90 research outputs found
Students And Eli Weisel at the 1993 Commencement Ceremony
No full textNobel-prize winning author, Eli Weisel, at the 1993 Commencement Ceremony, with students
Eli Weisel and University President Francis J. Mertz at 1993 Commencement
No full textNobel-prize winning author, Eli Weisel, at the 1993 Commencement Ceremony, shaking hands with University President Francis J. Mertz
Characterization of the Dust/Smoke Aerosol that Settled East of the World Trade Center (WTC) in Lower Manhattan after the Collapse of the WTC 11 September 2001
No full textThe explosion and collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) was a catastrophic event that produced an aerosol plume impacting many workers, residents, and commuters during the first few days after 11 September 2001. Three bulk samples of the total settled dust and smoke were collected at weather-protected locations east of the WTC on 16 and 17 September 2001; these samples are representative of the generated material that settled immediately after the explosion and fire and the concurrent collapse of the two structures. We analyzed each sample, not differentiated by particle size, for inorganic and organic composition. In the inorganic analyses, we identified metals, radionuclides, ionic species, asbestos, and inorganic species. In the organic analyses, we identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, pesticides, phthalate esters, brominated diphenyl ethers, and other hydrocarbons. Each sample had a basic pH. Asbestos levels ranged from 0.8% to 3.0% of the mass, the PAHs were > 0.1% of the mass, and lead ranged from 101 to 625 µg/g. The content and distribution of material was indicative of a complex mixture of building debris and combustion products in the resulting plume. These three samples were composed primarily of construction materials, soot, paint (leaded and unleaded), and glass fibers (mineral wool and fiberglass). Levels of hydrocarbons indicated unburned or partially burned jet fuel, plastic, cellulose, and other materials that were ignited by the fire. In morphologic analyses we found that a majority of the mass was fibrous and composed of many types of fibers (e.g., mineral wool, fiberglass, asbestos, wood, paper, and cotton). The particles were separated into size classifications by gravimetric and aerodynamic methods. Material 53 µm in diameter. The results obtained from these samples can be used to understand the contact and types of exposures to this unprecedented complex mixture experienced by the surviving residents, commuters, and rescue workers directly affected by the plume from 11 to 12 September and the evaluations of any acute or long-term health effects from resuspendable dust and smoke to the residents, commuters, and local workers, as well as from the materials released after 11 September until the fires were extinguished. Further, these results support the need to have the interior of residences, buildings, and their respective HVAC systems professionally cleaned to reduce long-term residential risks before rehabitation.Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health PerspectivesFunded in part by supplemental funds from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to the NIEHS Centers at EOHSI (ES05022-12) and the NYU Institute of Medicine (ES00260). NYU is also funded in part by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PM Center Grant (R827351). P.J. Lioy was also supported in part by a U.S. EPA University Partnership (CR827033)
Childhood asthma and environmental exposures at swimming pools: state of the science and research recommendations.
No full textOBJECTIVES: Recent studies have explored the potential for swimming pool disinfection by-products (DBPs), which are respiratory irritants, to cause asthma in young children. Here we describe the state of the science on methods for understanding children's exposure to DBPs and biologics at swimming pools and associations with new-onset childhood asthma and recommend a research agenda to improve our understanding of this issue. DATA SOURCES: A workshop was held in Leuven, Belgium, 21-23 August 2007, to evaluate the literature and to develop a research agenda to better understand children's exposures in the swimming pool environment and their potential associations with new-onset asthma. Participants, including clinicians, epidemiologists, exposure scientists, pool operations experts, and chemists, reviewed the literature, prepared background summaries, and held extensive discussions on the relevant published studies, knowledge of asthma characterization and exposures at swimming pools, and epidemiologic study designs. SYNTHESIS: Childhood swimming and new-onset childhood asthma have clear implications for public health. If attendance at indoor pools increases risk of childhood asthma, then concerns are warranted and action is necessary. If there is no such relationship, these concerns could unnecessarily deter children from indoor swimming and/or compromise water disinfection. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence of an association between childhood swimming and new-onset asthma is suggestive but not conclusive. Important data gaps need to be filled, particularly in exposure assessment and characterization of asthma in the very young. Participants recommended that additional evaluations using a multidisciplinary approach are needed to determine whether a clear association exists
Health Impacts of Power-Exporting Plants in Northern Mexico
No full textIn the past two decades, rapid population and economic growth on the U.S.–Mexico border has spurred a dramatic increase in electricity demand. In response, American energy multinationals have built power plants just south of the border that export most of their electricity to the United States. This development has stirred considerable controversy because these plants effectively skirt U.S. environmental air pollution regulations in a severely degraded international airshed. Yet to our knowledge, this concern has not been subjected to rigorous scrutiny. This paper uses a suite of air dispersion, health impacts, and valuation models to assess the human health damages in the United States and Mexico caused by air emissions from two power-exporting plants in Mexicali, Baja California. We find that these emissions have limited but nontrivial health impacts, mostly by exacerbating particulate pollution in the United States, and we value these damages at more than half a million dollars per year. These findings demonstrate that power-exporting plants can have cross-border health effects and bolster the case for systematically evaluating their environmental impacts.electricity, air pollution, Mexico
Health Impacts of Power-Exporting Plants in Northern Mexico
No full textIn the past two decades, rapid population and economic growth on the U.S.–Mexico border has spurred a dramatic increase in electricity demand. In response, American energy multinationals have built power plants just south of the border that export most of their electricity to the United States. This development has stirred considerable controversy because these plants effectively skirt U.S. environmental air pollution regulations in a severely degraded international airshed. Yet to our knowledge, this concern has not been subjected to rigorous scrutiny. This paper uses a suite of air dispersion, health impacts, and valuation models to assess the human health damages in the United States and Mexico caused by air emissions from two power-exporting plants in Mexicali, Baja California. We find that these emissions have limited but nontrivial health impacts, mostly by exacerbating particulate pollution in the United States, and we value these damages at more than half a million dollars per year. These findings demonstrate that power-exporting plants can have cross-border health effects and bolster the case for systematically evaluating their environmental impacts.electricity, air pollution, Mexico
Multipathway risk assessment of trihalomethane exposure in drinking water of Lebanon
No full textThe toxicological risks and lifetime cancer risks of trihalomethanes through oral ingestion, dermal absorption, and inhalation exposure from tap water in selected regions in Lebanon are estimated. Existing trihalomethane concentrations do not pose any non-carcinogenic and developmental risks in the exposed population via oral ingestion. Among the three pathways, residents have a higher risk of cancer through oral ingestion than through the other two pathways. The lifetime cancer risk through oral ingestion for dibromochloromethane makes the highest contribution to total risks, followed by bromodichloromethane, bromoform, and chloroform. The total multipathway cancer risk analysis suggests that no cancer risks exist during the summer and winter seasons; however, in the spring the total cancer risks exceeds the USEPA acceptable level of 10-6 by a factor of 10.7. © IWA Publishing 2007.BELLAR TA, 1974, J AM WATER WORKS ASS, V66, P703; Fawell J., 1999, DISINFECTION BY PROD, P157; Hsu CH, 2001, ENVIRON RES, V85, P77, DOI 10.1006-enrs.2000.4102; Hwang BF, 2003, ARCH ENVIRON HEALTH, V58, P83, DOI 10.3200-AEOH.58.2.83-91; Lee SC, 2004, ENVIRON RES, V94, P47, DOI 10.1016-S0013-9351(03)0067-7; Miles AM, 2002, ENVIRON SCI TECHNOL, V36, P1692, DOI 10.1021-es001991j; MORRIS RD, 1992, AM J PUBLIC HEALTH, V82, P955, DOI 10.2105-AJPH.82.7.955; Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, 2000, OCCUP ENVIRON MED, V57, P73, DOI 10.1136-oem.57.2.73; Rook J., 1974, WATER TREAT EXAM, V23, P234, DOI DOI 10.1016-S0041-624X(99)00211-5; SEMERJIAN L, 2007, J WAT SUPPL RES TECH, V56; SEMERJIAN L, 2005, THESIS U BRADFORD UK; *USEPA, 2003, EPA630P03001A; *USEPA, 2006, INT RISK INF SYST EL; USEPA, 1991, EPA540R92003; *USEPA, 1995, DET CHLOR DBPS CHLOR; Weisel CP, 1996, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V104, P48, DOI 10.2307-3432759; Weisel CP, 1999, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V107, P103, DOI 10.2307-3434365; *WHO, 2004, DRAFT 3 ED WHO GUID; *WHO, 2000, ENV HLTH CRITERIA, V216810
Particle formation from squalene-ozone reactions in indoor environments
No full textPeople spend the majority of their time indoors and are exposed to products of indoor air chemistry that includes particles generated by the squalene-ozone (SqOz) reaction. This reaction occurs when ambient ozone infiltrates indoors and reacts with the human skin oil component, squalene, directly on skin, hair, clothing, surfaces that have been touched, and house dust, and produces particles that affect indoor air quality. This dissertation begins by reviewing the current state of literature surrounding the squalene-ozone reaction and then investigates SqOz particle formation through three different studies: 1) Particle seeding experiments to understand formation mechanisms, 2) Experiments involving varying environmental parameters to understand their effect on particle formation, and 3) chemical analysis of laboratory and real-world air and surface wipe samples for SqOz reaction products.
Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) seeding particles generated from the reaction of limonene and ozone were successful in facilitating the squalene-ozone reactions, while the inorganic seeds generated by heating a nichrome wire were not. The seeding particles shifted the particle formation mechanism from a mixture of homogenous nucleation and gas-to-particle partitioning to primarily a partitioning formation mechanism. This resulted in quicker, more consistent particle formation at higher particle counts than when the seed particles were not present. Indoor environments typically have SOA that can be seeds for SqOz reactions when ozone is present.
The experimental studies performed by varying environmental parameters examined the slope of particle generation, the maximum particle number formed, and time to maximum particle formation to understand their effects on particle formation. Relative humidity (RH) conditions ranging from 15% to 45% RH resulted in very similar curves, but for 55% and 65% RH, particle formation was not seen due to a shift in the formation pathway toward volatile products or the loss of particle mass from secondary reactions producing volatile compounds that volatilize from the particles. As ozone concentrations were increased from 25 ppb to 200 ppb, the time to form the maximum number of particles decreased, the maximum particle number count increased, and the slope of particle generation increased, the latter two following a second order polynomial. As surface loadings increased, the max particle number increased linearly until it leveled off and no further increases were seen. This may be due to squalene molecules initially forming a monolayer on the surface to optimize the SqOz reaction, followed by bi- or multi-layers formed or reaction products coating the squalene decreasing the particle formation from the SqOz reaction.
The SqOz reaction products were measured in surface film and air samples using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry after derivatization of the carboxylic functional group. For the surface samples, the compounds identified, in order from highest surface loading to lowest, were: geranylacetone (5.23-23.7 ng/cm²), geranyllinalool (4.47-9.27 ng/cm²), farnesylacetone (0.222-2.95 ng/cm²), geranylgeranylacetone (0.117-1.75 ng/cm²), levulinic acid (0.214-1.58 ng/cm²), and succinic acid (0.017-0.052 ng/cm²). Chamber air samples contained succinic acid (188 – 610 ng/m³) and several additional compounds above the blank values: hexanoic acid, decanoic acid, 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid, and 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanediol. Air samples collected from 37 homes in NJ, GA, and NC contained 2.35-75.64 ng/m³ levulinic acid and 5.78-54.43 ng/m³ succinic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first time these compounds, which are squalene-ozone reaction products, have been measured in particles collected from the indoor air of homes, though multiple sources of these compounds existed.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference
Estimating New Zealand temperature and aridity since the last glacial maximum from biomass burning markers
No full textAridity is an important component of climate change. Wildfires linked to dry conditions can drastically alter the biomass of a landscape. Diagnostic molecules created in these fires during the incomplete combustion of plants can be used to estimate past biomass burning events. Biomass burning markers (BBM) were isolated from three sites from the South Island of New Zealand, and quantified using GCMS analysis. A record of fire occurrence based on these BBM revealed a pattern of increased aridity in the past. The central South Island was characterized by persistent dryness in the glaciation, increased wetter periods marked the Younger Dryas and Antarctic Cold Reversal, followed by drier cycles with fewer periods of wetness into the early Holocene, and persistent wetting toward the late Holocene. The southern end of the South Island showed consistent wetness from the mid Holocene to the modern. Dryness changing in longer vs. shorter and wetter vs. drier is a pattern seen from the glaciation through the early Holocene. Pollen-based temperature reconstructions in the study sites do not agree with reconstructions from elsewhere in New Zealand. These new results documenting burning in the glaciation and through the early deglaciation are a plausible explanation for bias in these temperature reconstructions due to local aridity in the study areas of the South Island. Changes in this local aridity were likely due to the Southern Westerly Winds, which shifted north during the glaciation, then overall shifted southward toward the Holocene.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Lauren Meredith Weise
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