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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Acid air and health

Journal Article · · Environmental Science and Technology; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00077a002· OSTI ID:5328644
; ;  [1]
  1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (USA)

The health effects of acid air pollution are a national and an international concern. Research programs often are divided between exposure and toxicological assessments. Ideally, the exposure and toxicity components of acidic air pollution risk assessment should be linked at key junctures. The understanding of particle size, delivery system, inter-subject variability in doses and susceptibility, exposure chamber reaction, and inhalation chemistry may help to reconcile the results of controlled human exposure. These studies currently contribute more uncertainty to the overall determination of a relationship between atmospheric acidity and health effects than do current techniques to characterize exposure to atmospheric acidity. Data are presented on the daily hydrogen ion concentrations in six US cities as well as concentration ranges of SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}} and H{sup +} (as HSO{sub 4}) in selected North American cities. A summary of epidemiologic studies of acid aerosol exposures is presented. 127 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

OSTI ID:
5328644
Journal Information:
Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology; (United States) Vol. 24:7; ISSN ESTHA; ISSN 0013-936X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English