The particulate air pollution controversy : a case study and lessons learned / by Robert F. Phalen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Phalen, Robert F., 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Particles--Environmental aspects.

Particles.

Particles--Health aspects.

Air--Pollution.

Air.

Physical Description:

xiii, 128 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, [2002]

Summary:

This concise book presents the relevant scientific data, historical developments, unsolved problems, and new research opportunities related to particulate air pollution and human health. Included are chapters on the nature of particulate air pollution, fates and toxicity of inhaled particles, evidence of harmful effects of air pollution, events that led to the current controversy, interpretation of modern epidemiology studies, needed research, challenges to commonly accepted ideas about pollutants and health, and recommendations for scientists, regulators, legislators, the public and industry.

Contents:

Chapter 1. Harmful Effects of Particulate Air Pollution 1

1.1. Relevance to the Particulate Matter (PM) Controversy 1

1.2. Breathing and Air Quality 1

1.3. Early Indications of Health Effects of Urban Air Pollutants 3

1.3.1. Emergence of Quantification of Particulate Matter 3

1.3.2. The Three Great Air Pollution Disasters 3

1.3.3. Early Epidemiology Studies 7

1.3.4. Modern Epidemiology Studies 9

Chapter 2. Historical Overview 15

2.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 15

2.2. The Biology Problem 15

2.3. Physical Factors 16

2.4. Toxicology: the Science of Poisons 16

2.5. Air Pollution from Antiquity 17

2.6. Gas Warfare and Air Pollution Disasters 18

2.7. A Regulatory History 19

2.8. Modern Epidemiology 20

2.9. Recent Events 21

2.9.1. New PM Regulations in the United States 21

2.9.2. Legal Actions 22

2.9.3. Media Coverage 24

Chapter 3. Interpreting the PM Epidemiology 29

3.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 29

3.2. The Epidemiologic Associations 29

3.3. Philosophical Challenges 30

3.4. Challenges Based on the Size of the Associations 31

3.5. Ecologic Study Issues 33

3.5.1. Chance Findings 33

3.5.2. Bias 33

3.5.3. Particulate Mass as a Surrogate 34

3.5.4. To Whom Do the Associations Apply? 34

3.5.5. Cause and Effect 35

Chapter 4. The Nature of Urban Particulate Matter 39

4.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 39

4.2. Defining PM 39

4.3. Sources, Transport, and Composition of PM 40

4.3.1. Sources of PM 40

4.3.2. Transport and Modeling of PM 41

4.3.3. Composition of PM 42

4.4. Indoor vs. Outdoor PM 44

4.5. Particle Size Distributions 45

4.5.1. Size-Distribution Basics 45

4.5.2. Urban PM 46

4.6. Episodes 46

4.7. Long-Term Trends in PM Pollution 49

4.8. Regional Differences in PM 50

4.9. Major Uncertainties 50

Chapter 5. The Fates of Inhaled Particles 55

5.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 55

5.2. What Particles Are Actually Inhaled? 55

5.3. Where Inhaled Particles Deposit 57

5.3.1. Anatomical Conventions 57

5.3.2. Aerosol Considerations 57

5.3.3. The MMAD 58

5.3.4. Particle Deposition and Particle Size 59

5.3.5. Species Differences 59

5.4. Particle Clearance 61

5.5. Individual Differences 63

5.6. Major Uncertainties 63

Chapter 6. The Toxicology of Particulate Material 69

6.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 69

6.2. Methods of Study 69

6.3. Hypotheses for PM Toxicity 70

6.3.1. Mechanisms of Injury 70

6.3.2. Particle Characteristics 71

6.3.3. Other Explanations 72

6.4. Clinical Plausibility 73

6.5. New Research Approaches 74

6.5.1. Concentrated Air Pollutants 74

6.5.2. Compromised Animal Models 75

6.6. Major Uncertainties 77

Chapter 7. Research Needs 81

7.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 81

7.2. Colloquia on Particulate Air Pollution 81

7.2.1. First Colloquium (January 1994, Irvine, CA) 81

7.2.2. Second Colloquium (May 1996, Park City, UT) 83

7.2.3. Third Colloquium (June 1999, Durham, NC) 84

7.3. The U.S. EPA Identifies Research Needs 84

7.4. National Research Council (NRC) Recommendations 86

7.4.1. The NRC Committee and Its Approach 86

7.4.2. Highest-Priority Research Topics of the NRC 86

7.5. Other Efforts to Identify Research Needs 89

7.5.1. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) 89

7.5.2. The Health Effects Institute (HEI) 90

7.6. Comparison of Research Planning Efforts 91

7.7. Importance of the Research Planning Process 92

Chapter 8. What's at Stake? 95

8.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 95

8.2. The Sources of PM and Associated Benefits 97

8.2.1. Natural Processes 97

8.2.2. Anthropogenic Activities 98

8.3. Consequences of Over- or Undercontrol of PM 99

8.4. Major Uncertainties 100

Chapter 9. Challenges to Dogma 103

9.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 103

9.2. Challenging Current Dogma 103

9.3. The Low-Dose Question 104

9.4. The Small-Unit Risk, Large Population Dilemma 106

9.4.1. The Problem 106

9.4.3. Risk Tradeoffs 107

9.5. Stressors and Health 107

9.5.1. What Are Stressors? 107

9.5.2. Physiological Responses to Stress 107

9.5.3. Adaptation 108

9.6. Natural vs. Anthropogenic Pollutants 109

9.7. Can the Most Sensitive Be Protected? 110

9.8. Is Isolating Individual Contaminants Logical? 112

9.9. Is the Most Recent Science Trustworthy? 112

10.1. Relevance to the PM Controversy 115

10.2. What Is Known? 115

10.2.1. The Epidemiological Associations 115

10.2.2. The Complexity of PM Exposures 115

10.2.3. The Role of Toxicology 116

10.2.4. The Needed Research 116

10.3. What Is Unknown? 116

10.3.1. Who, What, and How? 116

10.3.2. The Metric 117

10.3.3. Episode Chemistry 117

10.3.4. Personal Exposures 118

10.3.5. How Relevant Are Current Toxicology Models? 118

10.3.6. What Are the Effects of PM Control Measures? 118

10.3.7. How Serious Are the Tradeoffs? 118

10.3.8. How Different Is Modern Air Pollution from Previous Air Pollution? 119

10.4. What Needs to Be Done? 119

10.4.1. By Researchers 119

10.4.2. By Regulators 120

10.4.3. By Legislators 120

10.4.4. By the Public 121

10.4.5. By Industry 121

10.5.2. Time Scales for Change 122

10.5.3. Public Health Is Complex 123

10.6. The Crossroad 123.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1402072252

OCLC:

50403756