Environment International (Aug 2019)
Ultrafine particles and PM2.5 in the air of cities around the world: Are they representative of each other?
- Alma Lorelei de Jesus,
- Md Mahmudur Rahman,
- Mandana Mazaheri,
- Helen Thompson,
- Luke D. Knibbs,
- Cheol Jeong,
- Greg Evans,
- Wei Nei,
- Aijun Ding,
- Liping Qiao,
- Li Li,
- Harri Portin,
- Jarkko V. Niemi,
- Hilkka Timonen,
- Krista Luoma,
- Tuukka Petäjä,
- Markku Kulmala,
- Michal Kowalski,
- Annette Peters,
- Josef Cyrys,
- Luca Ferrero,
- Maurizio Manigrasso,
- Pasquale Avino,
- Giorgio Buonano,
- Cristina Reche,
- Xavier Querol,
- David Beddows,
- Roy M. Harrison,
- Mohammad H. Sowlat,
- Constantinos Sioutas,
- Lidia Morawska
Affiliations
- Alma Lorelei de Jesus
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
- Md Mahmudur Rahman
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
- Mandana Mazaheri
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
- Helen Thompson
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
- Luke D. Knibbs
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
- Cheol Jeong
- Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3ES, Canada
- Greg Evans
- Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3ES, Canada
- Wei Nei
- Institute for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Qixia, Nanjing 210023, China
- Aijun Ding
- Institute for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Qixia, Nanjing 210023, China
- Liping Qiao
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
- Li Li
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
- Harri Portin
- Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority, HSY, FI-00066 Helsinki, Finland
- Jarkko V. Niemi
- Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority, HSY, FI-00066 Helsinki, Finland
- Hilkka Timonen
- Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland
- Krista Luoma
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Tuukka Petäjä
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Markku Kulmala
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Michal Kowalski
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
- Annette Peters
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
- Josef Cyrys
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
- Luca Ferrero
- GEMMA and POLARIS Research Centres, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Maurizio Manigrasso
- Department of Technological Innovations, National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work, Research Area, Rome, Italy
- Pasquale Avino
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, via F. De Sanctis, I-86100 Campobasso, Italy
- Giorgio Buonano
- Department of Engineering, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton, 38, 80233 Napoli, Italy
- Cristina Reche
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA, Spanish Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Xavier Querol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA, Spanish Research Council (CSIC), C/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- David Beddows
- National Centre of Atmospheric Science, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Roy M. Harrison
- Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Mohammad H. Sowlat
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Constantinos Sioutas
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Lidia Morawska
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia; Corresponding author at: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George St, Brisbane City, QLD 4000, Australia.
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 129
pp. 118 – 135
Abstract
Can mitigating only particle mass, as the existing air quality measures do, ultimately lead to reduction in ultrafine particles (UFP)? The aim of this study was to provide a broader urban perspective on the relationship between UFP, measured in terms of particle number concentration (PNC) and PM2.5 (mass concentration of particles with aerodynamic diameter 1 for roadside sites and <1 for urban background sites with lower values for more polluted cities. The Pearson's r ranged from 0.09 to 0.64 for the log-transformed data, indicating generally poor linear correlation between PNC and PM2.5. Therefore, PNC and PM2.5 measurements are not representative of each other; and regulating PM2.5 does little to reduce PNC. This highlights the need to establish regulatory approaches and control measures to address the impacts of elevated UFP concentrations, especially in urban areas, considering their potential health risks. Keywords: Urban aerosol, Particle number concentration, PM2.5
