Version 1
: Received: 2 June 2023 / Approved: 6 June 2023 / Online: 6 June 2023 (07:10:05 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 30 January 2024 / Approved: 30 January 2024 / Online: 30 January 2024 (04:07:59 CET)
How to cite:
Moreira, F.; Ferreira, A.; Barros, N. Worldwide Survey and Characterization of Ultrafine Particle Exposure Monitoring and Assessment. Preprints2023, 2023060386. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.0386.v1
Moreira, F.; Ferreira, A.; Barros, N. Worldwide Survey and Characterization of Ultrafine Particle Exposure Monitoring and Assessment. Preprints 2023, 2023060386. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.0386.v1
Moreira, F.; Ferreira, A.; Barros, N. Worldwide Survey and Characterization of Ultrafine Particle Exposure Monitoring and Assessment. Preprints2023, 2023060386. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.0386.v1
APA Style
Moreira, F., Ferreira, A., & Barros, N. (2023). Worldwide Survey and Characterization of Ultrafine Particle Exposure Monitoring and Assessment. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.0386.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Moreira, F., Ana Ferreira and Nelson Barros. 2023 "Worldwide Survey and Characterization of Ultrafine Particle Exposure Monitoring and Assessment" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.0386.v1
Abstract
Several studies show that air pollution has become a major problem and a source of great concern. Part of the observed poor air quality can be attributed to the levels of ultrafine particles (UFP), generally defined as the fraction of particles with diameter less than 100 nm which, by their size, are able to enter the blood circulation causing adverse health effects. As the main route of entry into the body is inhalation, several epidemiological studies associate the presence of UFP to total mortality, cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Since there are apparently no worldwide normative references for the control of these particles, this global study aimed to characterise the methods and techniques used worldwide regarding the monitoring and management of UFP. For this purpose, a survey was carried out based on a questionnaire applied at global scale. The questionnaire design was based on a preliminary literature review on the main search engines for scientific publications to establish the state of the art. As a result of the application of the questionnaire, a total of 51 responses were obtained from 20 different countries on five continents, which provided an insight into the global profile of professionals interested in the control/study of UFP, the measurement methodologies they follow and the guideline values they apply, if any. Among them are public health professionals, academics and health engineers from various institutions, such as education, hospitals, research centers and regulators in the health sector. Most responses said are no specific methodologies for the measurement of UFP, nor national standards for it. Through the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that it is urgent to adopt regulations to standardize the assessments as well as to establish guide values for the protection of the human health.
Keywords
Ultrafine Particles; Air Quality; Occupational Health; UFP worldwide survey
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
