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Benefits from EV (Electric vehicles) and e-mobility include the reduction of local emissions of pollutants from particulate matter (PM0.5, PM5, and PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx and NO2). Cities and urban agglomerations benefit the most from potential emission reductions from EVs due to the large number of cars utilized in most urban traffic systems. This abstract presents results from a corporate research and funding project in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany (LINOx BW) which facilitates the installation of 2358 charging points within 178 different sub-projects in 23 different cities, spanning a period of four years. Utilizing several different survey waves, data about outgoing currents from these publicly funded charging points are gathered. Converting this data utilizing car classifications and emission classes (HBEFA), the reduction of local nitrogen oxides is derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Occupational exposure limits (OEL) for nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) and diesel exhaust (EC-DPM) were reassessed by the German authorities in 2016/2017. We performed a clinical cross-sectional study among salt and potash underground workers exposed to these substances at relatively high levels to examine possible indicators of acute effects on workers' health. Methods: We measured post- versus pre-shift differences in cardiovascular, inflammatory, immune, and respiratory effect biomarkers and assessed their associations with personal exposures measured during the same shift. We also compared post- versus pre-shift differences in biomarker levels between exposure groups defined based on work site and job type. Results: None of the above-ground workers exceeded the OEL for NO2 and only 5% exceeded the OEL for EC-DPM exposure. Among underground workers, 33% of miners and 7% underground maintenance workers exceeded the OEL for NO2; the OEL for EC-DPM was exceeded by 56% of miners and 17% of maintenance workers. Some effect biomarkers (thrombocytes, neutrophils, MPO, TNF-α, IgE, FeNO) showed statistically significant differences between pre- versus post-shift measurements; however, there were no consistent associations between pre- and post-shift differences and exposure group or personal exposure measurements during the shift. Conclusions: We did not find evidence of associations between workplace exposure to NO, NO2 or EC-DPM and clinically relevant indicators of acute cardiovascular, inflammatory and immune, or respiratory effects among salt and potash underground workers in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bunsen burner was designed by Robert W. E. Bunsen in Germany more than 150 years back. By controlling the mixing of aerial oxygen with the fuel (hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, biogas, etc.) or fuel mixture, Bunsen burners can produce either oxidizing or reducing flames. The temperature of the Bunsen burner flame is different in different zones. This burner is mandatory for qualitatively detecting various inorganic and organic samples through the flame test and Lassaigne's test, respectively. Application of the Bunsen burner extends to atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic emission spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of near-surface ozone concentrations is important for supporting regulatory procedures for the protection of humans from high exposure to air pollution. In this study, we introduce a data-driven forecasting model named "IntelliO3-ts", which consists of multiple convolutional neural network (CNN) layers, grouped together as inception blocks. The model is trained with measured multi-year ozone and nitrogen oxide concentrations of more than 300 German measurement stations in rural environments and six meteorological variables from the meteorological COSMO reanalysis. This is by far the most extensive dataset used for time series predictions based on neural networks so far. IntelliO3-ts allows the prediction of daily maximum 8 h average (dma8eu) ozone concentrations for a lead time of up to 4 d, and we show that the model outperforms standard reference models like persistence models. Moreover, we demonstrate that IntelliO3-ts outperforms climatological reference models for the first 2 d, while it does not add any genuine value for longer lead times. We attribute this to the limited deterministic information that is contained in the single-station time series training data. We applied a bootstrapping technique to analyse the influence of different input variables and found that the previous-day ozone concentrations are of major importance, followed by 2 m temperature. As we did not use any geographic information to train IntelliO3-ts in its current version and included no relation between stations, the influence of the horizontal wind components on the model performance is minimal. We expect that the inclusion of advection–diffusion terms in the model could improve results in future versions of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution contributes to the global burden of disease by particularly affecting cardiovascular (CV) causes of death. We investigated the association between particle number concentration (PNC), a marker for ultrafine particles, and other air pollutants and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a potential link between air pollution and CV disease.Methods: We cross-sectionally analysed data from the second follow up (2013 and 2014) of the German KORA baseline survey which was conducted in 1999-2001. Residential long-term exposure to PNC and various other size fractions of particulate matter (PM10 with size of <10 μm in aerodynamic diameter, PMcoarse 2.5-10 μm or PM2.5 < 2.5 μm, respectively), soot (PM2.5abs: absorbance of PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (nitrogen dioxide NO2 or oxides NOx, respectively) and ozone (O3) were estimated by land-use regression models. Associations between annual air pollution concentrations and hs-CRP were modeled in 2252 participants using linear regression models adjusted for several confounders. Potential effect-modifiers were examined by interaction terms and two-pollutant models were calculated for pollutants with Spearman inter-correlation <0.70.Results: Single pollutant models for PNC, PM10, PMcoarse, PM2.5abs, NO2 and NOx showed positive but non-significant associations with hs-CRP. For PNC, an interquartile range (2000 particles/cm3) increase was associated with a 3.6% (95% CI: -0.9%, 8.3%) increase in hs-CRP. A null association was found for PM2.5. Effect estimates were higher for women, non-obese participants, for participants without diabetes and without a history of cardiovascular disease whereas ex-smokers showed lower estimates compared to smokers or non-smokers. For O3, the dose-response function suggested a non-linear relationship. In two-pollutant models, adjustment for PM2.5 strengthened the effect estimates for PNC and PM10 (6.3% increase per 2000 particles/cm3 [95% CI: 0.4%; 12.5%] and 7.3% per 16.5 μg/m3 [95% CI: 0.4%; 14.8%], respectively).Conclusion: This study adds to a scarce but growing body of literature showing associations between long-term exposure to ultrafine particles and hs-CRP, one of the most intensely studied blood biomarkers for cardiovascular health. Our results highlight the role of ultrafine particles within the complex mixture of ambient air pollution and their inflammatory potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiologic evidence on the association between short-term exposure to ultrafine particles and mortality is weak, due to the lack of routine measurements of these particles and standardized multicenter studies. We investigated the relationship between ultrafine particles and particulate matter (PM) and daily mortality in eight European urban areas.Methods: We collected daily data on nonaccidental and cardiorespiratory mortality, particle number concentrations (as proxy for ultrafine particle number concentration), fine and coarse PM, gases and meteorologic parameters in eight urban areas of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Greece, between 1999 and 2013. We applied city-specific time-series Poisson regression models and pooled them with random-effects meta-analysis.Results: We estimated a weak, delayed association between particle number concentration and nonaccidental mortality, with mortality increasing by approximately 0.35% per 10,000 particles/cm increases in particle number concentration occurring 5 to 7 days before death. A similar pattern was found for cause-specific mortality. Estimates decreased after adjustment for fine particles (PM2.5) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The stronger association found between particle number concentration and mortality in the warmer season (1.14% increase) became null after adjustment for other pollutants.Conclusions: We found weak evidence of an association between daily ultrafine particles and mortality. Further studies are required with standardized protocols for ultrafine particle data collection in multiple European cities over extended study periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of people are exposed to enhanced levels of nitrogen dioxide in urbanized areas, leading to severe health effects. Moreover, nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ozone and particulate matter, and as such have wider health related impacts. A substantial reduction of nitrogen oxides may offer considerable health benefits for the human society. As a first step, this requires a detailed understanding of source sector contributions to nitrogen oxide levels. Whereas many regions have information on the local (traffic) contributions, the source contributions to the rural and urban background levels are commonly not available. In this study we compared and evaluated the results of two source attribution techniques to quantify the contribution of 5 source sectors to background nitrogen oxide levels across Germany. The results of a labelling technique were compared to brute force simulations with variable emission reduction percentages. The labelled NO 2 source contributions of the main sectors averaged for all urban background stations are road transport (45 ± 5%), non-road transport (24 ± 6%), energy & industry (20 ± 3%), households (10 ± 6%), and the remaining source sectors (1 ± 1%). For the brute force technique, the explained mass differs from the unperturbed baseline concentration after scaling the impact of each sensitivity simulation to 100%. The attributed concentration of NO 2 is lower in urban background areas (−3 ± 5%) and larger in the rural background (4 ± 6%) than that of the labelling. Largest deviations up to −15% are calculated for the major cities along the Rhine and Main. The annual average overestimation for NO is about 53 ± 24% for urban and 40 ± 26% for rural background sites based on a 20% reduction of emissions. On shorter time scales the differences are larger. These deviations are caused by (the lack of) regime changes in the titration of ozone, most notably present at ozone-limiting conditions during nocturnal winter periods. As a consequence, the differences between the methodologies are larger for smaller emission reduction percentages applied in the brute force technique. Similarly, for small-sized emission source sectors larger deviations were found compared to large-sized sector categories. Hence, applying the brute force technique for the source attribution for a single sector should be avoided as there is no way to verify for consistency and quantify the error for the sector and total explained contribution. We recommend applying the labelling approach to estimate sector contributions in forthcoming studies for nitrogen oxides. • Two techniques for source attribution of nitrogen oxides were successfully applied. • Upscaling the impacts of scenarios under- or overexplains the total concentrations. • Differences between methodologies are largest for smaller emission source sectors. • Applying the brute force technique to single sectors for NO should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Short-term exposure to air pollution is associated with morbidity and mortality. Metabolites are intermediaries in biochemical processes, and associations between air pollution and metabolites can yield unique mechanistic insights.Methods: We used independent cross-sectional samples with targeted metabolomics (138 metabolites across five metabolite classes) from three cohort studies, each a part of the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA). The KORA cohorts are numbered (1 to 4) according to which survey they belong to, and lettered S or F according to whether the survey was a baseline or follow-up survey. KORA F4 (N = 3044) served as our discovery cohort, with KORA S4 (N = 485) serving as the primary replication cohort. KORA F4 and KORA S4 were primarily fasting cohorts. We used the non-fasting KORA F3 (N = 377) cohort to evaluate replicated associations in non-fasting individuals, and we performed a random effects meta-analysis of all three cohorts. Associations between the 0-4-day lags and the 5-day average of particulate matter (PM)2.5, NO2 and ozone were modelled via generalized additive models. All air pollution exposures were scaled to the interquartile range, and effect estimates presented as percent changes relative to the geometric mean of the metabolite concentration (ΔGM).Results: There were 10 discovery cohort associations, of which seven were lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs); NO2 was the most ubiquitous exposure (5/10). The 5-day average NO2-LPC(28:0) association was associated at a Bonferroni corrected P-value threshold (P < 1.2x10-4) in KORA F4 [ΔGM = 11.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.60, 16.3], and replicated (P < 0.05) in KORA S4 (ΔGM = 21.0%; CI = 4.56, 37.5). This association was not observed in the non-fasting KORA F3 cohort (ΔGM = -5.96%; CI = -26.3, 14.3), but remained in the random effects meta-analysis (ΔGM = 10.6%; CI = 0.16, 21).Conclusions: LPCs are associated with short-term exposure to air pollutants, in particular NO2 Further research is needed to understand the effect of nutritional/fasting status on these associations and the causal mechanisms linking air pollution exposure and metabolite profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies linking particulate matter (PM) with heart failure (HF) show inconsistent results. However, the association of air pollution with diastolic function, an important determinant of heart failure, has not been studied yet and is addressed in the presented study.Methods: 402 women (69-79 years) of the clinical follow-up (2007-2010) of the ongoing population-based prospective SALIA (Study on the influence of Air pollution on Lung function, Inflammation and Ageing) cohort were examined using Doppler echocardiography: Of the 291 women with preserved ejection fraction, the ratio of peak early diastolic filling velocity and peak early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (E/E') was collected in 264 and left atrial volume index (LAVI) in 262 women. Residential long-term air pollution exposure (nitrogen oxides, size-fractioned PM) was modeled at baseline and at follow-up, applying land use regression models. We used linear regression to model the cross-sectional associations of air pollutants per interquartile range (IQR) with different measures of diastolic function, adjusting for personal risk factors.Results: Median concentrations of annual NOx, NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 at follow-up were 37.7, 25.9, 17.4 and 26.4μg/m(3), respectively. In the fully adjusted models, LAVI was associated with an IQR increase in PM2.5 (1.05 [0.99; 1.12]) and NOx (1.04 [1.00; 1.09]) at follow-up, and with NOx and NO2 (both 1.05 [1.00; 1.11]) at baseline. None of the pollutants were clearly associated with E/E'.Conclusions: In this analysis of elderly women, we found suggestive evidence for an association of air pollution with impaired diastolic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of reactive nitrogen compounds into the atmosphere, soil and water belongs to one of the biggest environmental challenges in Germany. Consequences are the loss of biodiversity due to eutrophication and acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, impaired groundwater quality and impacts on human health. Responsible for the emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds are primarily agricultural activities and combustion processes. A number of European environmental targets and objectives in the context of nitrogen are clearly being missed. It is urgently necessary to increase the efforts to reduce nitrogen emissions and to protect biodiversity and human health. Important processes are a further development of European clean air policies and the implementation of the European Nitrate Directive and Water Framework Directive in Germany. A national nitrogen strategy could be a good starting point to increase efforts to solve the nitrogen problem and for a better integration of existing protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental irrigation on the amount of N2O emissions on a sandy soil in north-east Germany. N2O flux measurements were carried out over two vegetation periods from the emergence of plants to harvest. The level of N2O emissions was low, which is typical for sandy soils in north-east Germany. In both periods, irrigation had no increasing effect on N2O emissions. Relevant factors were the soil temperature and the soil water-filled pore space (WFPS), which were mainly influenced by weather conditions. This may indicate that nitrification was the main source of N2O emissions. In conclusion, this study has confirmed that sandy soils under weather conditions of north-east Germany generally have a very low potential for N2O emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND: Genetics may partially explain observed heterogeneity in associations between traffic-related air pollution and incident asthma. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the impact of gene variants associated with oxidative stress and inflammation on associations between air pollution and incident childhood asthma. METHODS: Traffic-related air pollution, asthma, wheeze, gene variant, and potential confounder data were pooled across six birth cohorts. Parents reported physician-diagnosed asthma and wheeze from birth to 7-8 years of age (confirmed by pediatric allergist in two cohorts). Individual estimates of annual average air pollution [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), PM2.5 absorbance, ozone] were assigned to each child's birth address using land use regression, atmospheric modeling, and ambient monitoring data. Effect modification by variants in GSTP1 (rs1138272/Ala114Val and rs1695/IIe105Val) and TNF (rs1800629/G-308A) was investigated. RESULTS: Data on asthma, wheeze, potential confounders, at least one SNP of interest, and NO2 were available for 5,115 children. GSTP1 rs1138272 and TNF rs1800629 SNPs were associated with asthma and wheeze, respectively. In relation to air pollution exposure, children with one or more GSTP1 rs1138272 minor allele were at increased risk of current asthma [odds ratio (OR) = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.43, 4.68 per 10 μg/m3 NO2] and ever asthma (OR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.53) compared with homozygous major allele carriers (OR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.32 for current and OR = 1.20; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.48 for ever asthma; Bonferroni-corrected interaction p = 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). Similarly, for GSTP1 rs1695, associations between NO2 and current and ever asthma had ORs of 1.43 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.98) and 1.36 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.70), respectively, for minor allele carriers compared with ORs of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.52, 1.32) and 1.12 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.49) for homozygous major allele carriers (Bonferroni-corrected interaction p-values 0.48 and 0.09). There were no clear differences by TNF genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Children carrying GSTP1 rs1138272 or rs1695 minor alleles may constitute a susceptible population at increased risk of asthma associated with air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that compares the hydroxyl radical (OH) concentration measurements by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The study examines the comparison during experiments in simulation chamber SAPHIR in Germany at OH reactivity and low nitrogen oxide (NO) concentration. It also uses the comparison to investigate potential artifacts in the LIF measurements for Pearl River Delta (PRD)-like conditions of OH reactivities.

Besides agricultural soils, temperate forest soils have been identified as significant sources of or sinks for important atmospheric trace gases (N2O, NO, CH4, and CO2). Although the number of studies for this ecosystem type increased more than tenfold during the last decade, studies covering an entire year and spanning more than 1-2 years remained scarce. This study reports the results of continuous measurements of soil-atmosphere C- and N-gas exchange with high temporal resolution carried out since 1994 at the Höglwald Forest spruce site, an experimental field station in Southern Germany. Annual soil N2O, NO and CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake (1994-2010) varied in a range of 0.2- 3.0 kgN2O-N ha-1 yr-1, 6.4-11.4 kg NO-N ha-1 yr-1, 7.0- 9.2 t CO2-C ha-1 yr-1, and 0.9-3.5 kgCH4-C ha-1 yr-1, respectively. The observed high fluxes of N-trace gases are most likely a consequence of high rates of atmospheric nitrogen deposition (>20 kgNha-1 yr-1) of NH3 and NOx to our site. For N2O, cumulative annual emissions were ≥0.8 kgN2O-N ha-1 yr-1 in years with freeze-thaw events (5 out 14 of years). This shows that long-term, multi-year measurements are needed to obtain reliable estimates of N2O fluxes for a given ecosystem. Cumulative values of soil respiratory CO2 fluxes tended to be highest in years with prolonged freezing periods, i.e. years with below average annual mean soil temperatures and high N2O emissions (e.g. the years 1996 and 2006). Furthermore, based on our unique database on trace gas fluxes we analyzed if soil temperature, soil moisture measurements can be used to approximate trace gas fluxes at daily, weekly, monthly, or annual scale. Our analysis shows that simple-to-measure environmental drivers such as soil temperature or soil moisture are suitable to approximate fluxes of NO and CO2 at weekly and monthly resolution reasonably well (accounting for up to 59% of the variance). However, for CH4 we so far failed to find meaningful correlations, and also for N2O the predictive power is rather low. This is most likely due to the complexity of involved processes and counteracting effects of soil moisture and temperature, specifically with regard to N2O production and consumption by denitrification and microbial community dynamics. At monthly scale, including information on gross primary production (CO2, NO), and N deposition (N2O), increased significantly the explanatory power of the obtained empirical regressions (CO2: r2 = 0.8; NO: r² = 0.67; N2O, all data: r² = 0.5; N2O, with exclusion of freeze-thaw periods: r² = 0.65). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was designed to consider all nitrogen fertilizer-related effects on crop production and emission of greenhouse gases on loamy sandy soils in Germany over a period of nine years (1999–2007). In order to set up a CO2 balance for the production of energy crops, different nitrogen pathways were investigated, such as direct N2O emissions from the soil and indirect emissions related to NO3 leaching and fertilizer production. Fluxes of N2O were measured in an experimental field using closed chambers. Poplar (Populus maximowiczii × P. nigra) and rye (Secale cereale L.) as one perennial and one annual crop were fertilized at rates of 0kgNha−1 yr−1, 75kgNha−1 yr−1 and 150kgNha−1 yr−1. The mean N2O emissions from the soil ranged between 0.5kgNha−1 yr−1 and 2.5kgNha−1 yr−1 depending on fertilization rate, crop variety and year. The CO2 fixed in the biomass of energy crops is reduced by up to 16% if direct N2O emissions from soil and indirect N2O emissions from NO3 leaching and fertilizer production are included. Taking into account the main greenhouse gas emissions, which derive from the production and the use of N fertilizer, the growth of poplar and rye may replace the global warming potential of fossil fuels by up to 17.7tCO2 ha−1 yr−1 and 12.1tCO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study which investigates the total emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) from car Multi-Axis (MAX-) DOAS observations in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen in Germany. The study made use of MAX-DOAS instrument built in the car which is capable of observing scattered sun light in different angles. Results indicate that the total NOx emissions in the cities were (7.4±1.8) x1024molecules per second which is presumed to be constant in the entire year.

Workplace limits for dust and nitrogen oxides are under review in Germany and the EU. We conducted a study on German coal miners to determine the effects of exposure on lung function. Longitudinal inception cohort study (1974–1998) on miners who began working underground at two coal mines between 1974 and 1979. We determined the number of shifts worked underground, the exposure to coal mine dust, quartz dust, nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2), smoking behavior, and three lung function parameters (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC). General estimation equation (GEE) models were fitted. 1,369 miners worked an average 3,017 shifts ( S) underground. The mean respirable coal mine dust concentration was 1.89 mg/m³ (quartz: 0.067 mg/m³), and the nitrogen oxide concentrations were 0.58 ppm (NO) and 0.007 ppm (NO2). On average, 9 measurements of lung function were available per miner. Compared to reference values, the findings were unexceptionable (103, 101, and 99%) on average. GEE-regression models did not reveal detrimental dust exposure effects. Nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO2) showed small but clearly insignificant effects on lung function: ∆ FVC = −0.0008 ml/(220 ppmS), P = 0.86, ∆ FEV1 = −0.003 ml/(220 ppmS), P = 0.50 and ∆ FEV1%FVC = −0.07%/(220 ppmS), P = 0.22. The effect of dust exposure on lung function described in older British and American coal miner studies was not confirmed. This can be explained partly by differences in methods (here: longitudinal studies, no prior exposure), but also by lower dust levels. NO x exposures showed no relevant influence on lung function—a result confirming findings from British coal mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the kinetics of N2O production and reduction in groundwater is essential for the assessment of potential indirect emissions of the greenhouse gas. In this study, we investigated this kinetics using a laboratory approach. The results were compared to field measurements in order to examine their transferability to the in situ conditions. The study site was the unconfined, predominantly sandy Fuhrberger Feld aquifer in Northern Germany. A special characteristic of the aquifer is the occurrence of the vertically separated process zones of heterotrophic denitrification in the surface groundwater and of autotrophic denitrification in the deeper groundwater, respectively. The kinetics of N2O production and reduction in both process zones was studied during long-term anaerobic laboratory incubations of aquifer slurries using the 15N tracer technique. We measured N2O, N2 and NO3- concentrations as well as parameters of the aquifer material that were related to the relevant electron donors, i.e. organic carbon and sulfur. The anaerobic incubations showed a low denitrification activity of heterotrophic denitrification with initial rates between 0.0002 and 0.0133 mg N kg-1 day-1. The process was carbon limited due to the poor availability of its electron donor. In the autotrophic denitrification zone, initial denitrification rates were considerably higher, ranging between 0.0303 and 0.1480 mg N kg-1 d-1 and NO3- as well as N2O were completely removed within 60 to 198 days. N2O accumulated during heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification, but maximum concentrations were substantially higher during the autotrophic process. The results revealed a satisfactory transferability of the laboratory incubations to the field scale for autotrophic denitrification, whereas the heterotrophic process less reflected the field conditions due to considerably lower N2O accumulation during laboratory incubation. Finally, we applied a conventional model using first-order-kinetics to determine the reaction rates of the NO3--to-N2O step and the N2O-to-N2 step, and evaluated the reaction rate constants for both steps. The model yielded fits to the experimental data that were of limited goodness, indicating that a more sophisticated approach is essential to describe the investigated reaction kinetics satisfactorily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exposure situation of German hard coal miners with respect to the components nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Carbon monoxide was measured additionally and the results are displayed but not discussed in detail in this paper. The data were used to estimate personal long-term exposures in an inception cohort. For all three components, time weighted 8-h shift values were determined for typical groups of coalminers according to the European measurement standard. An expert panel from the coalmining company made an effort to estimate major potential changes in the exposure situation. The main sources of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in hard coal mining were the diesel engines. Blasting fumes contributed only to a lesser degree and with different exposure characteristics, e.g. much reduced NO2 levels compared to the mines’ rear areas. As rough 8 h-shift averages describing the current exposure situation, we found 1.35 ppm NO and 0.21 ppm NO2 for the diesel engine drivers. Blasting specialists were more difficult to evaluate but rough 8 h-shift averages of 0.84 ppm NO and 0.014 ppm NO2 could be estimated from our measurement series. By applying these data and the estimates of experts about the retrospective exposure situation to a cohort of 1,369 coalminers, we derived mean (max) cumulative exposures in ppm × number of shifts of 1,748 (5,928) for NO and 19.6 (1,013) for NO2 when summarizing over the follow-up period from 1974 until 1998. Especially for the diesel engine drivers, exposure can be regarded as rather high, in particular, when compared to recommended limits by SCOEL and MAK, though the exposures have been in line with the enforced German occupational exposure limits. Whether this exposure situation has caused adverse health effects will be investigated epidemiologically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes lightning characteristics as obtained in four sets of lightning measurements during recent field campaigns in different parts of the world from mid-latitudes to the tropics by the novel VLF/LF (very low frequency/low frequency) lightning detection network (LINET). The paper gives a general overview on the approach, and a synopsis of the statistical results for the observation periods as a whole and for one special day in each region. The focus is on the characteristics of lightning which can specifically be observed by this system like intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground stroke statistics, vertical distributions of intra-cloud strokes or peak current distributions. Some conclusions regarding lightning produced NOx are also presented as this was one of the aims of the tropical field campaigns TROCCINOX (Tropical Convection, Cirrus and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment) and TroCCiBras (Tropical Convection and Cirrus Experiment Brazil) in Brazil during January/February 2005, SCOUTO3 (Stratospheric-Climate Links with Emphasis on the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere) and TWP-ICE (Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment) during November/December 2005 and January/February 2006, respectively, in the Darwin area in N-Australia, and of AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses) in W-Africa during June-November 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noxious gases and odours in cabin air are reduced by activated carbon filters. However, the adsorption process involved in cabin air filtration is very complex because of the large number of influencing parameters. Some important parameters are changes in the input concentrations and surrounding conditions. Furthermore, the presence of different substances leads to their mutual influence on the respective adsorption processes. The separation of nitrogen oxides is an especial focus of discussion in Germany at present because of decreasing ambient exposure limits. One part of the study presented herein deals with the binary adsorption of nitrogen dioxide in humid air at varying NO2 input concentrations, relative humidity and temperature. In order to obtain more information about this process, after initial validation of the test procedure employed, breakthrough curves of NO2 have been undertaken in the present study. In the second part of the study, the influence of a third adsorptive (ozone) on the adsorption of nitrogen dioxide has been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission from industries and the mobility sector is under strong legal regulations in many countries worldwide. In Germany, the amendment to the 17th BlmSchV (Federal pollution control ordinance), which has been in force for waste incineration plants since 2013, has given rise to a new limit for nitrogen oxides of 150 mg/m3 as the daily mean level from 2019 on. A similar focus is on biomass-fired plants. According to the MCP (medium combustion plant) guideline of the EU, as a consequence, existing plants are required to either increase their consumption of ammonia water for nitrogen oxide reduction (SNCR process) or back fit SCR catalysts as secondary measures, which is a costly procedure. This paper presents a novel two-stage process in which an oscillating supply of secondary air allows nitrogen oxides to be reduced by approx. 50% at a good burnout level, which may obviate the need for secondary measures. Besides experimental investigations in a fixed bed reactor, CFD simulations confirm a high potential for reduction of nitrogen oxides. Together with the company POLZENITH, this process is under development for scale-up in a biomass incineration plant as a next step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ measurements of various properties of traffic-related aerosol particles have been performed with a mobile laboratory. The measured aerosol quantities include particle chemical composition (sulfate, nitrate, total organic matter, ammonium, black carbon) as well as particle size distributions covering diameters from 10 to 300nm, and total particle number density. Additionally, gas phase emissions (CO2, NO, NO2) were monitored. We performed six measurement drives in the vicinity of the city of Aachen (population ca. 260,000) at 50.8°N, 6.1°E in Germany on motorways, rural roads, and in the inner city of Aachen in June 2005. The results indicate that the main influence of traffic on the aerosol properties results in soot particles coated with organic matter, having a modal diameter around 100nm (“soot mode”). The abundance of these particles was found to be highest in the inner city traffic. Nucleation mode particles (around 30nm) have been observed occasionally during truck chasings on motorways. These particles consisted mainly of organic compounds but included possibly also a sulfuric acid core. Data observed under “motorway background” conditions were similar to the rural regional road data. Highest number concentrations have been observed during truck chasings. Comparison between non-refractory (here with respect to 600°C) and total particle volume indicated a higher contribution of refractory material under all traffic-influenced conditions compared to rural road data. Fuel specific emission ratios were derived for a subset of 18 truck-chasing experiments, yielding (8.3±5.8)×1015 kg−1 for particle number, 224±136mgkg−1 for black carbon, 125±125mgkg−1 for organic matter, 17±12gkg−1 for NO and 18±14gkg−1 for NO x (mean values and standard deviations). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Between 1995 and 2003 a longitudinal study on miners in two German potash mines was planned and performed by BAuA in collaboration with K+S and IGF. Aim was to correlate exposure data to the results of medical examination of the miners in the respective mines’ workforce and to use the detailed exposure investigation as a tool for risk assessment by the company. In this time period a discussion about health effects and the corresponding necessity to lower the existing threshold limits for the components NO and NO2 was started as well. Whereas the epidemiological aspects of this study are reported elsewhere (Lotz et al., in Int Arch Occup Environ Health, ), we discuss the exposure situation in detail in this paper. In two potash mines in Germany the shift and short time exposure for the components respirable dust, inhalable dust, diesel particulate matter, nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide was investigated in four separate campaigns. The results are reported and discussed. The miners especially in the production areas of the mines are exposed to a highly correlated mixture of the components though the exposure situation can be regarded as state of the art and representative for the industry. All dose-response discussions must take into account that never only one of the components can be made responsible for an eventually occurring respiratory effect. For reasons of availability of proper measurement equipment limitations for a possible lowering of indicative limit values of the EU are to be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate cuff compliance and cuff pressure during nitrous oxide exposure in the recently introduced Microcuff tracheal tube with a polyurethane cuff (Microcuff GmbH, Weinheim, Germany), and to compare it to conventional tracheal tubes with PVC cuffs.In anin vitroset up, five cuffed tracheal tubes (ID 7.0 mm) from different manufacturers (Microcuff HVLP, Portex Profile Soft Seal, Mallinckrodt HiLo, Rüsch Super Safety Clear and Sheridan CF) were studied. Pressure–volume curves were assessed and changes of cuff pressure during exposure to nitrous oxide (for 60 min; 66% N2O in oxygen) were recorded without and with restriction of the cuff in a trachea model. Each experiment was performed four times using two exemplars of each tube twice. Sixty-minute values of the Microcuff group were compared with the other groups using the Mann– Whitney test (P < 0.05).The Microcuff polyurethane cuff demonstrated an intermediate cuff compliance but the highest cuff pressure increase during nitrous oxide exposure under unrestricted conditions. When inflated within the artificial trachea its cuff compliance became the highest of all tested tracheal tubes. However, exposure to N2O, again led to a rapid increase in cuff pressure.The ultra-thin polyurethane tube cuff demonstrated higher permeability for nitrous oxide than conventional PVC cuffs and led to a rapid cuff pressure increase when exposed to N2O. Routinely checking of cuff-pressure or filling the cuff with nitrous oxide are more important than the brand of tube used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of nitrogen oxide with ammonia was studied using carbon catalysts with chemically modified surfaces. Carbon samples with different surface chemistry were obtained from commercial activated carbon D43/1 (CarboTech, Essen, Germany) by chemical modification involving oxidation with conc. nitric acid (DOx) (i), high temperature treatment (∼1000 K) under vacuum (DHT) (ii) or in ammonia (DHTN, DOxN) (iii). Additionally, a portion of the DOx sample was promoted with iron(III) ions (DOxFe). The catalytic tests were performed in a microreactor at a temperature range of 413–573 K. The carbon sample annealed under vacuum (DHT) showed the lowest activity. The formation of surface acidic surface oxides by nitric acid treatment (DOx) enhanced the catalytic activity only slightly. However, as can be expected, subsequent promotion of the DOx sample with iron(III) ions increased drastically its catalytic activity. However, this was accompanied by some loss of selectivity, i.e. formation of N2O as side product. This effect can be avoided using ammonia-treated carbons which demonstrated reasonable activity with simultaneous high selectivity. The most active and selective among them was the sample that was first oxidized with nitric acid and then heated in an ammonia stream (DOxN). A correlation between catalytic activity and surface nitrogen content was observed. Surface nitrogen species seem to play an important role in catalytic selective reduction of nitrogen oxide with ammonia, possibly facilitating NO2 formation (a reaction intermediate) as a result of easier chemisorption of oxygen and nitrogen oxide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study analyzes the long-term trends (1998–2019) of concentrations of the air pollutants ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well as meteorological conditions at forest sites in German midrange mountains to evaluate changes in O3 uptake conditions for trees over time at a plot scale. O3 concentrations did not show significant trends over the course of 22 years, unlike NO2 and NO, whose concentrations decreased significantly since the end of the 1990s. Temporal analyses of meteorological parameters found increasing global radiation at all sites and decreasing precipitation, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and wind speed at most sites (temperature did not show any trend). A principal component analysis revealed strong correlations between O3 concentrations and global radiation, VPD, and temperature. Examination of the atmospheric water balance, a key parameter for O3 uptake, identified some unusually hot and dry years (2003, 2011, 2018, and 2019). With the help of a soil water model, periods of plant water stress were detected. These periods were often in synchrony with periods of elevated daytime O3 concentrations and usually occurred in mid and late summer, but occasionally also in spring and early summer. This suggests that drought protects forests against O3 uptake and that, in humid years with moderate O3 concentrations, the O3 flux was higher than in dry years with higher O3 concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is possible to solve or at least minimize the entire range of problems concerning yellowing of elastic textiles by applying appropriate anti-yellowing agents. The Protelan range by Zschimmer & Schwarz Mohsdorf GmbH, Burgstaät/Germany, includes innovative products launched to provide a solid quality for the goods as well as cost-savings. A specific selection of auxiliaries can have a high impact on solving distinctive substrate and finishing problems as well as on meeting the customers' requirements for brilliant white and color shades. Processing times can be shortened and relatively instable recipes will become more reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of globalization and trade facilitation, the products consumed by a country are more and more relying on the importation of those products from other countries. Therefore, the pollutant emissions of products associated are transferred from consuming countries to exporting countries, which significantly changes the spatial distribution of global pollutant emissions. The objective of this research is to analyse the embodied nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions in the trading process between China and the European Union (EU) and to further trace the interindustry and intercountry transfer paths. This study constructs a multiregional input-output (MRIO) model based on the latest EORA global supply chain database. The MRIO model quantitatively analyses the total NO x emissions from the production and consumption ends of China and the EU from 1995 to 2014. Important findings are derived from the empirical results as follows. (1) In 2014, China's production end emissions were 1824.38 kilotons higher than those of the consumption end. By contrast, the situation in the EU was the opposite, i.e., production end emissions were 1711.97 kilotons lower than those of the consumption end. (2) In the trade between China and the EU, the EU is a net importer of embodied NO x , and China is a net exporter of embodied NO x . In 2014, 2.55% of China's domestic NO x emissions were transferred to the EU in China-EU trade, accounting for 2.75% of China's domestic consumption demand. (3) In 2014, Electricity, Gas and Water (397.75 kilotons), Transport (343.55 kilotons), Petroleum, Chemical and non-metallic Products (95.9 kilotons), Metal Products (49.88 kilotons), Textiles and Apparel (26.19 kilotons), are among the industries with the most embodied NOx emissions from China's net exports during its two-way trade with the EU. (4) In the bilateral trade between the EU and China, many countries are in the state of embodied NO x net import. The top three net importers in 2014 were Germany (169.24 kilotons), Britain (128.11 kilotons), France (103.21 kilotons).

Indoor go-kart driving and viewing is enjoyed by people of all ages. However, it may pose health hazards, especially for children, pregnant women, cardiovascular patients, and elderly individuals. Depending on the race length, for example, high concentrations of various contaminants may result in severe health problems. Therefore, this project investigated the Indoor Air Quality of eight indoor go-kart facilities. In general, karts that used regular fuel produced the highest concentrations of CO, benzene, TVOC, and BaP, with maximum levels up to 150 mg/m 3 , 170 μg/m 3 , 2690 μg/m 3 , and 8.7 ng/m 3 , respectively. As expected, the maximum CO concentrations at go-kart facilities that used liquid gas and electric karts (20 and <6 mg/m 3 , respectively) were significantly lower than those at other facilities. The highest 95th percentile values for NO (2680 μg/m 3 ) and NO 2 (280 μg/m 3 ) were measured for karts with liquid gas. The alkane, alkene, and cycloalkane groups, as well as benzene and the alkyl benzenes, were the predominant components of the measured TVOCs. Overall, owners of indoor go-kart tracks should ensure that the ventilation with regard to combustion products is optimally adapted in any case to reduce the levels of critical air pollutants., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Buildings consume nearly 40% of primary energy production globally. Certified green buildings substantially reduce energy consumption on a per square foot basis and they also focus on indoor environmental quality. However, the co-benefits to health through reductions in energy and concomitant reductions in air pollution have not been examined.We calculated year by year LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification rates in six countries (the United States, China, India, Brazil, Germany, and Turkey) and then used data from the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG) to estimate energy savings in each country each year. Of the green building rating schemes, LEED accounts for 32% of green-certified floor space and publically reports energy efficiency data. We employed Harvard's Co-BE Calculator to determine pollutant emissions reductions by country accounting for transient energy mixes and baseline energy use intensities. Co-BE applies the social cost of carbon and the social cost of atmospheric release to translate these reductions into health benefits. Based on modeled energy use, LEED-certified buildings saved $7.5B in energy costs and averted 33MT of CO 2 , 51 kt of SO 2 , 38 kt of NO x , and 10 kt of PM 2.5 from entering the atmosphere, which amounts to $5.8B (lower limit = $2.3B, upper limit = $9.1B) in climate and health co-benefits from 2000 to 2016 in the six countries investigated. The U.S. health benefits derive from avoiding an estimated 172-405 premature deaths, 171 hospital admissions, 11,000 asthma exacerbations, 54,000 respiratory symptoms, 21,000 lost days of work, and 16,000 lost days of school. Because the climate and health benefits are nearly equivalent to the energy savings for green buildings in the United States, and up to 10 times higher in developing countries, they provide an important and previously unquantified societal value. Future analyses should consider these co-benefits when weighing policy decisions around energy-efficient buildings.

The article presents an abstract of environmental research on correlation between mutagenic activity of sulphur dioxide, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide in Germany. The study uses the framework of the official air monitoring network of Baden-Württenberg in measuring the concentration level of nitric oxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. On testing the mutagenic activity of the substances, plate incorporation assay or Ames test using S.typhimurium was used.

The article reports on a study monitoring the concentrations of three common traffic-related pollutants nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and elemental carbon at 40 different sites involving children in the Netherlands and in Germany, which is intended to estimate exposures at each child's residence. The levels of pollutants measured were similar in both countries and fell within a range that is commonly experienced by people living in industrialized nations. Children from the two countries showed an increase in association with greater traffic pollution exposure.

Due to a number of environmental problems caused by nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrous oxides, nitrate), a working party 'Nitrogen Reduction Programme' was constituted in 1993. Represented in the working party were the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the Federal Environmental Agency and six of the sixteen federal states. The working party collected data on environmental inputs of nitrogen compounds and estimated sector-specific potentials to lower them. Appropriate measures for a considerable decrease in the emissions of nitrogen compounds for sectors such as agriculture, traffic, power generation, waste water treatment and waste disposal were proposed. The final report of the working party was discussed with representatives of the Ministerial Conference for Agriculture before publication. It is now up to the competent ministries at federaland state levels to implement the proposed measures. Interim reportshave to be given after five years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]