Jakub Lasocki

The Influence of Particulate Matter on Respiratory Morbidity and Mortality in Children and Infants

Air pollution is the most important environmental health risk leading to premature mortality, respiratory and other health problems. The aim of this study was to quantify its impact on infants and children in Warsaw (Poland), following the principles of Health Impact Assessment method. Particulate matter (PM(2.5) and PM(10)) was considered as the indicator of air pollution. Exposure-response functions between air pollution and health impacts were employed based on the literature. According to the calculations, around 5,201 asthma symptoms and 234 hospital respiratory admissions were caused annually due to air pollution. Hospitalizations due to cardiovascular problems related to air pollution amounted to 13. The mortality among infants and children is relatively low and occurs mostly in the postneonatal period. Nonetheless, approx. 5 mortality cases were assessed to be air pollution-attributable. The study demonstrates a significant impact of air pollution on infants and children, which is manifested primarily as a range of respiratory problems.

Comprehensive evaluation of the environmental hazard caused by the operation of automotive vehicles

The paper presents authors’ views about comprehensive evaluation of the environmental hazard caused by the operation of automotive vehicles. Methods of analysing the emissions of environmental pollutants and the energy input at the stage of production and distribution of energy carriers (from the source of obtaining an energy carrier to the fuel tank, “Well-to-Tank,” abbreviated as WtT) and at the stage of vehicle use (from the fuel tank to the vehicle wheel, “Tank-to-Wheel,” abbreviated as TtW) have been described. Results of the research carried out in compliance with the Eco-indicator 99 procedures and with the Swiss Ecological Scarcity Method, also known as the Ecoscarcity or UBP’06 method, have been analysed. In the recapitulation, the authors have criticised the existing methods of assessment of the harmful environmental impact of motorisation and proposed an original system of indicators that would characterise, in terms of pollutant emissions, the energy-related and environmental impacts exerted by motor transport at the stages of the production and distribution of energy carriers and the use of automotive vehicles.

Experimental investigation and comparison of energy consumption of electric and conventional vehicles due to the driving pattern

ABSTRACT In this paper, energy consumption of two light-duty vehicles, battery electric and conventional with an internal combustion engine, was investigated on the basis of chassis dynamometer test results. The sensitivity of energy consumption to various zero-dimensional characteristics of the driving pattern was discussed. The results demonstrated that under dynamic driving conditions, the electric vehicle used on average 64% less energy than the conventional one, even with battery charging efficiency taken into account. Among selected zero-dimensional characteristics, the average velocity and the average absolute value of the product of velocity and acceleration proved to be the best characteristics to describe the energy consumption of vehicles.