EVK4 2000 00018

 Characterisation of Urban Air Quality - Indoor/Outdoor Particulate Matter Chemical Characteristics and Source-to-Inhaled Dose Relationships (URBAN-AEROSOL)

is a project supported by the the European Commissionin the 5^th R&D Framework Programme. The duration of the project was from 2001 to 2003.

Motivation

• Chemical complexity of atmospheric aerosols requires a consideration of their composition and sources.

• High degree of uncertainty about the size and composition of the particles that may responsible for potential human health risk.

• Control costs for reduction of PM emissions are potentially very high.

• Size distribution of aerosols is a critical factor influencing the extent to which particles penetrate into the respiratory tract.

• Chemical characterization of aerosols is a critical factor that possibly influences their health implications.

Solid Scientific Basis is needed

• U.S. National Academy of Science "the committee concludes that EPA should immediately devote more intramural as well as extramural resources to investigating the relationships between fixed-site outdoor monitoring data and actual human exposures to ambient particulate matter, and to identifying the most biologically important constituents and characteristics of PM through toxicological studies"

• Requirement: Solid scientific foundation from which regulatory decisions could be made regarding the implementation of future Directives.

1. Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), PO BOX 100, N 2007 Kjeller, Norway.

2. Technical University of Crete, Department of Environmental Engineering, 73100 Chania, Greece

3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, U. K.

4. Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS), JRC-Ispra, Italy.

5. N.C.S.R. Demokritos, 15310 Ag. Paraskeui, Attiki, Greece.

6. University of Athens, Department of Physics, Greece.

7. Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic

8. Charles University, Faculty of Science, Prague, Czech Republic

9. Fraunhofer-Institut fur Toxikologie und Aerosolforschung (FhG/ITA), Hannover, Germany

10. Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece

Last update: 29-03-2005