Non-exhaust emissions of particulate matter constitute a little-known but rising share of emissions from road traffic and have significant negative impacts on public health. This report synthesizes the current state of knowledge about the nature, causes, and consequences of non-exhaust particulate emissions. It also projects how particulate matter emissions from non-exhaust sources may evolve in future years and reflects on policy instrument mixes that can address this largely ignored environmental issue.

Non-Exhaust Emissions: An Urban Air Quality Problem for Public Health comprehensively summarizes the most recent research in the field, also giving guidance on research gaps and future needs to evaluate the health impact and possible remediation of non-exhaust particle emissions. With contributions from some of the major experts and stakeholders in air quality, this book comprehensively defines the state-of-the-art of current knowledge, gaps and future needs for a better understanding of particulate matter (PM) emissions, from non-exhaust sources of road traffic to improve public health. PM is a heterogeneous mix of chemical elements and sources, with road traffic being the major source in large cities. A significant part of these emissions come from non-exhaust processes, such as brake, tire, road wear, and road dust resuspension. While motor exhaust emissions have been successfully reduced by means of regulation, non-exhaust emissions are currently uncontrolled and their importance is destined to increase and become the dominant urban source of particle matter by 2020. Nevertheless, current knowledge on the non-exhaust emissions is still limited. This is an essential book to researchers and advanced students from a broad range of disciplines, such as public health, toxicology, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, atmospheric chemistry and physics, geochemistry, epidemiology, built environment, road and vehicle engineering, and city planning. In addition, European and local authorities responsible for air quality and those in the industrial sectors related to vehicle and brake manufacturing and technological remediation measures will also find the book valuable. - Acts as the first book to explore the health impacts of non-exhaust emissions - Authored by experts from several sectors, including academia, industry and policy - Gathers the relevant body of literature and information, defining the current knowledge, gaps and future needs

"The combination of scientific and institutional integrity represented by this book is unusual. It should be a model for future endeavors to help quantify environmental risk as a basis for good decisionmaking." â€"William D. Ruckelshaus, from the foreword. This volume, prepared under the auspices of the Health Effects Institute, an independent research organization created and funded jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the automobile industry, brings together experts on atmospheric exposure and on the biological effects of toxic substances to examine what is knownâ€"and not knownâ€"about the human health risks of automotive emissions.

This book encompasses the current strategies and technologies used to reduce particulates to meet regulatory requirements and curtail health hazards -- reviewing principles and applications of these techniques.

The first concerns that come to mind in relation to pollution from road vehicles are direct emissions of carbon dioxide and toxic air pollutants. These are, of course, important but the impacts of road traffic are altogether more substantial. This volume of the Issues in Environmental Science and Technology Series takes a broader view of the effects on the environment and human health, excluding only injury due to road traffic accidents. By looking across the environmental media, air, water and soil, and taking account also of noise pollution, the volume addresses far more than the conventional atmospheric issues. More importantly, however, it examines present and future vehicle technologies, the implications of more extensive use of batteries in electric vehicles and the consequences of recycling vehicles at the end of use. Finally, examples of life-cycle analysis as applied to road vehicles are reviewed. This book is a comprehensive source of authoritative information for students studying pollution, and for policy-makers concerned with vehicle emissions and road traffic impacts more generally.

The public health risks posed by automotive particulate emissions are well known. Such particles are sufficiently small to reach the deepest regions of the lungs; and moreover act as carriers for many potentially toxic substances. Historically, diesel engines have been singled out in this regard, but recent research shows the need to consider particulate emissions from gasoline engines as well. Already implicated in more than one respiratory disease, the strongest evidence in recent times points to particle-mediated cardiovascular disorders (strokes and heart attacks). Accordingly, legislation limiting particulate emissions is becoming increasingly stringent, placing great pressure on the automotive industry to produce cleaner vehicles - pressure only heightened by the ever-increasing number of cars on our roads. Particulate Emissions from Vehicles addresses a field of increased international interest and research activity; discusses the impact of new legislation globally on the automotive industry; and explains new ways of measuring particle size, number and composition that are currently under development. The expert analysis and summary of the state-of-the-art, which encompasses the key areas of combustion performance, measurement techniques and toxicology, will appeal to R&D practitioners and engineers working in the automotive industry and related mechanical fields, as well as postgraduate students and researchers of engine technology, air pollution and life/ environmental science. The public health aspects will also appeal to the biomedical research community.

In the summer of 1999, an international group of experts convened in Jerusalem, Israel, in order to define the major environmental challenges facing humanity at the dawn of the new millennium and - where possible - propose ways of addressing them. Almost 50 selected articles are collected in the present book, which constitutes a striking interdisciplinary combination of state-of-the-art science with the latest views on environmental law, education, and international cooperation. Whilst a major fraction of the book is devoted to water-related issues (water quality monitoring, water and wastewater treatment, water-based international cooperation, and more), other sections deal with timely topics relating to air pollution, biodiversity, conservation, and education. The book is intended for environmental scientists, professionals, and students of all disciplines.