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Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (2013) 23, 647653 & 2013 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved 1559-0631/13
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Air pollution dispersion models for human exposure predictions in London
advantages of a dispersion modelling-based approach compared with other methods is that in principle it can predict high temporal and spatial detail, is based on the chemistry and physics of the processes involved, has the ability to disaggregate by composition and source origin and has the ability to predict past and future air quality as well as to assess the impact of control measures. Critically, however, users of models should have condence in the resultsan issue which forms part of the focus of this paper.
Air Quality-Induced Health EffectsMany aspects of the epidemiological and toxicological evidence relating adverse human health effects and exposure to trafc-generated air pollution remain incomplete. Despite this, evidence is sufcient to support a causal relationship with exacerbation of asthma, suggestive evidence of a causal relationship with onset of childhood asthma, non-asthma respiratory symptoms, impaired lung function, total and cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular morbidity.4,9,10 Furthermore there is considerable data to support the premise that various components of particulate matter (PM) differ in their toxicity, but to date, it has not been possible to adequately quantify these differences.11 For example, it has been suggested that although the use of ambient PM mass concentrations has proven valuable in establishing association with health effects, it offers little information on the sources, constituents and the biological activity of the particulates. This
1MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Kings College London, London, UK and 2St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London, UK. Correspondence to: Dr. Sean D. Beevers, MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Kings College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK.
Tel.: 44 0207 848 4009. Fax: 44 0207 848 4045.
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Web End [email protected] Received 6 August 2012; accepted 18 December 2012; published online 27 February 2013
Sean D. Beevers1, Nutthida Kitwiroon1, Martin L. Williams1, Frank J. Kelly1, H. Ross Anderson1,2 and David C. Carslaw1
The London household survey has shown that people travel and are exposed to air pollutants differently. This argues for human exposure to be based upon spacetimeactivity data and spatio-temporal air quality predictions. For...