Martin Braniš

Wintertime PM10 and black smoke concentrations across Europe: results from the peace study

In the framework of the PEACE study, measurements of particles less than 10 μm (PM10) and black smoke (BS) in ambient air have been made at 28 sites in ten countries in Europe. For about two months in the winter of 1993/94 24-h average measurements were conducted. Each center studied both an urban and a more rural site. The difference of particle concentrations across countries appeared to be considerably larger than the difference between the urban and rural location within countries. The median PM10 concentration ranged from 11 μgm−3 at three rural Scandinavian sites to 92 μg m−3 in Athens, Greece. The median BS concentration ranged from 3 μg m−3 in Umea, Sweden to 99 μg m−3 in Athens, Greece. The most striking difference across countries was the low particle concentration found at the eight Scandinavian locations. PM10 and BS concentrations in the urban area were on average 22% and 43% higher than the corresponding rural area concentrations, respectively. The correlation between the particle concentration measured at the urban and the more rural site exceeded 0.70 at almost all sites. PM10 concentrations from all Western and Central European locations were significantly correlated. No or a low correlation was found between these locations and the South-European and Scandinavian locations. PM 10 and BS measured at the same site were highly correlated at most sites. However, the median PM 10/BS ratio ranged from 0.67 to 3.67 across sites. PM10/BS ratios were close to unity for Athens, the Central European sites and Oslo. There was a tendency of lower PM10/BS ratios in the urban area, consistent with the contribution of (diesel) motor vehicle emissions.

Characterization of coarse particulate matter in school gyms

We investigated the mass concentration, mineral composition and morphology of particles resuspended by children during scheduled physical education in urban, suburban and rural elementary school gyms in Prague (Czech Republic). Cascade impactors were deployed to sample the particulate matter. Two fractions of coarse particulate matter (PM(10-2.5) and PM(2.5-1.0)) were characterized by gravimetry, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. Two indicators of human activity, the number of exercising children and the number of physical education hours, were also recorded. Lower mass concentrations of coarse particulate matter were recorded outdoors (average PM(10-2.5) 4.1-7.4 μg m(-3) and PM(2.5-1.0) 2.0-3.3 μg m(-3)) than indoors (average PM(10-2.5) 13.6-26.7 μg m(-3) and PM(2.5-1.0) 3.7-7.4 μg m(-3)). The indoor concentrations of coarse aerosol were elevated during days with scheduled physical education with an average indoor-outdoor (I/O) ratio of 2.5-16.3 for the PM(10-2.5) and 1.4-4.8 for the PM(2.5-1.0) values. Under extreme conditions, the I/O ratios reached 180 (PM(10-2.5)) and 19.1 (PM(2.5-1.0)). The multiple regression analysis based on the number of students and outdoor coarse PM as independent variables showed that the main predictor of the indoor coarse PM concentrations is the number of students in the gym. The effect of outdoor coarse PM was weak and inconsistent. The regression models for the three schools explained 60-70% of the particular dataset variability. X-ray spectrometry revealed 6 main groups of minerals contributing to resuspended indoor dust. The most abundant particles were those of crustal origin composed of Si, Al, O and Ca. Scanning electron microscopy showed that, in addition to numerous inorganic particles, various types of fibers and particularly skin scales make up the main part of the resuspended dust in the gyms. In conclusion, school gyms were found to be indoor microenvironments with high concentrations of coarse particulate matter, which can contribute to increased short-term inhalation exposure of exercising children.

Association of size-resolved number concentrations of particulate matter with cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions and mortality in Prague, Czech Republic

We analyzed the association of particle number and PM2.5 concentrations with mortality and cardiorespiratory hospital admissions in Prague. Number concentrations of submicron particles in the range of 15–487 nm were measured continuously at a central site in 2006. The particle number concentrations were integrated into four groups with count median diameters of 31 (NC31), 128 (NC128), and 346 nm (NC346). The total number concentration of submicron particles 15–487 nm (NCtot) was also constructed. The studied health outcomes were the daily hospital admissions due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and daily cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and the total mortality. The Poisson regression was used for data analysis. The strongest association was found for the accumulation mode particles (NC346) (RR 1.164, 95% CI: 1.052–1.287 for cardiovascular and 1.334, 95% CI: 1.126–1.579 for respiratory admissions for a 7-day moving average for 1000 particles per 1 cm3 increase). Reasonable association between both the cardiovascular and respiratory admissions and NC346 was also found for lag 0, lag 1, lag 2 (not for respiratory admissions), and the 4-day moving average. For NC128 and NCtot, the association was also significant for both cardiovascular and respiratory admissions at lag 0, lag 1, and lag 2 (not for respiratory admissions) for the 4-day and 7-day moving average. The association between the PM2.5 and daily cardiovascular hospital admissions was significant at 2-day lag and for a 4-day average. Positive association with respiratory admissions was significant only for a 7-day average. No association was found between the studied air pollution variables and daily mortality.

Postnatal development of the organ of Corti in the wild house mouse, laboratory mouse, and their hybrid

Length of the basilar membrane, number and distribution of cochlear receptors, and the width of the triad of outer hair cells were analyzed in the course of the postnatal development and in adult individuals in wild and laboratory house mice and in hybrids of these species. While in newborn animals the triad of outer hair cells was wide at the base and narrow at the apex, the opposite was true for adult animals. The parameter decreased at the base and increased at the apex during postnatal development. The center of differentiation of (the reticular lamina of) the organ of Corti was localized at 40-50% of the basilar membrane length from the base and corresponded to the region with the maximum density of inner hair cells. The reticular lamina in the apical half of the cochlea matured earlier than in the basal half. Distribution of receptors did not change after birth. The shortest basilar membrane and the slowest rate of maturation were found in wild mice. Hybrids had the longest basilar membrane and the highest rate of maturation. These facts are considered an effect of heterosis.

Inner ear structure in the deaf and normally hearing Dalmatian dog.

Both cochleae of two 6-week-old Dalmatian dogs of the same litter were examined by means of surface specimens and histological section techniques. Basic quantitative data on the morphometry of the cochlear duct in the hearing (though hypopigmented) pup are presented. The cochlear ducts of the deaf (though normally coloured) pup exhibited in general the same alterations (collapse of the scala media) as described in the literature. In addition, we describe also the coalescence of membranous structures, projection of the tectorial membrane up to the spiral ligament and preservation of inner hair cells in the second (i.e. middle) cochlear coil. These new findings complement the previous data and indicate an alternative possible course of hereditary inner ear degeneration in the Dalmatian dog.

Association between unemployment, income, education level, population size and air pollution in Czech cities: Evidence for environmental inequality? A pilot national scale analysis

We analyzed differentials in exposure to SO(2), PM(10) and NO(2) among Czech urban populations categorized according to education level, unemployment rate, population size and average annual salary. Altogether 39 cities were included in the analysis. The principal component analysis revealed two factors explaining 72.8% of the data variability. The first factor explaining 44.7% of the data variability included SO(2), PM(10), low education level and high unemployment, documenting that inhabitants with unfavorable socioeconomic status mainly reside in smaller cities with higher concentration levels of combustion-related air pollutants. The second factor explaining 28.1% of the data variability included NO(2), high salary, high education level and large population, suggesting that large cities with residents with higher socioeconomic status are exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution. We conclude that, after more than a decade of free-market economy, the Czech Republic, a former Soviet satellite with a centrally planned economy, displays signs of a certain kind of environmental inequality, since environmental hazards are unevenly distributed among the Czech urban populations.

Air quality of Prague: traffic as a main pollution source

Political and economical transition in the Central and Eastern Europe at the end of eighties significantly influenced all aspects of life as well as technological infrastructure. Collapse of outdated energy demanding industry and adoption of environmental legislation resulted in seeming improvements of urban environmental quality. Hand in hand with modernization the newly adopted regulations also helped to phase out low quality coal frequently used for domestic heating. However, at the same time, the number of vehicles registered in the city increased. The two processes interestingly acted as parallel but antagonistic forces. To interpret the trends in urban air quality of Prague, Czech capital, monthly averages of PM10, SO2, NO2, NO, O3 and CO concentrations from the national network of automated monitoring stations were analyzed together with long term trends in fuel consumption and number of vehicles registered in Prague within a period of 1992–2005. The results showed that concentrations of SO2 (a pollutant strongly related to fossil fuel burning) dropped significantly during the period of concern. Similarly NOX and PM10 concentrations decreased significantly in the first half of the nineties (as a result of solid fuel use drop), but remained rather stable or increased after 2000, presumably reflecting rapid increase of traffic density. In conclusion, infrastructural changes in early nineties had a strong positive effect on Prague air quality namely in the first half of the period studied, nevertheless, the current trend in concentrations of automotive exhaust related pollutants (such as PM10, NOX) needs adoption of stricter measures.

Fine Particles (PM1) in Four Different Indoor Environments

Measurements of urban indoor fine particle <1 μm (PM1) mass concentrations were carried out in a lecture room, restaurant and two types of office. Twenty-four-hour concentrations of PM1 were sampled from April to July 2000 by low-volume Harvard impactors. The 24-hour concentrations were in the range from 7.69 to 214.62 μg.m-3. The lowest average concentration was found in a non-smoking office (11.77 μg.m-3, range 7.69-17.27 μg.m-3), the highest concentration in a restaurant (169.09 μg.m -3, range 131.91-214.62 μg.m-3). In the lecturing room (average 17.98 μg.m-3, range 11.91- 24.59 μg.m-3), the particle concentrations corresponded to the number of people present during the day. In the offices, noticeable differences were found between working days and weekends or days when staff were not present. A strong influence of smoking on the concentra tions of small particles was confirmed for the restau rant.

Effect of Indoor and Outdoor Sources on Particulate Matter Concentration in a Naturally Ventilated Flat (URBAN-AEROSOL Project - Prague)

Indoor and outdoor characteristics of particulate matter (PM) were studied in a naturally ventilated flat. Twenty-four-hour concentrations of indoor PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 and outdoor PM2.5 were measured. In winter all indoor concentrations of PM fractions were highly correlated (r 0.97 to 0.98). High correlation was also found between ambient PM10 and outdoor PM2.5 (r 0.99). In summer, the correlations between all PM fractions were lower. Human activity had a stronger effect on indoor PM concentrations in winter than in summer but only when the outdoor levels were low. During the second winter campaign higher outdoor concentrations were able to mask indoor sources. The presence of people corresponded to elevated levels of coarse particle fractions, cooking was associated with higher levels of fine particles. In summer with windows open, indoor PM values were not associated with human activity. A significant negative association was registered between wind speed and indoor PM.

The environmental impact assessment act in the Czech Republic: Origins, introduction, and implementation issues

Abstract The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act in the Czech Republic was enacted in April 1992. However, the act, has not as yet assumed an appropriate position within the national environmental legislation. One of the main problems is that environmental impact statement (EIS) findings are viewed as recommendations rather than as requirements within the building permit-issuing process. Competencies to assess the impacts of a project are divided between the national ministry and local governments, confusing and complicating the administrative process. The act does not recognize initial screening and scoping phases. No time is allotted for preparing a draft version and for commenting on the draft. A complete and final EIA report is submitted to the appropriate authority together with the project description. Any commentary comes afterwards. The EIA procedure interferes with independent regulations on air, soil, water, and public health protection, and there has been no attempt to reconcile or relate these separate laws. Public participation is also limited (even if recognized as important and therefore involved in the act). The act contains a list of projects for which EIA is obligatory; however, the list is too broad and too misleading to serve as a good basis for assessment. Amendment of the EIA act is a necessary step toward improving the Czech environmental legislation.