Long-period atmospheric oscillations can have effects on summertime air quality in the Eastern US, based on two studies from Harvard researchers, and these effects can be relevant to air quality management. The first analysis shows that summertime air quality in the eastern US depends on the sea-surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean. Researchers used observations Read More
Tag: ozone
Traffic and plasma glucose
Proximity to roadways was associated with modestly higher blood glucose levels in healthy people, in a study supported by the Harvard Clean Air Research Center and the ACE center. Participants in the Framingham Offspring and Third generation cohorts (average age 51 years) in New England, who were without diabetes, and were examined for a variety Read More
Short-term exposure to air pollution: mortality without threshold
Short-term exposure to PM2.5 and ozone were significantly associate with mortality risk without evidence of a threshold, in a study on the entire Medicare population. Researchers at the Harvard/MIT ACE center examined all-cause mortality risk associated with same-day and prior day exposure to PM2.5 and ozone (adjusting for simultaneous exposure) in a case-crossover design applied Read More
Carpet materials, ozone and aldehydes
Different carpet materials vary considerably in their ability to remove ozone from indoor environments, as well as in their emissions of aldehydes. Researchers at Portland State University and the University of Arizona tested new carpet samples in a glass chamber and measured ozone removal and emissions of aldehydes, both primary (from the carpet itself) and Read More
Indoor plants and ozone
Houseplants have been previously shown to play a role in removing volatile organic compounds (benzene, formaldehyde, etc.) from indoor air. Houseplants also participate in removal of ozone from indoor environments and they do so more effectively with light, demonstrating a role beyond passive surface reactions. Researchers at the University of Arizona and Portland State University Read More
Predicting summer ozone
Summer ozone levels in the Eastern US can be partially predicted in the Spring from large-scale meteorological patterns, such as the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation and tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures. A statistical model developed by researchers at the Harvard Air Climate & Energy Center shows that especially high ozone concentrations in the summer months is Read More