Hamilton study: estimating exposure to ambient suspended particles

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/08940630.1987.10466337· OSTI ID:5378625

Pengelly, L D; Goldsmith, C H; Kerigan, A T; Furlong, W; Toplack, S

In the industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, we recently carried out an epidemiological study of the effect of environmental factors on respiratory health in 3500 elementary school children. The level and size distribution of suspended particles in ambient air was measured from 24-h samples taken at 6-day intervals from a network of 29 hivol TSP samplers, and nine Andersen 2000 4-stage cascade impactors. Exposure was computed by generating a 3-dimensional response surface using a linear regression model of the form: TSP = (1 + E + N)/sup 2/, based on monthly geometrical mean data for all sites. From this response surface generated for a given month, TSP levels were predicted by the model for all schools by specifying their geographical coordinates. The yearly exposure for a given child was determined from the arithmetic mean of the predicted values for 12 monthly TSP levels. A similar procedure was employed for calculation of the exposure to the fine (less than or equal to 3.3 ..mu..m) and coarse (> 3.3 ..mu..m) size fraction, as well as the aerodynamic mass median diameter of particles from the network of cascade impactors. Results of the measurements showed that gradients for TSP up to approximately 10 ..mu..g/m/sup 3//km exist over the city covering distances from 5 to 10 km. The range of 1 yr mean exposure values calculated for each child was from 30.5 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ to 74.5 ..mu../m/sup 3/. Comparable figures for particle size were up to 0.3 ..mu..m AMMD (aerodynamic mass median diameter)/km and annual mean particle size exposure from 2.69 to 3.53 ..mu..m AMMD.

• Research Organization: McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 5378625
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 37:12
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
PARTICULATES
HEALTH HAZARDS
INHALATION
AIR POLLUTION
CHILDREN
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ONTARIO
PARTICLE SIZE
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
AGE GROUPS
CANADA
HAZARDS
INTAKE
NORTH AMERICA
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
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560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
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