Construction nanoparticles

Construction of buildings is a part of both developing and developed society. Some aspects, such as particle emissions, are yet not understood but are important to reduce exposure to operatives working on sites or living nearby. We started researching this topic about 3 years ago and we recently got yet another paper published on this topic titled as "The exposure to coarse, fine and ultrafine particle emissions from concrete mixing, drilling and cutting activities". The article was published in Journal of Hazardous Materials. Full details about this research work can be accessed by clicking here. These work is a step towards establishing number and mass emission inventories for particle exposure during construction activities.

City parks good for people, but not so good for buildings

While city planners have been encouraged to plant trees and gardens to green the city for the health of its inhabitants, recent research has found that the same trees can damage certain buildings.

Our research revealed that chemicals produced by certain species of plants and trees react with common air pollutants to create damaging chemicals that corrode building materials such as stone, concrete, and steel. Especially at risk are heritage buildings which are built of limestone or sandstone...........

This text is an excerpt of an article which was originally published on The Conversation. Read the full original article.

Green corridors protect cyclists and pedestrians from pollution

City-dwellers consider cycling or walking to work to be part of a healthy routine. But latest studies on air pollution show that nanoparticles – unseen pollutants – are a major concern.

In the UK, the number of cyclists is increasing. It has been dubbed the “Wiggo effect”, following the success of British cyclist Bradley Wiggins at the 2012 Olympics. But to make sure the Wiggo effect provides the health benefits cycling promises, better urban planning is needed to protect cyclists from polluted air..........

This text is an excerpt of an article which was originally published on The Conversation. Read the full original article.

Guest Edited Special Issue on "Nanomaterials and the Environment"

Developments in nanoscience have brought industrial benefits as well as environmental concerns. Nanomaterials have been considered a potential environmental emerging contaminant, and their origin can be natural, incidental, or from manufacturing processes. I as a "Lead Guest Editor", along with my collaborators acting as Guest Co-Editors from the UK, Australia and India, have recently completed an special issue titled as "Nanomaterials and the Environment" for the "Journal of Nanomaterials".

We invited researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles related to characterisation, emissions, transformation, dispersion, fate, and effects of nanomaterials in different environmental compartments (air, water, and soil). Also were invited articles dealing with the environmental and health impacts, of nanomaterials and particulate matter in general, and the implications for policy and regulations for both the indoor and outdoor environments.

The issue is now available online and the articles published as a part of this special issue can be freely accessed by clicking here.

Vegetation, nanoparticles and related exposure

Trees play both negative and positive role in terms of pollution exposure to city dwellers. When these are planted along the roadsides where there are densely packed buildings around them, they trap the pollution by restricting the clearing of wind flow and pollution from vehicles. However, when these are put along the roadsides in non-built environment such as open busy roadsides they can do a great job to restrict the pollution to reach to footpath dwellers. One of our recent research articles, published recently in Atmospheric Environment, experimentally demonstrate their effectiveness and suggest a way forward for urban planners to limit pollution exposure of people living in urban areas. The full article titled as "The influence of roadside vegetation barriers on airborne nanoparticles and pedestrians exposure under varying wind conditions" can be accessed through the following link (online version) or its pre-print freely available version by clicking here.

Ultrafine Particles in Cities

Ultrafine particles (UFPs; diameter less than 100 nm) are ubiquitous in urban air, and an acknowledged risk to human health. Globally, the major source for urban outdoor UFP concentrations is motor traffic. On-going trends towards urbanisation and expansion of road traffic are anticipated to further increase population exposure to UFPs. Numerous experimental studies have characterised UFPs in individual cities,....read full article by clicking here or full text here.