WHO guidelines. However, other areas still need to reduce ambient concentrations and it is likely that reducing road dust contributions will be needed to achieve acceptable air quality.

Keywords

Air quality standards; Coarse PM fraction; Non-exhaust PM

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Air Quality Guidelines

3. Air Quality Data

3.1 Europe

3.1.1 European Union Limit Values for Particulate Matter

3.1.2 Proportion of the Coarse Particles in PM₁₀

3.1.3 Trends of Average PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM_2.5–10

3.1.4 Trends of Exceedances of the Air Quality Standards

3.2 United States

3.3 South and Southeastern Asia

References

1. Introduction

Non-exhaust emissions make significant contributions to the concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM), particularly to coarse mode particles. Thus, these emissions play an important role in degrading air quality such that they fail to achieve health-based regulatory levels or global guidelines. These emissions include brake and tire wear particles and particles of suspended road dust. Road dust includes soil that has been deposited onto paved roads as well as the unpaved surfaces, including parking lots, and work areas that have been intermixed with wear particles, leaking oil, and tailpipe emissions. The major impact of non-exhaust emissions in terms of mass contributions is on the concentrations of supermicron particles in PM₁₀ or PM_2.5–10. The purpose of this chapter is to review measured concentrations of PM₁₀ or PM_2.5–10, the trends over time at multiple locations around the world, and the relationship of those concentrations with health-based guidance developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and regulatory standards promulgated by the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union (EU).

2. Air Quality Guidelines

The WHO first published guidelines under the title of “Air Quality Guidelines for Europe” in 1987. Those guidelines covered the effects of a wide range of organic compounds and inorganic substances on human health, as well as effects of inorga...