Dataset Information

The impacts of COVID-19, meteorology, and emission control policies on PM_2.5 drops in Northeast Asia.

ABSTRACT: In January 2020, anthropogenic emissions in Northeast Asia reduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When outdoor activities of the public were limited, PM_2.5 concentrations in China and South Korea between February and March 2020 reduced by - 16.8 ?g/m³ and - 9.9 ?g/m³ respectively, compared with the average over the previous three years. This study uses air quality modeling and observations over the past four years to separate the influence of reductions in anthropogenic emissions from meteorological changes and emission control policies on this PM_2.5 concentration change. Here, we show that the impacts of anthropogenic pollution reduction on PM_2.5 were found to be approximately - 16% in China and - 21% in South Korea, while those of meteorology and emission policies were - 7% and - 8% in China, and - 5% and - 4% in South Korea, respectively. These results show that the influence on PM_2.5 concentration differs across time and region and according to meteorological conditions and emission control policies. Finally, the influence of reductions in anthropogenic emissions was greater than that of meteorological conditions and emission policies during COVID-19 period.

SUBMITTER: Kang YH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7747715 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The impacts of COVID-19, meteorology, and emission control policies on PM2.5 drops in Northeast Asia.

Kang Yoon-Hee YH You Seunghee S Bae Minah M Kim Eunhye E Son Kyuwon K Bae Changhan C Kim Yoonha Y Kim Byeong-Uk BU Kim Hyun Cheol HC Kim Soontae S

Scientific reports 20201217 1

In January 2020, anthropogenic emissions in Northeast Asia reduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When outdoor activities of the public were limited, PM2.5 concentrations in China and South Korea between February and March 2020 reduced by - 16.8 μg/m3 and - 9.9 μg/m3 respectively, compared with the average over the previous three years. This study uses air quality modeling and observations over the past four years to separate the influence of reductions in anthrop ...[more]

PMID: 33335171

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Project description:BackgroundThe respiratory system of children is vulnerable to exposure to particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 and 10 μm (PM2.5 and PM10) or even lower.ObjectiveThis study assessed PM10 and PM2.5 levels and respiratory health impacts on children in schools located in an industrialized suburb in Kenya.MethodThe PM10 and PM2.5 levels were sampled from five public primary schools in Athi River Township and a control school during the wet and dry seasons. Outdoor and classroom samples were collected concurrently on an 8-hour mean during school hours on two consecutive days in each school and analyzed using gravimetric techniques. Five hundred and seventy-eight (n = 578) pupils aged 9-14 years from these schools were also evaluated for symptoms of respiratory illnesses and lung function using a questionnaire and spirometric method, respectively, during the same periods.ResultsIndoor median PM10 levels (μg/m3) ranged from 60.8-269.1 and 52.8-232.3 and PM2.5 values (μg/m3) of 17.7-52.4 and 28.5-75.5 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. The control classrooms had significantly (p <0.05) lower median PM10 levels (μg/m3) of 5.2 and 4.2, and PM2.5 levels (μg/m3) of 3.5 and 3.0 during the respective seasons. Nearly all the classrooms in Athi River schools had PM2.5 and PM10 median levels that exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended levels. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios varied from 0.35-1.40 and 0.80-2.40 for PM10 and 0.30-0.80 and 0.80-1.40 for PM2.5 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively, suggesting higher levels in the classrooms during the wet season. The relative risk (RR) and odds ratio (OR) presented higher prevalence of respiratory diseases following PM exposure in all the Athi River schools than the control during the dry and wet seasons. At 95% CI, the RR and OR showed strong associations between high PM10 and PM2.5 levels and lung function deficits and vice versa. The association was more prevalent during the wet season.ConclusionsThe study calls for effective indoor air management programs in school environments to reduce PM exposure and respiratory health impacts.Participant consentObtained.Ethics approvalThe research permit and approvals were obtained from the University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital Ethics and Research Committee (KNH-UoN ERC Reference: P599/08/2016) and the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (Reference: NACOSTI/P/18/4268/25724).Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing financial interests.

Project description:India is currently experiencing degraded air quality, and future economic development will lead to challenges for air quality management. Scenarios of sectoral emissions of fine particulate matter and its precursors were developed and evaluated for 2015-2050, under specific pathways of diffusion of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The impacts of individual source sectors on PM2.5 concentrations were assessed through systematic simulations of spatially and temporally resolved particulate matter concentrations, using the GEOS-Chem model, followed by population-weighted aggregation to national and state levels. We find that PM2.5 pollution is a pan-India problem, with a regional character, and is not limited to urban areas or megacities. Under present-day emissions, levels in most states exceeded the national PM2.5 annual standard (40 μg m-3). Sources related to human activities were responsible for the largest proportion of the present-day population exposure to PM2.5 in India. About 60 % of India's mean population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations come from anthropogenic source sectors, while the remainder are from "other" sources, windblown dust and extra-regional sources. Leading contributors are residential biomass combustion, power plant and industrial coal combustion and anthropogenic dust (including coal fly ash, fugitive road dust and waste burning). Transportation, brick production and distributed diesel were other contributors to PM2.5. Future evolution of emissions under regulations set at current levels and promulgated levels caused further deterioration of air quality in 2030 and 2050. Under an ambitious prospective policy scenario, promoting very large shifts away from traditional biomass technologies and coal-based electricity generation, significant reductions in PM2.5 levels are achievable in 2030 and 2050. Effective mitigation of future air pollution in India requires adoption of aggressive prospective regulation, currently not formulated, for a three-pronged switch away from (i) biomass-fuelled traditional technologies, (ii) industrial coal-burning and (iii) open burning of agricultural residue. Future air pollution is dominated by industrial process emissions, reflecting larger expansion in industrial, rather than residential energy demand. However, even under the most active reductions envisioned, the 2050 mean exposure, excluding any impact from windblown mineral dust, is estimated to be nearly 3 times higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline.

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Dataset Information

The impacts of COVID-19, meteorology, and emission control policies on PM_2.5 drops in Northeast Asia.

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The impacts of COVID-19, meteorology, and emission control policies on PM<sub>2.5</sub> drops in Northeast Asia.

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