A comparative assessment of air pollutants of smog in wagah border and other sites in Lahore, Pakistan / Uma avaliação comparativa de poluentes do ar do smog na fronteira de wagah e outros sites em Lahore, Paquistão

Abstract Smog has become the fifth season of Pakistan especially in Lahore city. Increased level of air pollutants (primary and secondary) are thought to be responsible for the formation of smog in Lahore. Therefore, the current study was carried out for the evaluation of air pollutants (primary and secondary) of smog in Wagah border particularly and other sites (Jail road, Gulburg) Lahore. For this purpose, baseline data on winter smog from March to December on primary and secondary air pollutants and meteorological parameters was collected from Environmental Protection Department and Pakistan Meteorological Department respectively. Devices being used in both departments for analysis of parameters were also studied. Collected data was further statistically analyzed to determine the correlation of parameters with meteorological conditions and was subjected to air quality index. According to results, PM 10 and PM 2.5 were found very high above the NEQS. NOx concentrations were also high above the permissible limits whereas SO2 and O3 were found below the NEQS thus have no roles in smog formation. Air Quality Index (AQI) of pollutants was PM 2.5(86-227), PM 10 (46-332), NOx (26-110), O3 (19-84) and SO2 (10-95). AQI of PM 2.5 remained between moderate to very unhealthy levels. AQI of PM 10 remained between good to hazardous levels. AQI of NOx remained between good to unhealthy for sensitive groups' levels. AQI of O3 and SO2 remained between good to moderate levels. Pearson correlation showed that every pollutant has a different relation with different or same parameters in different areas. It is concluded from the present study that particulate matter was much more responsible for smog formation. Although NOx also played role in smog formation. So there is need to reduce sources of particulate matter and NOx specifically in order to reduce smog formation in Lahore.

Resumo Smog tornou-se a quinta estação do Paquistão, especialmente na cidade de Lahore. Acredita-se que o aumento do nível de poluentes atmosféricos (primários e secundários) seja responsável pela formação de poluição atmosférica em Lahore. Portanto, o presente estudo foi realizado para a avaliação dos poluentes atmosféricos (primários e secundários) do smog na fronteira de Wagah em particular e em outros locais (Jail road, Gulburg) Lahore. Para este propósito, os dados de referência sobre a poluição atmosférica de inverno de março a dezembro sobre poluentes atmosféricos primários e secundários e parâmetros meteorológicos foram coletados do Departamento de Proteção Ambiental e do Departamento Meteorológico do Paquistão, respectivamente. Dispositivos sendo usados ​​em ambos os departamentos para análise de parâmetros também foram estudados. Os dados coletados foram posteriormente analisados ​​estatisticamente para determinar a correlação dos parâmetros com as condições meteorológicas e foram submetidos ao índice de qualidade do ar. De acordo com os resultados, PM 10 e PM 2,5 foram encontrados muito acima do NEQS. As concentrações de NOx também estavam muito acima dos limites permitidos, enquanto SO2 e O3 foram encontrados abaixo do NEQS, portanto, não têm papéis na formação de smog. O índice de qualidade do ar (AQI) de poluentes foi PM 2,5 (86-227), PM 10 (46-332), NOx (26-110), O3 (19-84) e SO2 (10-95). O AQI de PM 2,5 permaneceu entre níveis moderados a muito prejudiciais à saúde. O AQI de PM 10 permaneceu entre níveis bons e perigosos. AQI de NOx permaneceu entre bom e não saudável para os níveis de grupos sensíveis. O AQI de O3 e SO2 permaneceu entre níveis bons a moderados. A correlação de Pearson mostrou que cada poluente tem uma relação diferente com parâmetros diferentes ou iguais em áreas diferentes. Conclui-se do presente estudo que o material particulado foi muito mais responsável pela formação de smog. Embora o NOx também tenha desempenhado um papel na formação do smog. Portanto, é necessário reduzir as fontes de partículas e NOx, especificamente para reduzir a formação de smog em Lahore.

A Text Mining Approach to the Text Difficulty of Latin American Peace Agreement / "Una aproximación por minería de texto a la dificultad textual de los acuerdos de paz en Latinoamérica"

Abstract A peace agreement was recently subjected to a plebiscite as a solution to finish the Colombian armed conflict. With 62.57% of abstention, 18.44% of the Colombian electorate rejected this agreement. This paper aims to propose a methodological approach that shows how to linguistically analyze peace agreements as political products that are acceptable or not according to their text difficulty. Given the socio-political similarities of the armed conflicts of Colombia, Guatemala, and El Salvador, we scrutinized with sufficient computational detail these peace agreements. The results revealed that the text difficulty of these accords was more appropriate for a person with at least 19 years of education, suggesting that these sort of texts are not written for broader and less-educated audiences.

Resumen El gobierno de Colombia sometió recientemente a plebiscito un acuerdo de paz para dar por finalizado su conflicto armado. Para este plebiscito la abstención electoral fue del 62.57% y solo el 18.44% de los votantes rechazó la implementación del acuerdo. El objetivo de este trabajo es proponer una aproximación metodológica que muestre cómo analizar los acuerdos de paz como productos políticos que pueden ser aceptables o no según su dificultad textual. Dadas las semejanzas socio-políticas de los conflictos armados en Colombia, Guatemala y El Salvador, en este trabajo se muestra con suficiente detalle computacional el análisis por minería de texto de los acuerdos de paz celebrados en estos países. Los resultados revelaron que la dificultad textual de estos acuerdos exige un nivel educativo de al menos 19 años de educación formal, lo que sugiere que ese tipo de documentos no suelen redactarse para audiencias más numerosas con menores niveles de educación formal.

Prevalencia disímil de trastornos respiratorios del sueño en escolares / Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among schoolchildren in two communes of Santiago

Objetivo: Comparar la prevalencia de ronquido habitual como síntoma cardinal de los trastornos respiratorios del sueño (TRS) en población escolar de dos comunas de Santiago, de diferente nivel socioeconómico y exposición a contaminación ambiental. Métodos: Estudio transversal, de tipo ecológico. Se aplicó un cuestionario de sueño a los padres de escolares de 1° básico a 3°medio matriculados en dos colegios ubicados en las comunas de Puente Alto (zona sur oriente, colegio subvencionado) y Providencia (zona oriente, colegio particular). Los datos de contaminación ambiental se obtuvieron a partir del registro de estaciones de monitoreo. La caracterización socioeconómica comunal se realizó en base a fuentes ministeriales. Resultados: Los niveles de contaminación ambiental fueron mayores en el sector sur-oriente, comparado con el sector oriente de Santiago. Los indicadores comunales de nivel socioeconómico fueron superiores en la comuna de Providencia. La prevalencia de ronquido en escolares fue superior en el colegio ubicado en Puente Alto (18,2 por ciento; IC95 por ciento 14,0-21,6) en comparación al colegio ubicado en Providencia (0,7 por ciento; IC95 por ciento 0,1-2,4). Conclusión: La prevalencia de TRS fue diferente en las comunas estudiadas y podría estar atribuida a factores medioambientales y socioeconómicos. El presente estudio constituye un punto de partida para la realización de estudios de base individual.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of habitual snoring as cardinal symptom of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in schoolchildren from two communes of Santiago, presenting different levels of socioeconomic status and exposure to environmental pollution. Methods: Cross-sectional ecological study. A sleep questionnaire was administered to parents of primary school kids from 1st through 3rd grade, from two schools, one located in the district of Puente Alto (south-east, subsidized school) and the other in Providencia (east area, private school). Pollution data were obtained from monitoring stations. Socioeconomic characterization was performed based on government sources. Results: The levels of air pollution were higher in the south-east area, compared to the eastern sector of Santiago. Indicators of socioeconomic level were higher in the Providencia commune. The prevalence of snoring in students was higher in the school located in Puente Ailto (18.2 percent, 95 percent CI 14.0 to 21.6) compared to the school located in Providencia (0.7 percent, 95 percent CI 0.1 - 2.4). Conclusion: The prevalence of SDB was different in the communities studied and could be attributed to environmental and socioeconomic factors. This study is a starting point for further studies on individual basis.

Method for concentration determination of mineral-oil fog in the air of workplace / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the method of concentration determination of mineral-oil fog in the air of workplace.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four filter films such as synthetic fabric filter film, beta glass fiber filter film, chronic filter paper and microporous film were used in this study. Two kinds of dust samplers were used to collect the sample, one sampling at fast flow rate in a short time and the other sampling at slow flow rate with long duration. Subsequently, the filter membrane was weighed with electronic analytical balance. According to sampling efficiency and incremental size, the adsorbent ability of four different filter membranes was compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When the flow rate was between 10 approximately 20 L/min and the sampling time was between 10 approximately 15 min, the average sampling efficiency of synthetic fabric filter film was 95.61% and the increased weight ranged from 0.87 to 2.60 mg. When the flow rate was between 10 approximately 20 L/min and sampling time was between 10 approximately 15 min, the average sampling efficiency of beta glass fiber filter film was 97.57% and the increased weight was 0.75 approximately 2.47 mg. When the flow rate was between 5 approximately 10 L/min and the sampling time between 10 approximately 20 min, the average sampling efficiency of chronic filter paper and microporous film was 48.94% and 63.15%, respectively and the increased weight was 0.75 approximately 2.15 mg and 0.23 approximately 0.85 mg, respectively. When the flow rate was 3.5 L/min and the sampling time was between 100 approximately 166 min, the average sampling efficiency of filter film were 94.44% and 93.45%, respectively and the average increased weight was 1.28 mg for beta glass fiber filter film and 0.78 mg for beta glass fiber filter film and synthetic fabric synthetic fabric filter film. The average sampling efficiency of chronic filter paper and microporous film were 37.65% and 88.21%, respectively. The average increased weight was 4.30 mg and 1.23 mg, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sampling with synthetic fabric filter film and beta glass fiber filter film is credible, accurate, simple and feasible for determination of the concentration of mineral-oil fog in workplaces.</p>

Potential oxidative stress in the bodies of electric arc welding operators: effect of photochemical smog / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether photochemical smog emitted during the process of electric arc welding might cause oxidative stress and potential oxidative damage in the bodies of welding operators.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy electric arc welding operators (WOs) and 70 healthy volunteers (HVs) were enrolled in a randomized controlled study design, in which the levels of vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE) in plasma as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and the level of lipoperoxide (LPO) in erythrocytes were determined by spectrophotometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the average values of the above experimental parameters in the HVs group, the average values of VC and VE in plasma as well as those of SOD, CAT and GPX in erythrocytes in the WOs group were significantly decreased (P < 0.005-0.0001), while the average value of LPO in erythrocytes in the WOs group was significantly increased (P < 0.0001). The findings from the partial correlation analysis on the controlling of age suggested that with a prolonged duration of exposure to photochemical smog the values of VC, VE, SOD, and GPX, except for CAT, in the WOs were decreased gradually (P < 0.05-0.005), the value of LPO in the WOs was increased gradually (P < 0.001), and that with the ozone dose increased in the air in each worksite VC, VE, SOD, CAT and GPX decreased (P < 0.005-0.001), but LPO increased (P < 0.001). The findings from the reliability analysis for the VC, VE, SOD, CAT, GPX, and LPO values which were used to reflect oxidative stress and potential oxidative damage in the WOs showed that the reliability coefficients' alpha (6 items) was 0.8021, P < 0.0001, and that the standardized item alpha was 0.9577, P < 0.0001.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Findings in the present study suggest that there exists an oxidative stress induced by long-term exposure to photochemical smog in the bodies of WOs, thereby causing potential oxidative and lipoperoxidative damages in their bodies.</p>

Issues in Air Pollution Epidemiologic Studies / 예방의학회지

The purpose of this review is to discuss the debate concerning the interpretation of epidemiologic studies on particles and health effects. Study of the 1952 air pollution disaster in London established that very high levels of particulate-based smog can cause dramatic increases in daily mortality. However, recent epidemiologic studies have reported statistically significant health effects and mortality due to low levels of air pollution. The statistical significance does not prove causation in observational studies; therefore it is necessary to evaluate these associations. There are arguments for and against each of the numerous studies using Hill's criteria, however the body of accepted evidence supports the causal association. In particular, a high level of consistency in the estimated effect of PM10 has been observed across studies worldwide. The mechanism of the relationship between air pollution and health effects is not obvious. The mechanism of particle-induced injury may involve the production of an inflammatory response by the particulate. The harvesting and the threshold effect are also major concerns regarding the health effects of air pollution. However, current epidemiologic findings indicate that linear models lacking a threshold are appropriate for assessing the effect of particulate air pollution on daily mortality even at current levels.

Morphologic Changes in Nasal Mucosa of the Rat after Ozone Exposure / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ozone is the principal oxidant pollutant in photochemical smog. Although ozone-induced pulmonary changes have been morphologically characterized, effects of ozone on the upper respiratory tract have not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological change of nasal mucosa after acute exposure to ozone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rats are exposed to 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 ppm of 0, for 6 hours a day for 7 days. Rats were sacrificed 18h after the end of their last exposure. Nasal mucosa was processed for Hematoxylin/Eosin (H/E) stain and Alcian blue (pH 2.5)/Periodic Acid Schiff (AB/PAS) stain. RESULTS: Morphological changes such as infiltration of neutrophils, loss of cilia, epithelial hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia and secretory cell metaplasia were observed and these changes were more pronounced in the group exposed to high concentration of ozone, compared with the group exposed to low concentration. CONCLUSION: The results of this study may suggest that ozone exposure induces infiammatory, proliferative, and metaplastic responses in the nasal mucosa.

Emissions inventory and air pollution control strategies: planning for the future

One of today's major concerns endangering our lives in big metropolitan cities around the world is the complicated phenomenon of smog formation in hot weather. Air pollution episodes and alerts bring home the need to understand how all of us contribute to creating these problems so that we can find ways to protect the quality of the air we share. The aim of a major Air Quality Study [AQS] is to provide the basis for developing appropriate and cost effective strategies to control air pollution. A pivotal component of an AQS programme is to provide an up-to-date and computerized air emissions inventory. The inventory in turn can be used to develop and validate other computer models which are being produced as part of AQS to assess air quality, particularly in relation to photochemical smog in summer and brown haze in winter. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the complex task of preparing an emission inventory for an AQS. It draws experiences gained in developing an extensive inventory affecting an area in excess of 30,000 km2. Estimates of volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and air-borne particulates were summarized on a 3 km 3 km grid system. The sources were principally: motor vehicles, industry, domestic and natural sources [vegetation and soils]. The paper also discusses key cost effective strategies to control sources of photochemical smog and brown haze

Efectos de la contaminación atmosférica sobre la permeabilidad alvéolo-capilar usando Tc99m DTPA / Effects of air pollution on alveolar-capillary permeability using 99mTc-DTPA

Es un hecho conocido que diversas condiciones pueden afectar la permeabilidad alvéolo-capilar (PAC) tales como algunas enfermedades inflamatorias activas (neumonitis, síndrome de "distress" respiratorio del adulto, membrana hialina, sarcoidosis, asbestosis, infección por neumocistis carinii y otras infecciones) y también el tabaco y el ozono. En esta revisión se analizan algunos métodos capaces de evaluar la integridad de la PAC; difusión de O2 y CO, lavado broncoalveolar, Gn 67 y tomografía axial computarizada de cortes delgados. Otra prueba no invasiva es la medición de la difusión del Tc99m-DTPA. Corresponde a una molécula pequeña, hidrosoluble (490 Dalton) la cual si es inhalada desde el micronebulizador puede depositarse en la parte distal del árbol broncoalveolar, siendo posible entonces medir su difusión al lecho capilar sanguíneo. La exposición experimental de animales a contaminantes atmosféricos altera la permeabilidad traqueal y broncoalveolar y también lo hace la exposición a O3. Santiago de Chile es una de las ciudades de mayor contaminación atmosférica, especialmente en su área central. Se comunica un trabajo preliminar acerca del efecto del smog sobre la salud de jóvenes voluntarios durante el invierno (período de mayor smog) comparando en área central de Santiago con una zona semirural no contaminada. Hubo diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos. El grupo de Santiago fue también estudiado en verano, encontrándose una diferencia estacional significativa. Con los hechos expuestos queda abierta una forma fácil de evaluar no invasivamente la población expuesta a contaminantes atmosféricos

Studies on the biological effects of nitrogen oxides and photochemical oxidants.

The animal studies in mice resulted as follows. Long-term exposure to NO2 at or above 0.5 ppm affected primarily the respiratory organs. The pulmonary effect of NO was slighter than NO2. Nitrosylhemoglobin formation in vivo was much smaller than in vitro strong affinity of NO with hemoglobin. The components other than O3 contained in the photochemically formed oxidant mixtures enhanced the effect of O3 alone. Symptoms of the patients seriously injured by photochemical smog in Japan suggested the different type in quality from the Los Angeles-type smog.