Found 348 publications. Showing page 11 of 15:
2020
Health Risk Assessment of Air Pollution in Europe. Methodology description and 2017 results
This report describes the methodology applied to assess health risks across Europe in 2016, published in the European Environmental Agency’s Air Quality in Europe – 2019 report. The methodology applied is based on the work by de Leeuw and Horálek (2016), with a few adjustments. To estimate the health risk related to air pollution, the number of premature deaths and years of life lost related to exposure to fine particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide exposure were calculated for 41 countries across Europe. The results show that the largest health risks are estimated for the countries with the largest populations. However, in relative terms, when considering e.g., years of life lost per 100 000 inhabitants, the largest relative risks are observed in central and eastern European countries, and the lowest are found for the northern and north-western parts of Europe. Additionally to the assessment, a sensitivity analysis was undertaken to comprehend how much the presumed baseline concentration levels, the concentration below which no health effects are expected, affect the estimations. In addition, a benefit analysis, assuming attainment of the PM2.5 WHO guidelines across Europe, shows a reduction over 30 % of the 2017 premature deaths and years of life lost numbers.
ETC/ATNI
2020
In this report, we investigate the relative expanded uncertainty (REU) formula for comparing low-cost sensors (microsensors) and reference measurements. The purpose of the REU formula is to check if microsensor measurements follow the data quality objective (DQO) of the European Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC to be considered equivalent to a reference instrument. The project aimed to obtain a good understanding of the REU formula for its proper use in current and future projects involving microsensors.
NILU
2020
The geographic distribution of NO2-concentrations in air in the area around E16 Arna – Vågsbotn (Bergen) was mapped by
NILU after request by Statens vegvesen. Measurements were carried out with passive air samplers at 10 sites in the area
Gaupås-Kalsås-Blinde. The project was carried out in winter (28. January – 24. March 2020) in an area which often is subject to inversion conditions in wintertime.
The winter 2019-2020 proved to be a mild winter, no inversion conditions were registered. The NO2-concentration was highest in the first week and decreased gradually every week. During the two last weeks, traffic was reduced as a consequence of pandemia measures. The average concentration at the most polluted site over the entire measurement period was 22.9 μg/m3. Comparison of results from the measurement area with observations from monitoring stations in Bergen showed that the NO2-level close to E16 was as high as at traffic stations in Bergen.
NILU
2020
Denne rapporten presenterer databasen i ICP Materialer for perioden oktober 2017 – november 2018. Den inkluderer
miljødata fra ICP Materialer trend-eksponeringsprogrammet for 2017 – 2018, og i tillegg data for temperatur, relativ
fuktighet og nedbørsmengde tilbake til slutten av forrige års-eksponering i oktober/november 2015. Databasen består av
meteorologiske data (T, RF og nedbørsmengde) og forurensningsdata, som gasskonsentrasjoner, mengde ioner i nedbør, partikkelkonsentrasjoner og mengde avsatte partikler.
NILU
2020
2020
2020
This report presents the results of the European Union Action
on Black Carbon in the Arctic (EUA-BCA) initiative’s review of
observation capacities and data availability for black carbon in the Arctic region.
EUA-BCA/AMAP
2019
Kartlegging av lokal luftkvalitet i Hønefoss. Målinger 2018-2019.
NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research has commissioned a survey of local air quality in Hønefoss on behalf of Ringerike municipality. The survey program started in June 2018 and was completed in May 2019. The measurements were carried out to obtain the knowledge base for a new town plan in Hønefoss.
The measurement program included measurement of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide as well as meteorological parameters such as temperature, pressure, relative humidity and wind.
The annual mean concentration of PM2.5 was below the upper, but above the lower assessment threshold. The annual mean values ÿÿof NO2 and PM10 did not exceed the lower assessment threshold. The daily mean values ÿÿof PM10 and the hourly concentrations of NO2 were below the upper, but above the lower assessment threshold.
NILU
2019
Tiltaksutredning for lokal luftkvalitet i Tromsø
The air quality assessment covers mapping of the air quality in Tromsø through traffic, emission and dispersion calculations of PM10, PM2,5 and NO2 for the present situation (2016) and future scenarios (2023) with and without measures on particulate matter. Based on the calculations and in coordination with Tromsø municipality and the workgroup, a plan for improved local air quality and a management plan for periods with high concentration levels is proposed for political processing.
NILU
2019
The aim of the study is to assess the effect of the subsidy to replace old wood stoves for new clean burning stoves, and to what extent the scheme has influenced the total particle emissions and pollution concentrations in Oslo municipality. NILU selected three methods; 1) emission and dispersion modelling for 4 different scenarios; 2) estimate the emission reduction associated with the subsidy scheme in Oslo municipality; and 3) a comparison of changes in emissions, wood consumption and emission factors over time in municipalities with and without subsidy. Modeling and assessment of the potential emission reduction associated with the subsidy scheme shows that it has a potentially significant effect on the reduction of particulate emissions and concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10. The estimates show that the subsidy scheme in Oslo municipality gives a significant reduction in average emission factor over time. However, the effect on total PM-emissions is small.
NILU
2019
2019
EEA-33 Industrial Emissions Country Profiles. Methodology report. Updated July 2020.
The industrial emissions country profiles summarise key data related to industry: its relevance with respect to economic contributions, energy and water consumption, as well as air and water emissions and waste generation. The country profiles are developed for the EEA-33 countries which includes the 28 EU Member States together with Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
The present revision (v. 3.0) of this report includes data available at date of release. This year, a new reporting, the so-called EU-Registry and thematic data reporting, is introduced in order to gather the former E-PRTR, LCP and IED reportings and finally replace them. The 2018 data are not yet readily available. Nevertheless, more quality checks have been performed on the latest E-PRTR database in order to have the cleanest final E-PRTR dataset possible. Hence, the industrial emissions country profiles are enriched with the most up-to-date data sources while still only covering the years up to 2017.
This report describes the underlying methodology to the industrial emissions country profiles that are presented as a Tableau story on the EEA webpages ([1]).
The scope of industry in this respect includes in short all industrial activities reported under the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) excluding agriculture (activity code 7.(a) and 7.(b)). The data sources include Eurostat, the E-PRTR, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reported under the Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (MMR) and air pollutant emission inventories reported under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), each of which have their own data categories. A recently developed EEA-mapping which align these different categories is used ([2]). The data sources and industry scope is presented in full detail in the Annexes following this report.
The water and air pollutants including greenhouse gases are selected based on criteria related to their relative impact. Emissions of heavy metals to air and water have been combined by weighted averages using both eco toxicology and human toxicology characterisation factors ([3]). The amounts of hazardous and non-hazardous waste reported under Eurostat is presented, but excluding the major mineral waste that dominates the mining and construction sectors.
The data quality is evaluated and gap filling of Eurostat data is performed when needed. A method for E-PRTR outlier handling is proposed and applied where appropriate.
The significance of industry, given by gross value added (GVA), energy consumption and water use, as well as generation of waste are presented in the Tableau story as a sector percentage of EEA-33 gross total as well as percentage of country total. The trend in air and water pollution is presented as totals per pollutants relative to the latest year (2017). For the latest year the emissions are also given as percentage per sector relative to country total. The details on how the presented data is processed and aggregated is described in Annex 2.
The report is to a large extent based on previous methodology reports for “Industrial pollution country profiles”, but is also further developed to reflect feedback received through Eionet review and general requests from EEA and the European Commission.
ETC/ATNI
2020
Screening new PFAS compounds 2018
This screening project has focused on the occurrence of conventional and emerging PFASs in terrestrial and marine environments, including the Arctic. Conventional PFASs were found to be wide-spread in the environment and for the first time in Norway reported in wolf, a top predator from the terrestrial environment. Otters living in close proximity to human settlements and preying on the marine food chain, are heavily contaminated with PFASs. Areas where ski-testing activities are common are a potential “hotspot” where PFASs can enter the food chain. The difference in PFAS-profile between the samples indicates that the diversity in samples are necessary to reveal the complete picture of PFASs in the environment.
NILU
2019
2019
Plastic pollution is a global and increasing threat to ecosystems. Plastics in the oceans are unevenly distributed, are transported by currents and can now be found in the most remote environments, including Arctic sea ice. The entanglement of wildlife by large plastic debris such as ropes is an obvious and well documented threat. However, the risks associated with the ingestion of smaller plastic particles, including microplastics (< 5mm) have been largely overlooked. Recent studies show that microplastic accumulates in the food web. Even in the Arctic and the deep sea, fish frequently contain microplastics in their guts. This, together with the fact that small microplastic particles can pass from the gut into blood and organs and also leach associated toxic additives raises health concerns for wildlife that ingest microplastic.
Within the North Atlantic, plastic ingestion in seabirds has been studied systematically only in the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), for which plastic particles > 1mm found in the stomachs of dead (beached or bycaught) birds are quantified. With the origin of these birds being unknown, it is, however, impossible to assess how plastics affect populations even of this one monitored species, let alone for other seabird species that differ in their foraging behaviour and risk to ingest plastics.
This report sums up the results of a workshop which aimed to identify possibilities for long-term monitoring of (micro-) plastic ingestion by seabirds in the framework of SEAPOP, the basal programme monitoring the performance of Norwegian seabird populations (www.seapop.no). The key conclusions were: 1) There is a need for baseline information on plastic ingestion across all seabird species to identify which species and populations are most suitable for monitoring. To obtain this information, the best approach is to investigate the stomach contents of dead birds (i.e. comparable methodology across all species). For long-term monitoring, not only species with high plastic ingestion are of interest, but also those with low plastic prevalence. 2) In the absence of information from (1), eight species that are complementary in their foraging behaviour and have a wide distribution range were selected as preliminary species of interest to monitor plastic ingestion. 3) For minimally invasive monitoring, regurgitates, fresh prey items and faeces are most suitable; 4) More information on prevalence of plastic ingestion is needed to identify optimal sample sizes for long-term monitoring. We therefore highlight the need for several pilot studies before establishing a plastic monitoring protocol within SEAPOP.
Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA)
2019