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Introduction: Air pollution is a global issue that poses a significant threat to public health. Children, due to their developing physiology, are particularly susceptible to the inhalation of environmental pollutants. Exposure can trigger immune modulation and organ damage, increasing susceptibility to respiratory diseases. Therefore, we aim to examine the association between heavy metal and particulate matter exposure with tuberculosis in children., Methods and Analysis: As a case-control study, we will include children diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (n=60) and matched healthy controls (n=80) recruited from the same communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Exposure data for both cases and controls will be collected by a trained field team conducting home visits. They will administer an exposure questionnaire, measure child anthropometry, collect blood and household dust samples and instal 48-hour air quality monitors. The blood samples will be analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for serum heavy metal concentrations (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and chromium), as a representative marker of exposure, and the presence of inflammatory biomarkers. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent samples t-tests, analysis of variance and conditional regression analysis, will be used to quantify heavy metal and particulate matter exposure status in tuberculosis cases compared with healthy controls, while accounting for potential confounders. Dust samples and air quality results will be analysed to understand household sources of heavy metal and particulate matter exposure. To test the study hypothesis, there is a positive association between exposure and tuberculosis diseases, we will also measure the accumulated effect of simultaneous exposures using Bayesian statistical modelling., Ethics and Dissemination: This study has been approved by International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh's Institutional Review Board (PR-22030). The study findings will be disseminated at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: This paper presents the study design of the Berlin-Brandenburg Air study (BEAR-study). We measure air quality in Berlin and Brandenburg before and after the relocation of aircraft (AC) traffic from Tegel (TXL) airport to the new Berlin-Brandenburg airport (BER) and investigate the association of AC-related ultrafine particles (UFP) with health outcomes in schoolchildren. Methods: The BEAR-study is a natural experiment examining schoolchildren attending schools near TXL and BER airports, and in control areas (CA) away from both airports and associated air corridors. Each child undergoes repeated school-based health-examinations. Total particle number concentration (PNC) and meteorological parameters are continuously monitored. Submicrometer particle number size distribution, equivalent black carbon, and gas-phase pollutants are collected from long-term air quality monitoring stations. Daily source-specific UFP concentrations are modeled. We will analyze short-term effects of UFP on respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurocognitive outcomes, as well as medium and long-term effects on lung growth and cognitive development. Results: We examined 1,070 children (as of 30 November 2022) from 16 schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. Conclusion: The BEAR study increases the understanding of how AC-related UFP affect children's health., Competing Interests: Author SaL was employed by the company Cardinal Health Real-World Evidence and Insights. The remaining authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Soppa, Lucht, Ogurtsova, Buschka, López-Vicente, Guxens, Weinhold, Winkler, Wiedensohler, Held, Lüchtrath, Cyrys, Kecorius, Gastmeier, Wiese-Posselt and Hoffmann.)

Buildings are often located near ambient air pollution sources such as wildfire or heavy traffic areas. While windows in buildings are intermittently open for free cooling or natural ventilation, increased leakage area can lead to elevated human exposure to air pollutants of outdoor origin. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of paper filter windows in reducing exposure to outdoor air pollution and improving indoor air quality. The physical properties of paper windows as filtration media were experimentally determined, based on which multi-zone indoor air quality and ventilation analysis (CONTAM) simulations were performed for a full-scale building. The results show that the outdoor-indoor air exchange rate of a building can increase about 100% when conventional windows are replaced with paper filter windows. Even with the increased air exchange rate, the infiltration of outdoor particles into the building was reduced about 57-77% for the particle size range of 7-300 nm. These findings imply that paper windows have potential benefits for controlling both outdoor originated pollutants and indoor-generated pollutants with minimal energy inputs, especially in cities and communities impacted by urban air pollution and wildfires., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Removing benzene from indoor space plays an important role in indoor air purification. A novel filter with vegetal fiber paper (VFP) as matrix hosting silica gel is proposed in this paper for benzene removal. In order to investigate the feasibility and performance of this idea, firstly, three pieces of VFP samples impregnated with different amounts of silica gel are fabricated and their benzene adsorption quantities are tested. The results show that three times is recommended as the optimal number for impregnating. The VFP sample impregnated with silica gel after the third impregnating exhibits commendable coating stability and good benzene adsorption performance. Additionally, at low relative pressure (P b /P s  ≤ 0.05), the experimental data of benzene adsorption isotherms fit well with the Langmuir model with R 2 greater than 0.97. Then, two actual filters made of VFP impregnated with silica gel after the third impregnating were fabricated. It is found that the pressure drop of the actual filter is only 1200 Pa/m when the air velocity is 2 m/s. Besides, the one-pass efficiency of the filter can reach to 19.44%. It is expected that the silica gel coated on the filter can be modified to improve the purification performance of the filter., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In this study, we investigated the airborne particles released during paper printing and paper shredding processes in an attempt to characterize and differentiate these particles. Particle characteristics were studied with real time instruments (RTIs) to measure concentrations and with samplers to collect particles for subsequent microscopy and cytotoxicity analysis. The particles released by paper shredding were evaluated for cytotoxicity by using in vitro human lung epithelial cell models. A substantial amount of particles were released during both the shredding and printing processes. We found that the printing process caused substantial release of particles with sizes of less than 300 nm in the form of metal granules and graphite. These released particles contained various elements including Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, N, K, P, S and Si. The particles released by the paper shredding processes were primarily nanoparticles and had a peak size between 27.4 nm and 36.5 nm. These paper particles contained elements including Al, Br Ca, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, N, Na, Ni P, S and Si, as determined by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (SP-ICP-MS) analysis. Although various metals were identified in the paper particles, these particles did not elicit cytotoxicity to simian virus-transformed bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS2B) and immortalized normal human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE1). However, future studies should investigate other cytotoxicity effects of these paper particles in various types of lung cells to identify potential health effects of the particles.

The deposition of trace elements around a pulp and paper industry in Morelia, Mexico, was evaluated using two lichen species as biomonitors. Samples of the foliose lichen Flavopunctelia praesignis and the fruticose lichen Usnea ceratina were collected in two remote areas and transplanted at different distances and directions from the pollution source. Lichen samples were exposed for 4 months (1) around the industrial area and (2) in their native habitats (control sites). We investigated the bioaccumulation of 11 trace elements in lichen thalli, and we compared the response of the two lichen species. To identify possible common sources, we evaluated the relationships between trace elements by correlations and cluster analyses. Our results showed that Cd was a good tracer for air pollution from the pulp and paper mills. In samples of Usnea ceratina exposed around the industrial area, Cd was significantly higher than in the remote area. Within the study area, trace element contents increase with the distance from the source, and they showed high depositions in the direction of prevailing winds. Moreover, we were able to detect groups of elements with similar behavior and common origins. Our results indicated that Flavopunctelia praesignis showed a higher capacity to accumulate trace elements than Usnea ceratina., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of female cancer mortality in the U.S. and accounts for five percent of all cancer deaths among women. No environmental risk factors for ovarian cancer have been confirmed. We previously reported that ovarian cancer incidence rates at the state level were significantly correlated with the extent of pulp and paper manufacturing. We evaluated that association using county-level data and advanced geospatial methods. Specifically, we investigated the relationship of spatial patterns of ovarian cancer incidence rates with toxic emissions from pulp and paper facilities using data from the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Geospatial analysis identified clusters of counties with high ovarian cancer incidence rates in south-central Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Georgia. A bivariate local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis confirmed that counties with high ovarian cancer rates were associated with counties with large numbers of pulp and paper mills. Regression analysis of state level data indicated a positive correlation between ovarian cancer and water pollutant emissions. A similar relationship was identified from the analysis of county-level data. These data support a possible role of water-borne pollutants from pulp and paper mills in the etiology of ovarian cancer.

Recently, owing to the performance improvement of the headspace (HS)-sampling devices and its consumables, HS vial samples can be analyzed at temperatures up to 300°C. Some studies have attempted to analyze polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric 2.5 μm particulate matter (PM 2.5) collected on a filter paper by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) coupled with thermal desorption device. However, no studies have reported the use of an HS-sampling device to quantify PAHs in PM 2.5 filter paper. In this study, we found that the quantification of PAH analysis using HS-GC/MS can be improved by the following steps, so that the accuracy becomes almost the same as that of a solvent-extraction method: 1) replacement of the air in the HS vial with nitrogen, 2) limiting the solvent to toluene, 3) using the hydrolyzed polyimide-covered septum, and 4) optimization of the heating temperature and heating time of the HS vial. As a result, we succeeded in protecting PAHs in an HS vial at a high temperature and in creating an analysis method with a high recovery rate and high repeatability; the limit of quantitation of each PAH in this method was 5.4 pg m -3 in the case of a volume of 10080 m 3 of air being collected on the filter paper.

Using waste paper as fuel for domestic heating is a beneficial recycling option for small island developing states where there are lacks of resources for energy and waste treatment. However, there are concerns about the impact of air pollutants emitted from the burning of the self-made paper briquettes as household air pollution is recognised as the greatest environmental risk for human. In this study, combustion tests were carried out for paper briquettes made in one Pacific island and three commercial fuels in Australia including wood briquettes, kindling firewood and coal briquettes in order to: 1) characterise the emissions of three criteria air pollutants including particulate matters, CO and NO x including their emission factors (EF) from the tested fuels; and 2) compare the EFs among the tested fuels and with others reported in the literature. The results showed that waste paper briquettes burned quickly and generated high temperature but the heat value is relatively low. Paper briquettes and coal briquettes produced higher CO concentration than the others while paper briquettes generated the highest NO x level. Only PM 2.5 concentration emitted from paper briquettes was similar to kindling firewood and lower than wood briquettes. Burning of paper briquettes and wood briquettes produced particulate matter with large average count median diameter (72 and 68 nm) than coal briquette and kindling firewood (45 and 51 nm). The EFs for CO, NO x and PM 2.5 of paper briquettes were within the range of EFs reported in this study as well as in the literature. Overall, the results suggested that using paper briquettes as fuel for domestic heating will not likely to generate higher level of three major air pollutants compared to other traditional fuels., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study firstly investigated the species, concentration variation, and emission factors of mercury emitted from the burning of incenses and joss papers in an Asian temple. Both indoor and outdoor speciated mercury (GEM, GOM, and PHg) were sampled by manual samplers, while ambient GEM at an indoor site was in-situ monitored by a continuous GEM monitor. Field measurement results showed that the total atmospheric mercury (TAM) concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments were in the range of 8.03-35.72 and 6.03-31.35 ng/m 3 , respectively. The indoor and outdoor ratios (I/O) of TAM in the daytime and at nighttime were in the range of 0.64-0.90 and 1.50-2.04, respectively. The concentrations of GEM, GOM, and PHg during the holiday periods were approximately 1-4 times higher than those during the non-holiday periods. GEM was the dominant mercury species in the indoor and outdoor environments and accounted for 63-81% of TAM, while the oxidized mercury accounted for 19-37% of TAM. Burning incenses and joss papers in a combustion chamber showed that the concentration of GEM from joss paper burning ranged from 4.07 to 11.62 μg/m 3 , or about 13.97 times higher than that of incense burning, while the concentration of PHg from incense burning ranged from 95.91 to 135.07 ng/m 3 , or about 3.29 times higher than that of joss paper burning. The emission factors of incense burning were 10.39 ng/g of GEM and 1.40 ng/g of PHg, while those of joss paper burning were 12.65 ng/g of GEM and 1.27 ng/g of PHg, respectively. This study revealed that speciated mercury emitted from worship activities had significant influence on the indoor and outdoor mercury concentrations in an Asian temple. Higher intensity of worship activities during holidays resulted in a higher concentration of speciated mercury in indoor and outdoor air, which might cause health threats to worshipers, staffs, and surrounding inhabitants through long-term exposure., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper quantitatively investigates the compositions of the gaseous pollutants in the ambient air of a secondary fiber paper mill. Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), formaldehyde (HCHO), sulfur compounds (H2S), and hydrocarbon compounds (CxHy) were analyzed on six sampling sites with photo-ionisation detector, acetylacetone spectrophotometric method, and gas detector. The results revealed that, the high levels of TVOC and CxHy were detected at the wet end of paper machine and the office area, respectively; all the H2S contents on the six sites exceeded the limit (0.06 mg m(-3)) seriously; the HCHO concentrations at other five sites were out of the limit (0.10 mg m(-3)) except for the wastewater treatment plant. Furthermore, the necessary discussions about the possible pollution sources were considered on the process flow, the chemical agents used, and the ambient conditions in the paper mill. For the sake of air pollution control in paper mills, these remarkable results and analysis lay some technical basis in the following researches that should attract more attentions.

Volatile organic compound (VOC) detection is critical for controlling industrial and commercial emissions, environmental monitoring, and public health. Simple, portable, rapid and low-cost VOC sensing platforms offer the benefits of on-site and real-time monitoring anytime and anywhere. The best and most practically useful approaches to monitoring would include equipment-free and power-free detection by the naked eye. In this work, we created a novel, paper-based cantilever sensor array that allows simple and rapid naked-eye VOC detection without the need for power, electronics or readout interface/equipment. This simple VOC detection method was achieved using (i) low-cost paper materials as a substrate and (ii) swellable thin polymers adhered to the paper. Upon exposure to VOCs, the polymer swelling adhered to the paper-based cantilever, inducing mechanical deflection that generated a distinctive composite pattern of the deflection angles for a specific VOC. The angle is directly measured by the naked eye on a 3-D protractor printed on a paper facing the cantilevers. The generated angle patterns are subjected to statistical algorithms (linear discriminant analysis (LDA)) to classify each VOC sample and selectively detect a VOC. We classified four VOC samples with 100% accuracy using LDA., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Communities across Canada rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods. One such community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, has both benefited and suffered, because of its proximity to a pulp and paper mill (currently owned by Northern Pulp). Since production began in 1967, there have been increasing impacts to the local environment and human health. Environmental reports funded by the mill were reviewed and compared against provincial and federal regulatory compliance standards. Reports contrasted starkly to societal perceptions of local impacts and independent studies. Most environmental monitoring reports funded by the mill indicate some levels of compliance in atmospheric and effluent emissions, but when compliance targets were not met, there was a lack of regulatory enforcement. After decades of local pollution impacts and lack of environmental compliance, corporate social responsibility initiatives need implementing for the mill to maintain its social licence to operate.

In their study "Assessing Agreement in Exposure Classification between Proximity-Based Metrics and Air Monitoring Data in Epidemiology Studies of Unconventional Resource Development" [...]., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Despite the extensive use of the Internet, printed newspapers remain a primary information source. In this study, reading a newspaper in a relatively confined or poorly ventilated indoor space was simulated to determine the profile of particles released from the newspaper into the air. The consecutive simulated conditions were reading without agitation of the newspaper (NoAg), followed by reading with agitation of the newspaper (Ag) and post-reading absent the newspaper (PostR), repeated with four newspapers. We found that particle number concentration (ΣN) fell during Ag owing to electroadhesion of ultrafine particles (<200 nm) caused by static charges created by friction between the paper surface and the air as a result of newspaper agitation. Conversely, particle surface area concentrations (ΣA) and particle volume concentrations (ΣV) increased significantly during Ag. This was because the larger, fine (1-2.5 μm) and coarse mode (2.5-10 μm), particles were detached from the newspaper during agitation due to inertial detachment - the release of even a small number of these particles contributing greatly to ΣA and ΣV. The critical particle number diameter (CPND) occurred at 207-310 nm. Particles smaller than this were subject to electroadhesion during Ag. The critical particle volume diameter (CPVD) occurred at 130-497 nm. Particles larger than this were subject to inertial detachment during Ag. These observations indicate that the electroadhesion of smaller particles and the inertial detachment of larger particles occur simultaneously. Particle mass concentrations were found to be as high as 168.7-534.3 μg m -3 . However, these findings of high potential concentrations were based on the measurement in relative small micro-environment. The inhalation of such concentrations is a health risk for people who regularly read newspapers in a relatively confined or poorly ventilated indoor space., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A bench scale biofilter packed with compost and wood chips seeded with potential DMS degrading culture (Bacillus sphaericus) could efficiently remove DMS from ambient air with removal efficiency (RE%) of 71 ± 11 at an effective bed contact time (EBCT) of 360 ± 20s with loading rate in the range of 4-28 gDMS/m(3)/h. Further, the same biofilter operated for the treatment of vent gas generated from a P&P industry indicated DMS removal of 61 ± 18% at optimal EBCT of 360 ± 25s with a loading rate in the range of 3-128 gDMS/m(3)/h., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chlorine bleaching is still practiced by non-wood pulp and paper mills in China, resulting in considerable formation and emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). We investigate the distribution of PCDD/Fs in different papermaking processes and dioxin emissions at six typical Chinese non-wood pulp and paper mills. Raw materials for papermaking included reed, wheat straw, bamboo, and sugar cane bagasse. The formation and emission of PCDD/Fs varied strikingly according to bleaching processes and raw materials. Elemental chlorine bleaching promoted the formation of tetra- to octa-CDDs and 2,3,7,8-TCDF, while hypochlorite bleaching only gave rise to a significant increase of 2,3,7,8-TCDF. Bleaching with elemental chlorine and hypochlorite increased 2,3,7,8-TCDF 0.9-42.5 and 0.3-4.1 times, respectively. Most of the 2,3,7,8-TCDF formed at hypochlorite bleaching stage was partitioned into the effluent, which indicated that hypochlorite bleaching was also an important emission source of dioxins. The removal of PCDD/Fs occurred visibly during alkaline digestion, alkaline extraction, and hydrogen peroxide bleaching. Furthermore, the annual emission of PCDD/Fs from Chinese non-wood pulp and paper mills was evaluated.

Objective: to assess an effect of chemical contaminants contained in emissions of pulp and paper mill on prevalence respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in population of Novodvinsk. The average annual concentrations of chemicals of concern were calculated by modeling. A prevalence of population was studied by using of the primary medical documentation in sex among children from 0 to 17 and adults from 65 and older Hazard index (HIi) was used to assess the non-cancer health effects. Unit risk was used to calculate individual cancer risk (CR). Testing of null hypothesis was conducted by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and ?2. The hazard index for respiratory tract (HIi = 3,54; 95% CI: 3.34-3.70) and cardiovascular system (HIi = 0.78; 95% /DE: 0.74-0.82) in the district close to the Arkhangelsk pulp and paper mill (APPM) were higher than in remote districts. In this district the prevalence of bronchial asthma in boys (30.7+13.8%), women (47.0+9.8%) and men (127.4+45.2%) was the highest. Also in this district the prevalence of hypertension among women (139.1+14.4%) and men (311.5+56.1%), diseases of veins among women (48.2+10.8%) and diseases of upper respiratory tract among men (177.0+36.4%) was higher than in remote districts from the APPM. The level of CR in the district located close by the APPM was acceptable (1.0 (10-5; 95% CI: 9.0 (10-6-1, 18(10-5).

To evaluate the cytogenetic and cytotoxic effects of a set of pollutions in the town of Koryazhma, the investigators made a complete karyological analysis (cytogenetic, apoptotic, and indirect proliferation parameters) of buccal and nasal epithelial exfoliative cells in two groups of old school age children living at various distances from a pulp-and-paper mill (PPM). The residential area that is adjacent to the PPM can be considered to be poor in the influence of genotoxic factors since there were 1.6- and 1.65-fold increases in cytogenetic disorders and cells with an atypically shaped nucleus, respectively, with a 1.57-fold reduction in the level of cell apoptosis. Karyological changes were revealed in the nasal mucosa, rather than in the buccal mucosa, which permitted one to recommend for the evaluation of the influence of environmental factors, the impact of ambient air pollution in particular, and to conduct cytogenetic studies on the cells of not only the buccal epithelium (that has been better studied), but also those of the nasal epithelium.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been established for recycling of paper waste with focus on a material recovery facility (MRF). The MRF upgrades the paper and cardboard waste before it is delivered to other industries where new paper or board products are produced. The accounting showed that the GHG contributions from the upstream activities and operational activities, with global warming factors (GWFs) of respectively 1 to 29 and 3 to 9 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne(- 1) paper waste, were small in comparison wih the downstream activities. The GHG contributions from the downstream reprocessing of the paper waste ranged from approximately 490 to 1460 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne( -1) of paper waste. The system may be expanded to include crediting of avoided virgin paper production which would result in GHG contributions from -1270 to 390 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne(- 1) paper waste. It may also be assumed that the wood not used for virgin paper production instead is used for production of energy that in turn is assumed to substitute for fossil fuel energy. This would result in GHG contributions from -1850 to -4400 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne(- 1) of paper waste. These system expansions reveal very large GHG savings, suggesting that the indirect upstream and operational GHG contributions are negligible in comparison with the indirect downstream emissions. However, the data for reprocessing of paper waste and the data for virgin paper production are highly variable. These differences are mainly related to different energy sources for the mills, both in regards to energy form (heat or electricity) and fuel (biomass or fossil fuels).

Large-scale open burning of joss paper is an important ritual practice for deity worshipping during Buddhist and Taoist festivals. Since Buddhism and Taoism are two of the most popular religions in Chinese societies and some Asian countries, the impact of joss paper burning on the air quality needs further investigation. This study explores the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air during one of the most important festivals, in which large-scale burning of joss paper occurs in temples and in people's houses. The PAH concentrations were measured simultaneously at a temple site and a background site during both the festival and non-festive (ordinary) periods. Each ambient sample was extracted by the Soxhlet analytical method (for both particle-bound and gas-phase) and analyzed with gas chromatography. Experimental results indicate that the total PAH concentration during the festival period is approximately 4.2 times higher than that during the ordinary period (5384 ng m(-3) vs. 1275 ng m(-3)). This study also employed statistical methods including diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the possible PAH emission sources. Joss paper burning and vehicular emissions are identified as the principal sources of airborne PAHs during the large-scale open-burning event. The results of this work provide useful information for public awareness concerning PAH emission from the open burning of joss paper.

Air emissions from the U.S. pulp and paper sector have been federally regulated since 1978; however, regulations are periodically reviewed and revised to improve efficiency and effectiveness of existing emission standards. The Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions (ISIS) model for the pulp and paper sector is currently under development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and can be utilized to facilitate multi-pollutant, sector-based analyses that are performed in conjunction with regulatory development. The model utilizes a multi-sector, multi-product dynamic linear modeling framework that evaluates the economic impact of emission reduction strategies for multiple air pollutants. The ISIS model considers facility-level economic, environmental, and technical parameters, as well as sector-level market data, to estimate the impacts of environmental regulations on the pulp and paper industry. Specifically, the model can be used to estimate U.S. and global market impacts of new or more stringent air regulations, such as impacts on product price, exports and imports, market demands, capital investment, and mill closures. One major challenge to developing a representative model is the need for an extensive amount of data. This article discusses the collection and processing of data for use in the model, as well as the methods used for building the ISIS pulp and paper database that facilitates the required analyses to support the air quality management of the pulp and paper sector.

Methanol is one of the major hazardous air pollutants emitted from chemical pulp mills. Its collection and treatment is required by the Maximum Achievable Control Technology portion of the 1998 Cluster Rule. The objective of this study is to investigate the technical feasibility of combined adsorption and photocatalytic regeneration for the removal and destruction of methanol. To facilitate the regeneration, activated carbon (AC) was coated with commercially available photocatalyst by a spray desiccation method. Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor equipped with an 8 W black light UV lamp (peak wavelength at 365 nm) at the center. The photocatalyst loaded onto AC had no significant impact on the adsorption capacity of the carbon. High humidity was found to greatly reduce the material's capacity in the adsorption and simultaneous adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation of methanol. The photocatalytic regeneration process is limited by the desorption of the adsorbate. Increasing desorption rate by using purge air greatly increased the regeneration capacity. When the desorption rate was greater than the photocatalytic oxidation rate, however, part of the methanol was directly desorbed without degradation.

Combustion of industrial and domestic wastes produces significant amounts of dioxins (PCDDs, PCDFs, and coplanar PCBs). These wastes contain numerous kinds of materials, including inorganic elements, which may play an important role in dioxin formation upon combustion. Six paper samples--impregnated with NaHCO3, NaCl + fly ash, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and PVC + NaHCO3--were combusted in a well-controlled incinerator at 512-760 degrees C and exhaust gases were analyzed for dioxins (PCDDs, PCDFs, and coplanar PCBs). Addition of fly ash, which contained high levels of Ca and Cl, to NaCl impregnated-newspaper increased total dioxin formation from 80.8 ngg(-1) to 139 ngg(-1) during combustion. Addition of NaHCO3 to PVC-impregnated newspaper increased total dioxin formation from 220 ngg(-1) to 288 ngg(-1). Formation of PCDDs from NaHCO3/PVC-impregnated newspaper were significantly less than that from newspaper impregnated with PVC alone. On the other hand, more PCDFs formed from NaHCO3/PVC-impregnated newspaper than from newspaper impregnated with PVC alone. Addition of NaHCO3 to a PVC-impregnated newspaper changed the production pattern of dioxins. PVC- impregnated newspaper produced the greatest amount of coplanar PCBs (12.3 ngg(-1)), which may be accounted for by the relatively high level of TEQ value (3.31 ng-TEQg(-1)) of this sample. Generally, addition of fly ash and alkali metals, such as Na, to paper samples increased the total dioxin formation in exhaust gases during combustion. The results suggest that alkali metals increase Cl concentrations at a reaction site by trapping chloride ions and/or chloride radicals and consequently increasing dioxin formation.

The use of waste wood as an energy carrier has increased during the last decade. However, the higher levels of alkali metals and chlorine in waste wood compared to virgin biomass can promote the formation of deposits and organic pollutants. Here, the effect of fuel composition and the inhibitory effects of ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO4, on the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the flue gas of a lab-scale combustor was investigated. Ammonium sulfate is often used as a corrosion-preventing additive and may also inhibit formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). In addition to PCDDs and PCDFs, polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) and biphenyls (PCB) were also analyzed. It was found that the flue gas composition changed dramatically when (NH4)2SO4 was added: CO, SO2, and NH3 levels increased, while those of HCl decreased to almost zero. However, the additive's effects on POP formation were less pronounced. When (NH4)2SO4 was added to give an S:Cl ratio of 3, only the PCDF concentration was reduced, indicating that this ratio was not sufficient to achieve a general reduction in POP emissions. Conversely, at an S:Cl ratio of 6, significant reductions in the WHO-TEQ value and the PCDD and PCDF contents of the flue gas were observed. The effect on the PCDF concentration was especially pronounced. PCN formation seemed to be promoted by the elevated CO concentrations caused by adding (NH4)2SO4., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

We conducted an evaluation of shredded paper insulation to identify potentially toxic components. The study was to provide a preliminary characterization of a few samples of insulation currently in use. The following samples were analyzed: previously produced insulation (PPI) containing fire retardants, shredded recycled paper (PPI feedstock), freshly produced insulation (FPI), and insulation which had been installed in a residence (II). Volatile constituents were analyzed by GC-MS from headspace air of samples held at room temperature or heated to 90 degrees C. Extractable constituents were sampled by extracting with methylene chloride, and analyzing by GC-MS. Formaldehyde analysis was done according to EPA Method TO11. Headspace air at room temperature contained no detectable quantities of volatile constituents for any sample measured. In headspace air at 90 degrees C, only PPI contained traces of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and higher aldehydes, and FPI traces of toluene. Extracts of PPI contained traces of octadecadienoic acid methyl ester and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and higher aldehydes. Extracts of PPI feedstock contained traces of a substituted cyclohexenecarboxylic acid. FPI contained extractable diethyl phthalate (30-50 micrograms/g). Extracts of II contained traces of methyl palmitate, an octadecenoic acid methyl ester, and a phthalate plasticizer. No formaldehyde was detected. PPI was composed of approximately 98 percent paper fiber and 2 percent pre-gelatinized starch. PPI samples agglomerated together with less than 0.01 percent separating from clumps as fine dust. Boron and sodium were expected and confirmed because they were added to PPI and FPI as fire retardants. Chromium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and silicon were present at detectable concentrations. Study calculations indicate that an occupant would have to completely consume all the fine particles produced from 3.3 kg of insulation per day to have an intake of boron equivalent to the EPA RfD. No other constituent appeared to be present even close to toxicologically relevant amounts.

Air toxics are airborne pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, including certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), prioritized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While several EPA-designated air toxics are monitored at a subset of Canadian National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) sites, Canada has no specific "air toxics" control priorities. Although pulp and paper (P&P) mills are major industrial emitters of air pollutants, few studies quantified the spectrum of air quality exposures. Moreover, most NAPS monitoring sites are in urban centers; in contrast, rural NAPS sites are sparse with few exposure risk records. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate prioritized air toxic ambient VOC concentrations using NAPS hourly emissions data from a rural Pictou, Nova Scotia Kraft P&P town to document concentration levels, and to determine whether these concentrations correlated with wind direction at the NAPS site (located southwest of the mill). Publicly accessible Environment and Climate Change Canada data (VOC concentrations [Granton NAPS ID: 31201] and local meteorological conditions [Caribou Point]) were examined using temporal (2006-2013) and spatial analytic methods. Results revealed several VOCs (1,3-butadiene, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride) routinely exceeded EPA air toxics-associated cancer risk thresholds. 1,3-Butadiene and tetrachloroethylene were significantly higher (p < 0.05) when prevailing wind direction blew from the northeast and the mill towards the NAPS site. Conversely, when prevailing winds originated from the southwest towards the mill, higher median VOC air toxics concentrations at the NAPS site, except carbon tetrachloride, were not observed. Despite study limitations, this is one of few investigations documenting elevated concentrations of certain VOCs air toxics to be associated with P&P emissions in a community. Findings support the need for more research on the extent to which air toxics emissions exist in P&P towns and contribute to poor health in nearby communities.

Human exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been linked with respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to various cancers. Consistent among all of these associations is the hypothesis that PM induces inflammation and oxidative stress in the affected tissue. Consequently, a variety of assays have been developed to quantify the oxidative activity of PM as a means to characterize its ability to induced oxidative stress. The vast majority of these assays rely on high-volume, fixed-location sampling methods due to limitations in assay sensitivity and detection limit. As a result, our understanding of how personal exposure contributes to the intake of oxidative air pollution is limited. To further this understanding, we present a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) for measuring PM oxidative activity on filters collected by personal sampling. The μPAD is inexpensive to fabricate and provides fast and sensitive analysis of aerosol oxidative activity. The oxidative activity measurement is based on the dithiothreitol assay (DTT assay), uses colorimetric detection, and can be completed in the field within 30 min following sample collection. The μPAD assay was validated against the traditional DTT assay using 13 extracted aerosol samples including urban aerosols, biomass burning PM, cigarette smoke, and incense smoke. The results showed no significant differences in DTT consumption rate measured by the two methods. To demonstrate the utility of the approach, personal samples were collected to estimate human exposures to PM from indoor air, outdoor air on a clean day, and outdoor air on a wildfire-impacted day in Fort Collins, CO. Filter samples collected on the wildfire day gave the highest oxidative activity on a mass normalized basis, whereas typical ambient background air showed the lowest oxidative activity.

Using data from the North Carolina School Asthma Survey about the respiratory health of 64,432 adolescents attending public schools in North Carolina and data provided by school employees about the environmental health conditions of the school buildings, we assessed the prevalence of daytime wheezing during the past year among students estimated to be exposed to air pollutants arising from pulp and paper mills located near the schools. Of the schools the students attended, 14% (37/266) were located within 30 miles of one or more pulp and paper mills and odor from the mills was identified by survey respondents for 9 of the 266 schools. The prevalences of daytime wheezing in smokers and nonsmokers with household cigarette smoke exposure were elevated among students attending schools located within 30 miles of a pulp and paper mill, compared to the prevalence among students attending schools located beyond 30 miles (10 miles, prevalence ratio (PR): 1.21, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.99, 1.43; 10-30 miles, PR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.16) and among students attending schools with noticeable odor from a pulp and paper mill (PR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.31). These results indicate a possible association between paper mill location and wheezing symptoms among adolescents and suggest that community-based exposure to pulp and paper mill emissions may have a greater impact on smokers and individuals exposed to cigarette smoke in the home than on nonsmokers without such household exposure.

The objective of the work was to provide a method to predict CO2 and NH3 yields during composting of the biodegradable fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW). The compostable portion of MSW was simulated using three principal biodegradable components, namely mixed paper wastes, yard wastes and food wastes. Twelve laboratory runs were carried out at thermophilic temperatures based on the principles of mixture experimental and full factorial designs. Seeded mixed paper (MXP), seeded yard waste (YW) and seeded food waste (FW), each composted individually, produced 150, 220 and 370 g CO2-C, and 2.0, 4.4 and 34 g NH3-N per dry kg of initial substrate, respectively. Several experimental runs were also carried out with different mixtures of these three substrates. The effect of seeding was insignificant during composting of food wastes and yard wastes, while seeding was necessary for composting of mixed paper. Polynomial equations were developed to predict CO2 and NH3 (in amounts of mass per dry kg of MSW) from mixtures of MSW. No interactions among components were found to be significant when predicting CO2 yields, while the interaction of food wastes and mixed paper was found to be significant when predicting NH3 yields.

Our objective in this study was to evaluate the mortality of workers exposed to sulfur dioxide in the pulp and paper industry. The cohort included 57,613 workers employed for at least 1 year in the pulp and paper industry in 12 countries. We assessed exposure to SO(2) at the level of mill and department, using industrial hygiene measurement data and information from company questionnaires; 40,704 workers were classified as exposed to SO(2). We conducted a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) analysis based on age-specific and calendar period-specific national mortality rates. We also conducted a Poisson regression analysis to determine the dose-response relations between SO(2) exposure and cancer mortality risks and to explore the effect of potential confounding factors. The SMR analysis showed a moderate deficit of all causes of death [SMR = 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.87-0.96] among exposed workers. Lung cancer mortality was marginally increased among exposed workers (SMR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.98-1.18). After adjustment for occupational coexposures, the lung cancer risk was increased compared with unexposed workers (rate ratio = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14-1.96). There was a suggestion of a positive relationship between weighted cumulative SO(2) exposure and lung cancer mortality (p-value of test for linear trend = 0.009 among all exposed workers; p = 0.3 among workers with high exposure). Neither duration of exposure nor time since first exposure was associated with lung cancer mortality. Mortality from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and from leukemia was increased among workers with high SO(2) exposure; a dose-response relationship with cumulative SO(2) exposure was suggested for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For the other causes of death, there was no evidence of increased mortality associated with exposure to SO(2). Although residual confounding may have occurred, our results suggest that occupational exposure to SO(2) in the pulp and paper industry may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

Exposure to high molecular weight sensitizers of biological origin is an important risk factor for the development of asthma and rhinitis. Most of the causal allergens have been defined based on their reactivity with IgE antibodies, and in many cases, the molecular structure and function of the allergens have been established. Significant information on allergen levels that cause sensitization and allergic symptoms for several major environmental and occupational allergens has been reported. Monitoring of high molecular weight allergens and allergen carrier particles is an important part of the management of allergic respiratory diseases and requires standardized allergen assessment methods for occupational and environmental (indoor and outdoor) allergen exposure. The aim of this EAACI task force was to review the essential points for monitoring environmental and occupational allergen exposure including sampling strategies and methods, processing of dust samples, allergen analysis, and quantification. The paper includes a summary of different methods for sampling and allergen quantification, as well as their pros and cons for various exposure settings. Recommendations are being made for different exposure scenarios., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the effect of macular pollutants on the release of pyrolytic products from cigarette paper, and provide a method basis for the classification of macular pollutants. [Method] The pyrolytic particulate matter of different cigarette papers was captured by a self-built temperature-controlled pyrolytic device. The differences in pyrolytic components of different cigarette paper samples were analyzed by using GC-MS. And the classification of macular pollutants was achieved using principal component and cluster analysis based on the differences in pyrolytic products. [Result] The different pollutants changed the microscopic surface morphology of cigarette paper fibers. And the pyrolytic products chromatograms of all the contaminated cigarette papers exhibited a similarity of less than 0.417 when compared with that of blank cigarette papers. A total of 78 kinds of pyrolytic products were detected in the blank cigarette papers, including ketones, phenols, benzene derivatives, aldehydes, furans, alcohols, heterocycles and other chemicals, etc. Moreover, the pyrolytic products released from contaminated cigarette paper not only had common components with blank cigarette paper, but also had many unique pyrolysis components, and there were significant differences in the number and content distribution of various pyrolysis components. Specifically, after the contamination of Premalube red and Nordic grease, the phenolic compounds in the pyrolytic products significantly reduced from 36.07% to 5.58% and 8.32%, respectively. Meanwhile the release of hydrocarbons remarkably increased, but the composition and distribution of hydrocarbon substances exhibited significant differences. Flavor and sugar contaminants reduced the content of aldehydes, ketones, phenols, benzene rings and heterocyclic pyrolytic components in the pyrolytic products, but their own unique propylene glycol/glycerol solvents or esters could release to the particulate matter during the heating process through the evaporation. Principal component analysis based on pyrolytic products showed that cigarette papers contaminated with different pollutants could be effectively distinguished from the blank sample. Hierarchical clustering analysis also showed that samples contaminated with grease could be classified into one, and cigarette papers contaminated with flavor and sugar could be grouped into another one. [Conclusion] The results in the study would be beneficial for the classification and identification of macular pollutants source based on the differences in pyrolytic products that were captured by self-built temperature-controlled pyrolytic device and analyzed by multiple statistical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the factors affecting the life expectancy of hanging scrolls is the storage environment. Our study focused on clarifying the degradation behaviour of painting paper, concentrating on the specific storage conditions that provide an airtight environment in a storage box and the stacked structure of the rolled paper rather than considering the materials of the wooden storage box or the gases generated from it. The degradation behaviour and rates for the sealed tube and moist heat ageing methods, excluding the additional effects of light and air pollutants, were compared. When the painting paper was immersed in a CuSO4・5H2O solution instead of a copper green pigment, the oxidation of the painting paper, attributed to Cu2+, proceeded faster with the sealed tube method than with the moist heat method. The co-occurring organic acids generated, namely glycolic and formic acids, which were secondary components, were detected in a higher amount in the first lining paper than the painting paper. This implies that the acids migrated from the painting paper into the lining paper. However, oxalic acid, which was the main component, did not significantly migrate and remained in the reaction system in the sealed tube without volatilising. This increased the hydrogen ion concentration in the painting paper and accelerated acid hydrolysis. Consequently, discolouration and a decrease in the degree of polymerisation and physical strength proceeded faster with the sealed tube method than with the moist heat method. Thus, although this result does not necessarily invalidate the storage system of a rolled hanging scroll in a box, the storage of a deteriorated hanging scroll in a closed system is expected to degrade the painting paper faster than it would in an open system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health risks from air pollutants are evaluated by comparing chronic (i.e., an average over 1 yr or greater) or acute (typically 1-hr) exposure estimates with chemical- and duration-specific reference values or standards. When estimating long-term pollutant concentrations via exposure modeling, facility-level annual average emission rates are readily available as model inputs for most air pollutants. In contrast, there are far fewer facility-level hour-by-hour emission rates available for many of these same pollutants. In this report, we first analyze hour-by-hour emission rates for total reduced sulfur (TRS) compounds from eight kraft pulp mill operations. This data set is used to demonstrate discrepancies between estimating exposure based on a single TRS emission rate that has been calculated as the mean of all operating hours of the year, as opposed to reported hourly emission rates. A similar analysis is then performed using reported hourly emission rates for sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) from three power generating units from a U.S. power plant. Results demonstrate greater variability at kraft pulp mill operations, with ratios of reported hourly to average hourly TRS emissions ranging from less than 1 to greater than 160 during routine facility operations. Thus, if fluctuations in hourly emission rates are not accounted for, over- or underestimates of hourly exposure, and thus acute health risk, may occur. In addition to this analysis, we also demonstrate an additional challenge when assessing health risk based on hourly exposures: the lack of human health reference values based on 1-hr exposures. Implications : Largely due to the lack of reported hourly emission rate data for many air pollutants, an hourly average emission rate (calculated from an annual emission rate) is often used when modeling the potential for acute health risk. We calculated ratios between reported hourly and hourly average emission rates from pulp and paper mills and a U.S. power plant to demonstrate that if not considered, hourly fluctuations in emissions could result in an over- or underestimation of exposure and risk. We also demonstrate the lack of 1-hr human health reference values meant to be protective of the general population, including children.

The health effects of air pollution remain a public concern worldwide. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 report, we statistically analyzed total mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALY), and years of life lost (YLL) attributable to air pollution in eight East African countries between 1990 and 2019. We acquired ambient ozone (O 3 ), PM 2.5 concentrations and household air pollution (HAP) from the solid fuel from the State of Global Air report. The multilinear regression model was used to evaluate the predictability of YLLs by the air pollutants. We estimated the ratio rate for each health burden attributable to air pollution to compare the country's efforts in the reduction of air pollution health burden. This study found that the total number of deaths attributable to air pollution decreased by 14.26% for 30 years. The drop came from the reduction of 43.09% in mortality related to Lower Respiratory tract Infection (LRI). However, only five out of eight countries managed to decrease the total number of deaths attributable to air pollution with the highest decrease observed in Ethiopia (40.90%) and the highest increase in Somalia (67.49%). The linear regression model showed that HAP is the pollutant of the most concern in the region, with a 1% increase in HAP resulting in a 31.06% increase in regional YLL (R 2  = 0.93; p < 0.05). With the increasing ground-level ozone, accompanied by the lack of adequate measures to reduce particulate pollutants, the health burdens attributable to air pollution are still a threat in the region., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

In the context of pursuing carbon neutrality and balancing the use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, the transportation industry faces the challenge of accurately predicting energy demand, related emissions, and assessing the effectiveness of energy technologies and policies. This is crucial for formulating energy management plans and reducing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and atmospheric pollutant emissions. Currently, research on energy consumption and emission forecasting primarily relies on energy consumption quantities and emission factors, which lack precision. This study employs the low emissions analysis platform (LEAP) model, utilizing a "bottom-up" modeling approach combined with scenario analysis to predict and analyze the energy demand and related emissions in the transportation industry. Compared to previous studies, the methodological framework proposed in this research offers higher precision and can explore energy-saving and emission-reduction pathways for different modes of transport, providing a valuable energy forecasting tool for transport policy formulation in other regions. The forecast results indicate that under the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, by 2049, the energy consumption and related emissions in Shaanxi Province's transportation industry are expected to increase by 1.15 to 1.85 times compared to the baseline year. In the comprehensive (CP) scenario, the industry is projected to reach a carbon peak around 2033. The study also finds that energy consumption and emissions predominantly originate from private passenger vehicles, highway freight, and civil aviation passenger, which have the greatest potential for emission reduction under the transport structure optimized (TSO) scenario. Therefore, policymakers should consider regional development characteristics, combine different transportation modes, and specifically analyze the emission reduction potential of the transportation industry in various regions, formulating corresponding reduction policies accordingly., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate associations between air particulate matter of ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM 2.5 ) and ovarian cancer., Design: County-level ecological study., Setting: Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results from a collection of state-level cancer registries across 744 counties. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency's network for PM 2.5 monitoring was used to calculate trailing 5- and 10-year PM 2.5 county-level values. County-level data on demographic characteristics were obtained from the American Community Survey., Population: A total of 98 751 patients with histologically confirmed ovarian cancer as a primary malignancy from 2000 to 2016., Methods: Generalised linear regression models were developed to estimate the association between PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels, over 5- and 10-year periods of exposure, and ovarian cancer risk, after accounting for county-level covariates., Main Outcome Measures: Risk ratios for associations between ovarian cancer (both overall and specifically epithelial ovarian cancer) and PM 2.5 levels., Results: For the 744 counties included, the average PM 2.5 level from 1990 through 2018 was 11.75 μg/m 3 (SD = 3.7) and the average PM 10 level was 22.7 μg/m 3 (SD = 5.7). After adjusting for county-level covariates, the overall annualised ovarian cancer incidence was significantly associated with increases in 5-year PM 2.5 (RR = 1.11 per 10 units (μg/m 3 ) increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.16). Similarly, when the analysis was limited to epithelial cell tumours and adjusted for county-level covariates there was a significant association with trailing 5-year PM 2.5 exposure models (RR = 1.12 per 10 units increase, 95% CI 1.08-1.17). Likewise, 10-year PM 2.5 exposure was associated with ovarian cancer overall and with epithelial ovarian cancer., Conclusions: Higher county-level ambient PM 2.5 levels are associated with 5- and 10-year incidences of ovarian cancer, as measurable in an ecological study., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Since bacterial pollution is more troublesome than other nonbiologic air pollutants, the need to control airborne micro-organisms has led to renewed interest in filter media for air filtration in indoor environments. Although mechanical filtration of aerosols by HEPA systems is the most common method for particle removal, these filters characterized by high efficiency usually reveal a higher drop in pressure and noise and are very expensive. On this basis, we aimed to develop novel, very effective air filters for removal of airborne bacteria from confined environments., Methods: Parallelepiped filters surrounded by a cardboard frame were manufactured by aligning strips of corrugated cardboard and were assessed in terms of airflow rate reduction. Cardboard filters were soaked in isopropanol or used untreated in in vitro experiments for assessment of their antibacterial effect against E. coli and in a testing chamber for assessment of airborne bacterial removal. The surface morphology of cardboard specimens was also investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)., Results: Cardboard filters determined a very low decrease in airflow rate. Although specimens showed no antimicrobial behavior, untreated filters showed a maximum of 77% abatement of the airborne bacteria and the alcohol treatment of filters further increased their effectiveness by 14% probably because of their more convoluted surface., Conclusions: This work disclosed corrugated cardboard-based filters as promising tools for the air treatment of indoor environments because of their excellent microbial abatement properties. Moreover, cardboard is lightweight, inexpensive, and eco-friendly material, and corrugated cardboard-based air filters are very simple in shaping, mounting, and replacing existing ventilation systems.

Gene expression responses of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) leaves to elevated concentrations of CO(2) and O(3) were studied with microarray analyses from three time points during the summer of 2004 at Aspen FACE. Microarray data were analyzed with clustering techniques, self-organizing maps, K-means clustering and Sammon's mappings, to detect similar gene expression patterns within sampling times and treatments. Most of the alterations in gene expression were caused by O(3), alone or in combination with CO(2). O(3) induced defensive reactions to oxidative stress and earlier leaf senescence, seen as decreased expression of photosynthesis- and carbon fixation-related genes, and increased expression of senescence-associated genes. The effects of elevated CO(2) reflected surplus of carbon that was directed to synthesis of secondary compounds. The combined CO(2)+O(3) treatment resulted in differential gene expression than with individual gas treatments or in changes similar to O(3) treatment, indicating that CO(2) cannot totally alleviate the harmful effects of O(3)., (2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)