Episodes of air pollution throughout the 20th and 21st centuries have had a huge influence socially, economically and politically. From the Great Smog of London to the Kuwait Oil Fires, and from the ashes of Mount St Helens to air pollution in Beijing, this book chronicles their enduring legacies in medicine, science and public policy. Using technical information and insight from witnesses directly involved in the incidents, ten key episodes are brought together to allow comparison and analysis.Written for students, academics and professionals of atmospheric physics and chemistry, environmental science, public policy and other clinical disciplines, Air Pollution Episodes provides the unique opportunity to understand and learn from the most famous and sometimes devastating incidences of air pollution globally.

This invaluable volume, the third in the series Air Pollution Reviews, addresses particular questions relating to air pollution and its effect on health. It deals with the impact of nasal disease on lung exposure, how pollutants are distributed within the lung, and the uncertainties with regard to defining the dose to the lung. It takes a tangential look at the lung dose by exploring the possibility of obtaining clues from occupational medicine.Toxicologically, the book examines the possible methodology for exploring how particles and their toxicity can be investigated, and looks into the cardio-toxic effects of air pollution. The effects of pollutant mixtures are compared with those of individual pollutants. In addition, the question of the importance of acid aerosols is tackled.Epidemiologically, the book deals with the problems associated with point sources as opposed to diffuse sources of air pollution, and considers whether the health effects of air pollution can be adequately quantified.These areas, though difficult, need to be addressed, in order to develop our knowledge of the health effects of air pollution. In this volume, a strong panel of authors treat the issues. They have raised questions but at the same time succeeded in solving a number of problems.

Written by a distinguished international scientist, who has made fundamental contributions on the climatic relationship between air pollution and meteorology, the book provides a compendium of realistic examples of air pollution behaviour. After commencing with a general survey he takes us through a study of diffusion mechanisms including pollution from industrial chimneys and road traffic. Air pollution meteorology covers boundary layer scaling, pre-processing meteorological data, air quality management, urban meteorology, and atmospheric chemistry (oxides of nitrogen are central to ozone chemistry) with accounts of typical air pollution episodes and a brief dictionary of air pollutants. - Provides a compendium of realistic examples of air pollution behaviour - Includes a comprehensive study of diffusion mechanisms, including pollution from industrial chimneys and road traffic - Covers boundary layer scaling, pre-processing meteorological data, air quality management, urban meteorology, air pollution and atmospheric chemistry

Urban Climates is the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates. The book begins with an outline of what constitutes an urban ecosystem. It develops a comprehensive terminology for the subject using scale and surface classification as key constructs. It explains the physical principles governing the creation of distinct urban climates, such as airflow around buildings, the heat island, precipitation modification and air pollution, and it then illustrates how this knowledge can be applied to moderate the undesirable consequences of urban development and help create more sustainable and resilient cities. With urban climate science now a fully-fledged field, this timely book fulfills the need to bring together the disparate parts of climate research on cities into a coherent framework. It is an ideal resource for students and researchers in fields such as climatology, urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering and urban design.

Despite more than 20 years of regulatory efforts, concern is widespread that ozone pollution in the lower atmosphere, or troposphere, threatens the health of humans, animals, and vegetation. This book discusses how scientific information can be used to develop more effective regulations to control ozone. Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution discusses: The latest data and analysis on how tropospheric ozone is formed. How well our measurement techniques are functioning. Deficiencies in efforts to date to control the problem. Approaches to reducing ozone precursor emissions that hold the most promise. What additional research is needed. With a wealth of technical information, the book discusses atmospheric chemistry, the role of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ozone formation, monitoring and modeling the formation and transport processes, and the potential contribution of alternative fuels to solving the tropospheric ozone problem. The committee discusses criteria for designing more effective ozone control efforts. Because of its direct bearing on decisions to be made under the Clean Air Act, this book should be of great interest to environmental advocates, industry, and the regulatory community as well as scientists, faculty, and students.

An urgent examination of one of the biggest global crises facing us today—the drastic worsening of air pollution—and what we can do about it The air pollution that we breathe every day is largely invisible—but it is killing us. How did it get this bad, and how can we stop it? Far from a modern-day problem, scientists were aware of the impact of air pollution as far back as the seventeenth century. Now, as more of us live in cities, we are closer than ever to pollution sources, and the detrimental impact on the environment and our health has reached crisis point. The Invisible Killer will introduce you to the incredible individuals whose groundbreaking research paved the way to today's understanding of air pollution, often at their own detriment. Gary Fuller's global story examines devastating incidents from London's Great Smog to Norway's acid rain; Los Angeles' traffic problem to wood-burning damage in New Zealand. Fuller argues that the only way to alter the future course of our planet and improve collective global health is for city and national governments to stop ignoring evidence and take action, persuading the public and making polluters bear the full cost of the harm that they do. The decisions that we make today will impact on our health for decades to come. The Invisible Killer is an essential book for our times and a cautionary tale we need to take heed of.