| 1. |
- Andersen, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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Emissions of soot, PAHs, ultrafine particles, NOx, and other health relevant compounds from stressed burning of candles in indoor air
- 2021
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Ingår i: Indoor Air. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 31:6, s. 2033-2048
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Burning candles release a variety of pollutants to indoor air, some of which are of concern for human health. We studied emissions of particles and gases from the stressed burning of five types of pillar candles with different wax and wick compositions. The stressed burning was introduced by controlled fluctuating air velocities in a 21.6 m3 laboratory chamber. The aerosol physicochemical properties were measured both in well-mixed chamber air and directly above the candle flame with online and offline techniques. All candles showed different emission profiles over time with high repeatability among replicates. The particle mass emissions from stressed burning for all candle types were dominated by soot (black carbon; BC). The wax and wick composition strongly influenced emissions of BC, PM2.5 , and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and to lower degree ultrafine particles, inorganic and organic carbon fraction of PM, but did not influence NOx , formaldehyde, and gas-phase PAHs. Measurements directly above the flame showed empirical evidence of short-lived strong emission peaks of soot particles. The results show the importance of including the entire burn time of candles in exposure assessments, as their emissions can vary strongly over time. Preventing stressed burning of candles can reduce exposure to pollutants in indoor air.
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| 2. |
- Bräuner, Elvira Vaclavik, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to ambient concentrations of particulate air pollution does not influence vascular function or inflammatory pathways in young healthy individuals.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Particle and fibre toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1743-8977. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Particulate air pollution is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events although the involved mechanisms are poorly understood. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of controlled exposure to ambient air fine and ultrafine particles on microvascular function and biomarkers related to inflammation, haemostasis and lipid and protein oxidation. METHODS: Twenty-nine subjects participated in a randomized, two-factor crossover study with or without biking exercise for 180 minutes and with 24 hour exposure to particle rich (number concentrations, NC: 11600 +/- 5600 per cm3, mass concentrations: 13.8 +/- 7.4 mug/m3 and 10.5 +/- 4.8 mug/m3 for PM10-2.5 and PM2.5, respectively) or particle filtered (NC: 555 +/- 1053 per cm3) air collected above a busy street. Microvascular function was assessed non-invasively by measuring digital peripheral artery tone following arm ischemia. Biomarkers included haemoglobin, red blood cells, platelet count, coagulation factors, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, lag time to copper-induced oxidation of plasma lipids and protein oxidation measured as 2-aminoadipic semialdehyde in plasma. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed on microvascular function or the biomarkers after exposure to particle rich or particle filtered air. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that exposure to air pollution particles at outdoor concentrations is not associated with detectable systemic inflammation, lipid or protein oxidation, altered haemostasis or microvascular function in young healthy participants.
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| 3. |
- Bräuner, Elvira Vaclavik, et al.
(författare)
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Indoor particles affect vascular function in the aged: an air filtration-based intervention study.
- 2008
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Ingår i: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. - 1535-4970. ; 177:4, s. 419-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RATIONALE: Exposure to particulate matter is associated with risk of cardiovascular events, possibly through endothelial dysfunction, and indoor air may be most important. OBJECTIVES: We investigated effects of controlled exposure to indoor air particles on microvascular function (MVF) as the primary endpoint and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress as secondary endpoints in a healthy elderly population. METHODS: A total of 21 nonsmoking couples participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study with two consecutive 48-hour exposures to either particle-filtered or nonfiltered air (2,533-4,058 and 7,718-12,988 particles/cm(3), respectively) in their homes. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: MVF was assessed noninvasively by measuring digital peripheral artery tone after arm ischemia. Secondary endpoints included hemoglobin, red blood cells, platelet count, coagulation factors, P-selectin, plasma amyloid A, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, protein oxidation measured as 2-aminoadipic semialdehyde in plasma, urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2alpha), and blood pressure. Indoor air filtration significantly improved MVF by 8.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.4-16.3%), and the particulate matter (diameter < 2.5 mum) mass of the indoor particles was more important than the total number concentration (10-700 nm) for these effects. MVF was significantly associated with personal exposure to iron, potassium, copper, zinc, arsenic, and lead in the fine fraction. After Bonferroni correction, none of the secondary biomarkers changed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of particle exposure by filtration of recirculated indoor air for only 48 hours improved MVF in healthy elderly citizens, suggesting that this may be a feasible way of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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| 4. |
- Detlef, Henrieka, et al.
(författare)
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Holocene sea-ice dynamics in Petermann Fjord in relation to ice tongue stability and Nares Strait ice arch formation
- 2021
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Ingår i: The Cryosphere. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1994-0416 .- 1994-0424. ; 15:9, s. 4357-4380
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Petermann 2015 expedition to Petermann Fjord and adjacent Hall Basin recovered a transect of cores, extending from Nares Strait to underneath the 48 km long ice tongue of Petermann glacier, offering a unique opportunity to study ice-ocean-sea ice interactions at the interface of these realms. First results suggest that no ice tongue existed in Petermann Fjord for large parts of the Holocene, raising the question of the role of the ocean and the marine cryosphere in the collapse and re-establishment of the ice tongue. Here we use a multi-proxy approach (sea-ice-related biomarkers, total organic carbon and its carbon isotopic composition, and benthic and planktonic foraminiferal abundances) to explore Holocene sea ice dynamics at OD1507-03TC-41GC-03PC in outer Petermann Fjord. Our results are in line with a tight coupling of the marine and terrestrial cryosphere in this region and, in connection with other regional sea ice reconstructions, give insights into the Holocene evolution of ice arches and associated landfast ice in Nares Strait. The late stages of the regional Holocene Thermal Maximum (6900-5500 cal yr BP) were marked by reduced seasonal sea ice concentrations in Nares Strait and the lack of ice arch formation. This was followed by a transitional period towards Neoglacial cooling from 5500-3500 cal yr BP, where a southern ice arch might have formed, but an early seasonal breakup and late formation likely caused a prolonged open water season and enhanced pelagic productivity in Nares Strait. Between 3500 and 1400 cal yr BP, regional records suggest the formation of a stable northern ice arch only, with a short period from 2500-2100 cal yr BP where a southern ice arch might have formed intermittently in response to atmospheric cooling spikes. A stable southern ice arch, or even double arching, is also inferred for the period after 1400 cal yr BP. Thus, both the inception of a small Petermann ice tongue at similar to 2200 cal yr BP and its rapid expansion at similar to 600 cal yr BP are preceded by a transition towards a southern ice arch regime with landfast ice formation in Nares Strait, suggesting a stabilizing effect of landfast sea ice on Petermann Glacier.
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| 5. |
- Detlef, Henrieka, et al.
(författare)
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Seasonal sea-ice in the Arctic's last ice area during the Early Holocene
- 2023
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Ingår i: Communications Earth & Environment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2662-4435. ; 4:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- According to climate models, the Lincoln Sea, bordering northern Greenland and Canada, will be the final stronghold of perennial Arctic sea-ice in a warming climate. However, recent observations of prolonged periods of open water raise concerns regarding its long-term stability. Modelling studies suggest a transition from perennial to seasonal sea-ice during the Early Holocene, a period of elevated global temperatures around 10,000 years ago. Here we show marine proxy evidence for the disappearance of perennial sea-ice in the southern Lincoln Sea during the Early Holocene, which suggests a widespread transition to seasonal sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean. Seasonal sea-ice conditions were tightly coupled to regional atmospheric temperatures. In light of anthropogenic warming and Arctic amplification our results suggest an imminent transition to seasonal sea-ice in the southern Lincoln Sea, even if the global temperature rise is kept below a threshold of 2 °C compared to pre-industrial (1850–1900).
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| 6. |
- Graham, Emelie Linnéa, 1989-
(författare)
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Insights into key processes governing atmospheric aerosol loadings and their interactions with clouds
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and an essential part of the atmospheric radiation balance regulating the Earth’s temperature. Aerosol-cloud interaction still remains the largest single uncertainty in future climate projections. In addition, aerosols are also responsible for air pollution, causing severe health effects. With various origins and short atmospheric lifetimes, aerosols are unevenly distributed in the atmosphere, making simulations of air pollution and future climate scenarios challenging. This thesis aims to improve the understanding of the physical and chemical processes that govern aerosol concentration in the atmosphere, using both field as well as laboratory experiments.Field measurements were performed at a remote station at Mt Åreskutan, central Sweden. Located at 1250 m a.s.l. the station is frequently covered by clouds, allowing for in-cloud measurements. Aerosol particle size distribution measurements revealed a shift towards smaller diameters in the ambient aerosol size distribution after the station had been within a cloud. This is a result of the larger (> 60 nm) particles being more effectively scavenged by clouds as compared with the smaller end of the size distribution. Chemical analysis revealed a similar composition of the cloud water as the particulate matter, suggesting that cloud droplet activation at Mt Åreskutan is primarily dependent on particle size, and the aerosol population to have been internally mixed. Similarly, measurement of hygroscopicity and volatility revealed similar water-solubility and evaporation behaviour for the ambient aerosols and cloud residuals, with the organic fraction representative of aged boreal secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and showing no signs of significant aqueous phase processing.The NArVE laboratory campaign took place in an atmospheric simulation chamber at Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland. The experiments traced nitrate-induced SOA formation and ageing of three biogenic precursors, namely α-pinene, isoprene, and β-caryophyllene, using mass spectrometric techniques and evaporation measurements. The volatility of α-pinene SOA from nitrate oxidation was found to be higher than the corresponding ozonolysis products. The nitrate oxidation of isoprene resulted in species with similar volatility to α-pinene, while the β-caryophyllene system produced lower volatility compounds then the other two precursors. Quantitative comparison of the volatility measurements to commonly-used theoretical parameterizations revealed the need for further studies of the impact of the nitrate functional group on molecular volatility. Dark ageing of α-pinene was found to mainly occur through particle phase oxidation forming less volatile species. During the photolysis related to sunrise the molecular composition changed towards more volatile species, while no significant evaporation could be observed for the α-pinene and isoprene systems.A common theme in all these studies was investigating the level of detail needed to theoretically describe the observations. We found that while simple approximations (such as internal mixing and size-independent chemical composition of the particles) are often sufficient to capture trends in atmospheric aerosol properties, more research on (1) the processes taking place on shorter time- and smaller size scales than investigated here and (2) the effects of nitrate group on molecular volatility are warranted.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Kristensen, Kasper, et al.
(författare)
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High-Molecular Weight Dimer Esters Are Major Products in Aerosols from α-Pinene Ozonolysis and the Boreal Forest
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 3:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates the contribution of high-molecular weight dimer esters to laboratory-generated α-pinene gas- and particle-phase secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and particulate matter (PM) collected at the Nordic boreal forest site of Hyytiälä, Finland. Laboratory flow reactor experiments (25 °C) show that dimer esters from ozonolysis of α-pinene contribute between 5 and 16% of the freshly formed α-pinene particle-phase SOA mass. An increased level of formation is observed at a higher relative humidity of ∼40%, and the presence of a hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenger is shown to affect the formation of dimer esters. Of the 28 dimer esters identified in laboratory α-pinene SOA, 15 are also observed in ambient PM samples, contributing between 0.5 and 1.6% of the total PM1. The observed esters show good correlation with known α-pinene SOA tracers in collected PM samples. This work reveals an, until now, unrecognized contribution of dimer esters from α-pinene oxidation to boreal forest PM.
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| 9. |
- Li, Linjie, et al.
(författare)
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Gas-to-Particle Partitioning of Products from Ozonolysis of Δ3-Carene and the Effect of Temperature and Relative Humidity
- 2024
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A. - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 128:5, s. 918-928
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Formation of oxidized products from Delta(3)-carene (C10H16) ozonolysis and their gas-to-particle partitioning at three temperatures (0, 10, and 20 degrees C) under dry conditions (<2% RH) and also at 10 degrees C under humid (78% RH) conditions were studied using a time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ToF-CIMS) combined with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO). The Delta(3)-carene ozonolysis products detected by the FIGAERO-ToF-CIMS were dominated by semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The main effect of increasing temperature or RH on the product distribution was an increase in fragmentation of monomer compounds (from C-10 to C-7 compounds), potentially via alkoxy scission losing a C-3 group. The equilibrium partitioning coefficient estimated according to equilibrium partitioning theory shows that the measured SVOC products distribute more into the SOA phase as the temperature decreases from 20 to 10 and 0 degrees C and for most products as the RH increases from <2 to 78%. The temperature dependency of the saturation vapor pressure (above an assumed liquid state), derived from the partitioning method, also allows for a direct way to obtain enthalpy of vaporization for the detected species without accessibility of authentic standards of the pure substances. This method can provide physical properties, beneficial for, e.g., atmospheric modeling, of complex multifunctional oxidation products.
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| 10. |
- Martinsson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring sources of biogenic secondary organic aerosol compounds using chemical analysis and the FLEXPART model
- 2017
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 17:18, s. 11025-11040
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecular tracers in secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) can provide information on origin of SOA, as well as regional scale processes involved in their formation. In this study 9 carboxylic acids, 11 organosulfates (OSs) and 2 nitrooxy organosulfates (NOSs) were determined in daily aerosol particle filter samples from Vavihill measurement station in southern Sweden during June and July 2012. Several of the observed compounds are photo-oxidation products from biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Highest average mass concentrations were observed for carboxylic acids derived from fatty acids and monoterpenes (12. 3 ± 15. 6 and 13. 8 ± 11. 6 ng mg-3, respectively). The FLEXPART model was used to link nine specific surface types to single measured compounds. It was found that the surface category sea and ocean was dominating the air mass exposure (56 %) but contributed to low mass concentration of observed chemical compounds. A principal component (PC) analysis identified four components, where the one with highest explanatory power (49 %) displayed clear impact of coniferous forest on measured mass concentration of a majority of the compounds. The three remaining PCs were more difficult to interpret, although azelaic, suberic, and pimelic acid were closely related to each other but not to any clear surface category. Hence, future studies should aim to deduce the biogenic sources and surface category of these compounds. This study bridges micro-level chemical speciation to air mass surface exposure at the macro level.
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