Spatial variation of PM sub(2.5), PM sub(10), PM sub(2.5) absorbance and PM sub(coarse) concentrations between and within 20 European study areas and the relationship with NO sub(2) - Results of the ESCAPE project

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 62; pp. 303 - 317
• Main Authors: Eeftens, Marloes, Tsai, Ming-Yi, Ampe, Christophe, Anwander, Bernhard, Beelen, Rob, Bellander, Tom, Cesaroni, Giulia, Cirach, Marta, Cyrys, Josef, de Hoogh, Kees, De Nazelle, Audrey, de Vocht, Frank, Declercq, Christophe, Dedele, Audrius, Eriksen, Kirsten, Galassi, Claudia, Grazuleviciene, Regina, Grivas, Georgios, Heinrich, Joachim, Hoffmann, Barbara, Iakovides, Minas, Ineichen, Alex, Katsouyanni, Klea, Korek, Michal, Kramer, Ursula, Kuhlbusch, Thomas, Lanki, Timo, Madsen, Christian, Meliefste, Kees, Molter, Anna, Mosler, Gioia, Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark, Oldenwening, Marieke, Pennanen, Arto, Probst-Hensch, Nicole, Quass, Ulrich, Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole, Ranzi, Andrea, Stephanou, Euripides, Sugiri, Dorothee, Udvardy, Orsolya, Vaskovi, Eva, Weinmayr, Gudrun, Brunekreef, Bert, Hoek, Gerard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2012
• Subjects: Italy, Turin; Europe
• ISSN: 1352-2310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2012.08.038

The ESCAPE study (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects) investigates relationships between long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution and health using cohort studies across Europe. This paper analyses the spatial variation of PM sub(2.5), PM sub(2.5) absorbance, PM sub(10) and PM sub(coarse) concentrations between and within 20 study areas across Europe.We measured NO sub(2), NO sub(x), PM sub(2.5), PM sub(2.5) absorbance and PM sub(10) between October 2008 and April 2011 using standardized methods. PM sub(coarse) was determined as the difference between PM sub(10) and PM sub(2.5). In each of the twenty study areas, we selected twenty PM monitoring sites to represent the variability in important air quality predictors, including population density, traffic intensity and altitude. Each site was monitored over three 14-day periods spread over a year, using Harvard impactors. Results for each site were averaged after correcting for temporal variation using data obtained from a reference site, which was operated year-round.Substantial concentration differences were observed between and within study areas. Concentrations for all components were higher in Southern Europe than in Western and Northern Europe, but the pattern differed per component with the highest average PM sub(2.5) concentrations found in Turin and the highest PM sub(coarse) in Heraklion. Street/urban background concentration ratios for PM sub(coarse) (mean ratio 1.42) were as large as for PM sub(2.5) absorbance (mean ratio 1.38) and higher than those for PM sub(2.5) (1.14) and PM sub(10) (1.23), documenting the importance of non-tailpipe emissions. Correlations between components varied between areas, but were generally high between NO sub(2) and PM sub(2.5) absorbance (average R super(2) = 0.80). Correlations between PM sub(2.5) and PMcoarse were lower (average R super(2) = 0.39). Despite high correlations, concentration ratios between components varied, e.g. the NO sub(2)/PM sub(2.5) ratio varied between 0.67 and 3.06.In conclusion, substantial variability was found in spatial patterns of PM sub(2.5), PM sub(2.5) absorbance, PM sub(10) and PM sub(coarse). The highly standardized measurement of particle concentrations across Europe will contribute to a consistent assessment of health effects across Europe.