Estimated changes in human exposure to suspended sulfate attributable to equipping light-duty motor vehicles with oxidation catalysts

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 1975 · Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.751029· OSTI ID:7338105

Finklea, J F ^[1]; Moran, J; Knelson, J H; Turner, D B; Niemeyer, L E

---

1. National Environmental Research Center, Research Triangle Park, NC

The 3 independent techniques used to appraise community exposures include dispersion models developed for emissions of stable gases from motor vehicles and ambient carbon monoxide (CO) data to estimate sulfate (SO/sub 4//sup -2/) air quality changes, the use of carboxyhemoglobin levels in nonsmokers living in major cities to estimate existing CO exposures and anticipated incremental SO/sub 4//sup -2/ exposures, and the use of Pb surrogate data to estimate short-term incremental SO/sub 4//sup -2/ concentrations. Incremental increases in suspended SO/sub 4//sup -2/ and sulfuric acid aerosols are evaluated in terms of the number of vehicles equipped with oxidation catalysts. When 2 model years are equipped with catalysts, the ''adverse case'' projections of incremental 24-hr SO/sub 4//sup -2/ exposures range from 4 to 9 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/. These values are increased 4 fold after all the vehicles on the roads are equipped with catalysts. Adverse health effects among the most susceptible group of commuters traversing the busiest expressways will probably not be measurable after 1 model yr is equipped with catalysts but are likely by the end of the 2nd model yr. EPA weighed the established pollution abatement benefits of the reduction of hydrocarbon and CO emissions and the gasoline economy benefits of the catalysts against the projected SO/sub 4//sup -2/ problem and judged that catalysts should not be banned. Because of possible adverse health effects related to the incremental SO/sub 4//sup -2/ exposure in the future, an accelerated study program is being implemented.

• OSTI ID: 7338105
• Journal Information: Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States), Vol. 10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
GASEOUS WASTES
DIFFUSION
AEROSOLS
AIR QUALITY
AUTOMOBILES
CARBON MONOXIDE
CATALYSTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LEAD
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING METHODS
SULFATES
SULFURIC ACID
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
HAZARDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
SOLS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
VEHICLES
WASTES
330700* - Advanced Propulsion Systems- Emission Control
500600 - Environment
Atmospheric- Regulations- (-1989)
330703 - Emission Control- Sulfur Dioxide
330702 - Emission Control- Carbon Monoxide
560306 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)