Helder Relvas

Integrating health on air quality assessment — review report on health risks of two major european outdoor air pollutants: PM and NO

Quantifying the impact of air pollution on the public’s health has become an increasingly critical component in policy discussion. Recent data indicate that more than 70% of the world population lives in cities. Several studies reported that current levels of air pollutants in urban areas are associated with adverse health risks, namely, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. IARC recently classified outdoor air pollution and related particulate matter (PM) as carcinogenic to humans. Despite the air quality improvements observed over the last few years, there is still continued widespread exceedance within Europe, particularly regarding PM and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The European Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC requires Member States to design appropriate air quality plans for zones where air quality does not comply with established limit values. However, in most cases, air quality is only quantified using a combination of monitored and modeled data and no health impact assessment is carried out. An integrated approach combining the effects of several emission abatement measures on air quality, impacts on human health, and associated implementation costs enables an effective cost–benefit analysis and an added value to the decision-making process. Hence, this review describes the basic steps and tools for integrating health into air quality assessment (health indicators, exposure-response functions). In addition, consideration is given to two major outdoor pollutants: PM and NO2. A summary of the health metrics used to assess the health impact of PM and NO2 and recent epidemiologic data are also described.

Current air quality plans in Europe designed to support air quality management policies

Abstract The intensification of the human activity in urban areas as a result of the increasing population has contributed to the air pollution worsening in cities. To reverse this trend, the European Commission established a legal framework to improve the air quality. Thereby the Member States need to develop air quality plans (AQP) for zones and agglomerations where air quality limit values are exceeded, in order to implement pollution control strategies and meet the legal requirements. Understanding the reasons for the levels of air quality non–compliance as well as evaluating available and commonly used tools to predict the air quality and their effects, is crucial for the decision–making process on air quality management policies. Based on a compilation of regional and local AQP, a review of assessment capabilities and used modeling tools to evaluate the effects of emission abatement measures on the air quality and health was performed. In most cases, models are applied to estimate emissions and to assess the resulting air quality from both reference and emission abatement scenarios. Air quality’s impacts on the health and environment are rarely quantified. Regarding the air quality assessment, beyond the modeling, monitored data for validation of simulations are also used. Some studies, however, do not include the use of air quality models, considering the monitoring network as spatially representative of the study domain (e.g. Lisbon Region, Riga, Malta). In order to overcome methodological limitations for quantifying the impacts of emission abatement measures, economic evaluation techniques or even Integrated Assessment Methodologies (IAM) have been developed. IAM, already applied in some AQP or case studies, namely for Antwerp and London, are used for assessing how reductions in emissions contribute to improve air quality, reduce exposure and protect human health.

Portuguese inventory of dioxins and furans atmospheric emissions

This article presents the results of the most recent estimation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) atmospheric emissions in Portugal, which has covered the period 2004-2009 and includes 27 emission sources types. The results are compared with previous emissions inventories published for Portugal. The main objective of this work is to provide relevant information about the amounts of the compounds that are released into the atmosphere in Portugal, and identify their major sources and trends. The methodology involved the identification of relevant sources, the collection of information to characterize these sources, the selection of appropriate emission factors and their application to estimate the emissions. Furthermore, several studies conducted in Portugal were considered, namely reports from PCDD/PCDF measurements performed in some industrial facilities. The inventory covered 27 emission sources types. However the results show that only 8 were relevant, i.e. with emission amounts greater than 1 g I-TEQ year(-1). The total emissions of PCDD/PCDF in Portugal reached between 40 and 105 g I-TEQ year(-1), for the period of 2004-2009. The largest emission source and at same time with greater variation is forest fires, with emissions between 3 g I-TEQ year(-1) and 67 g I-TEQ year(-1) in 2008 and 2005, respectively. Excluding the emissions from forest fires, the total emission is more or less constant over the years and around 37 g I-TEQ year(-1).

Influence of different complexity levels of road traffic models on air quality modelling at street scale

Urban mobility accounts for 38 and 19% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions at European urban areas, respectively. Despite of all the technological development around automobile industry, urban areas are still facing problems related to exposure to high levels of air pollutants. Increasing the accuracy of both emissions and air quality modelling from road traffic is a key-issue for the management of air pollution in road transport sector. This study assessed the influence of using different road traffic emission models on the accuracy of air quality modelling with street-level resolution, having as a case study an urban area located on the centre region of Portugal. Two emission models, with different complexity levels regarding the ability to characterise the traffic dynamics were analysed, namely, transport emission model for line sources (TREM) and vehicle-specific power (VSP), based on data obtained in an experimental campaign. To perform the air quality simulations, the pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere under variable wind conditions (VADIS) model was used and two pollutants were analysed: NOx and PM10. The results showed that the magnitude of PM10 and NOx concentrations were result of a conjoint influence of traffic dynamics and meteorological conditions. Comparison between measured and modelled data showed that the VADIS model could track the evolution of NOx levels, for both emission models considered, displaying a high correlation (> 0.8) between traffic-related NOx emissions and NOx concentrations. For PM10, VADIS model is more sensitive to the differences in the emissions calculation; however, it was observed that the traffic-related PM10 emissions accounts 1.3–8.4% to the PM10 concentration levels at the study area.

Application of the DPSIR framework to air quality approaches

Current air quality legislation in Europe will lead to substantial air quality improvements, but without further emission control efforts, the most critical hotspots will persist, with important impacts on the environment and human health. Integrated assessment models (IAM) can be applied to local and regional scale to support the assessment of mitigation opportunities and decision-making process. The mitigation measures need to be sustainable, and subsequently, social, economic, and environmental factors need to be balanced. This paper proposes the use of the well-known DPSIR framework, which is composed by Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, and Responses. The urban area of Porto (Northern Portugal) is the selected case study, and DPSIR radar charts are used to easily compare different IAM approaches and help researchers and policy-makers to achieve the objective of air quality improvement. Results indicate that the MAPLIA system based on scenario approach and the RIAT+ system based on optimization approach provide more detailed and comprehensive information, namely concerning health (Impacts), then the previously designed Porto’s air quality plans.

Two Illustrative Examples: Brussels and Porto

To evaluate in practice how IAM can be used to formulate and improve current air quality plans, this chapter reports on the application of one of the existing IAM tools, to two test cases: one for the Brussels Capital Region in Belgium and the other to the region of Porto in the North of Portugal. The two cases are representative for the two options that are available for the decision pathway in the IAM framework as presented in Chap. 2: the scenario evaluation and the optimisation. Before presenting the peculiarities and the results obtained for the two test cases, this chapter briefly describes the specific features of the IAM tool used, namely RIAT+.

Current European AQ Planning at Regional and Local Scale

This chapter provides a review, derived from the extended survey conducted within the APPRAISAL project, of the integrated assessment methodologies used in different countries to design air quality plans and to estimate the effects of emission abatement policy options on human health.

Air Quality Modelling to Support Decision-Making: Scenario and Optimization Approaches

In this work a multi-objective approach to define air quality policies is proposed based on the RIAT+ (Regional Integrated Assessment Modelling Tool) system. The solutions of the decision problem represent cost-effective policies at the sectorial level. The methodology is being applied to the Porto urban area, one of the most polluted areas in Portugal, and optimal control policies up to 2020 will be selected.

Urban Air Quality Plans In Europe:A Review On Applied Methodologies

Air pollution is seen as one of the most pressing problems in many urban areas with serious implications on the environment and human health. Focusing on this critical issue, the 2008 European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC) requires European Member States to design appropriate Air Quality Plans (AQP) for zones and agglomerations where the air quality does not comply with the limit/target values. A review of assessment capabilities and modelling tools used to evaluate the effects of emission abatement measures on the air quality and health has been performed based on a compilation of regional and local AQP. In general, models are applied to estimate emissions and to assess the current air quality and the impact of emission abatement scenarios. Some studies, however, still consider the monitoring network as spatially representative of the study domain and do not include the use of air quality models (e.g. Lisbon Region, Riga, Malta). At this regional/local scale it is not a common practice to apply a more integrated air quality and health approach based on Integrated Assessment Methodologies (IAM). Notwithstanding, there are some exceptions, such as the AQP of Stockholm, Antwerp, Athens, London and several regions of Italy and Denmark, which integrate the assessment of how reductions in emissions improve air quality, reduce human exposure and protect human health. The costs associated to the effectiveness of emission abatement measures are also included in these IAM contributing to the selection of the most cost-effective abatement measures. Air Pollution XXII 315 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 183,