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The particulate matters less than 10 μm sizes (PM10) were measured at a highly polluted urban environment of Delhi, and simultaneously at a downwind semi-urban site, Gual Pahari, in the north-west Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB). The measurements were conducted during January–December 2008 to compare and contrast aerosol emissions, compositions and related optical and radiative properties for two different environments. While the total PM10 was about 30% lower at Gual Pahari as compared to Delhi, the total mass of water-soluble inorganic species (WSIs) was significantly enhanced (~23%) at Gual Pahari. Amongst WSIs, the major secondary inorganic species (SIs) were about 52% higher at Gual Pahari as compared to Delhi, with elevated levels in the post-monsoon/winter seasons. In contrast, the major crustal species were about 76% higher at Delhi as compared to Gual Pahari, with elevated levels in the summer/monsoon seasons. This indicates a strong inter-seasonal spatial variability in aerosol sources and compositions at these sites. Further, the simulations using aerosol optical model had resulted mean absorption coefficient (babs) and single scattering albedo (SSA) higher by about 50% and lower by about 18%, respectively, at Delhi (babs, 147 ± 63 M m−1 and SSA, 0.65 ± 0.12) as compared to Gual Pahari (babs, 73 ± 26 M m−1 and SSA, 0.79 ± 0.07). This reveals relative abundance of absorbing particles at Delhi compared to Gual Pahari. As a result, the estimated mean atmospheric forcing was 91 ± 23 W m−2 at Delhi, which was ~55% higher as compared to Gual Pahari. This is further corroborated with observed higher heating rate at Delhi (2.5 ± 0.7 K day−1) as compared to Gual Pahari (1.1 ± 0.4 K day−1). Our results highlight that diverse near-surface emissions together with atmospheric processing leads to strong inter-seasonal spatial heterogeneity in aerosol chemical, optical and radiative properties between the adjacent distinct sites. This has an important implication for a city-scale air pollution modeling.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and etiology of congenital or early acquired bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) in children born from 1988 to 2002 in the district of Kuopio University Hospital, Finland, and to compare the results with those from an earlier 14-year period in the same region and similar population. Methods The data were collected retrospectively from Hospital Records. The degree of hearing impairment was based on average air conduction threshold calculated over the frequencies 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in the better hearing ear. Hearing impairment was classified as mild (≥20–39 dB), moderate (40–69 dB), severe (70–95 dB) and profound (>95 dB). Results We identified 92 children with bilateral SNHI diagnosed before the age of 7 years. The overall prevalence and the prevalence for at least moderate SNHI was 2.1 per 1000 live births and 1.2 per 1000 live births, respectively. We found no differences in the prevalence of SNHI during both study periods. Etiology was genetic in 46%, acquired in 14% and unknown in 40%. Out of the genetic cases 74% were non-syndromic and 26% were syndromic. In comparison to the previous study there was a decline in the proportion of acquired SNHI and the proportion of genetic and unknown cause had increased. Six children in five families had homozygous 35delG mutation and six children in four families presented with a homozygous M34T mutation. Conclusions The prevalence of congenital or early acquired SNHI in the Kuopio University Hospital district area has not changed during a period of 29 years. Despite possibility to test the GBJ2 gene, the proportion of hearing impairment of unknown etiology remained high.