Particulate Matter Concentration in the Outdoor Atmosphere

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Particle pollution is a pressing issue in environmental studies, both due to its adverse effects on the environment and negative impact on public health. Specifically, the concentration of particles affects the cardiovascular, nervous, and reproductive systems, with long-term effects traceable in subsequent populations (DEFRA 2017). The goal of reducing the particle concentration in the outdoor atmosphere has been addressed in several ways by organizations across the world.

The most commonly applied methods are the creation of policies and guidelines that regulate the behavior of individuals and corporate bodies and the environmental adjustments that help to achieve the set goals. A good example of the latter is the increased presence of vegetation in urban areas, which acts as a biological filter and reduces the concentration of the fine particles (Janhäll 2015).

Alternatively, artificial means of reducing particulate matter emissions can be implemented, such as the implementation of ionization system (Cambra-López et al. 2009). The policymaking effort can be exemplified by the directive developed by the European Union that codifies the permitted exposure of the population to fine particles (P2.5) on the three-year annual mean (European Commission 2016).

In order to comply with the directive, the Member States assess the air pollution levels and are obliged to devise an air quality plan whenever the metrics exceed the limit. To improve the outcomes of the intervention, the Member States provide the relevant information on the current environmental situation, violations of the limits, and measures that address the issue (European Commission 2016). The World Health Organization also offers a set of guidelines intended for assistance in the reduction of particle pollution.

However, since the guidelines are not enforced, and their utilization is not reported by the stakeholders, its exact impact is unclear, although a model suggested by Burns et al. (2014) predicted long-term improvements. Similarly to European Union’s approach, US EPA set the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that include the criteria for fine particle emission. The States are required to assess the expected amount of emission, detect the areas where the criteria are exceeded, and collaborate with EPA in developing plans of decreasing the pollution to the accepted threshold (EPA 2017). Currently, such approach has resulted in moderate improvements in all milestones, although it should be noted that the pace of the improvements is only marginally satisfactory (EPA 2012).

In the UK, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) implements several monitoring networks in order to track the quality of air across the country. According to the latest report, the presence of the networks has an overall positive effect on the compliance of organizations with the developed standards (DEFRA 2015). DEFRA (2013) also established an indirect relationship between the emission of the organic and inorganic precursors, such as ammonia, and the eventual increase in the amount of PM2.5. Therefore, the reduction of precursor could lead to the respective decrease in fine particle emission.

Li (2014) analyzed the U.S., Chinese, and California policies and concluded that stronger authority of environmental organizations, clear definition of standards and outcomes of non-compliance, the establishment of a robust reporting system, and public disclosure of information could improve the efficiency of the regulatory approach. The disclosure of information and transparency is also prioritized by the DEFRA (2017) as an essential component of the particle concentration reduction measures. Therefore, the policies and environmental regulations are most commonly used and can be considered as relatively effective in addressing the issue of outdoor particle pollution issue, while the technological means of concentration reduction are to be considered means of reaching the set objectives.

Reference List

Burns, J, Boogaard, H, Turley, R, Pfadenhauer, L M, van Erp, A M, Rohwer, A C & Rehfuess, E 2014, Interventions to reduce ambient particulate matter air pollution and their effect on health. Web.

Cambra-López, M, Winkel, A, Van Harn, J, Ogink, N W M & Aarnink, A J A 2009, ‘Ionization for reducing particulate matter emissions from poultry houses’, Transactions of the ASAE, vol. 52, no. 5, pp. 1757-1771.

DEFRA 2013, Mitigation of United Kingdom PM 2.5 concentrations. Web.

DEFRA 2015, Evidential value of DEFRA air quality compliance monitoring. Web.

DEFRA 2017, Air quality: a briefing for directors of public health. Web.

EPA 2012, National designated area reports. Web.

EPA 2017, Regulatory information by topic: air. Web.

European Commission 2016, Air quality standards. Web.

Janhäll, S 2015, ‘Review on urban vegetation and particle air pollution: deposition and dispersion’, Atmospheric Environment, vol. 105, pp. 130-137.

Li, W 2014, Controlling PM2.5 in Chengdu: analysis and recommendations from the China, U.S. and California experience. Master Thesis, The University of San Francisco. Web.

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Particulate Matter Concentration in the Outdoor Atmosphere

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