Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Environmental Science Center, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Environmental Science Center, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
Environ Int. 2024 Nov;193:109086. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109086. Epub 2024 Oct 19.
Studies revealed airports as a prominent source of ultrafine particles (UFP), which can disperse downwind to residential areas, raising health concerns. To expand our understanding of how air traffic-related emissions influence total particle number concentration (PNC) in the airport's surrounding areas, we conduct long-term assessment of airborne particulate exposure before and after relocation of air traffic from "Otto Lilienthal" Airport (TXL) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport "Willy Brandt" (BER) in Berlin, Germany. Here, we provide insights into the spatial-temporal variability of PNC measured in 16 schools recruited for Berlin-Brandenburg Air Study (BEAR). The results show that the average PNC in Berlin was 7900 ± 7000 cm, consistent with other European cities. The highest median PNC was recorded in spring (6700 cm) and the lowest in winter (5100 cm). PNC showed a bi-modal increase during morning and evening hours at most measurement sites due to road-traffic emissions. A comparison between measurements at the schools and fixed monitoring sites revealed good agreement at distances up to 5 km. A noticeable decline in this agreement occurred as the distance between measurement sites increased. After TXL was closed, PNC in surrounding areas decreased by 30 %. The opposite trend was not seen after BER was re-opened after the COVID-lock-down, as the air traffic has not reached the full capacity yet. The analysis of particle number size distribution data showed that UFP number fraction exhibit seasonal variations, with higher values in spring and autumn. This can be explained by nucleation events, which notably affected PNC. The presented findings will play a pivotal role in forthcoming source attribution and epidemiological investigations, offering a holistic understanding of airports' impact on airborne pollutant levels and their health implications. The study calls for further investigations of air-traffic-related physical-chemical pollutant properties in areas found further away (> 10 km) from airports.
研究表明，机场是超细颗粒物（UFP）的主要来源，这些颗粒物可以向下风向的居民区扩散，引发健康问题。为了更深入地了解航空交通相关排放如何影响机场周边地区的总颗粒物数浓度（PNC），我们对德国柏林“奥托·利连塔尔”机场（TXL）迁至柏林勃兰登堡机场“威利·勃兰特”（BER）前后的空气传播颗粒物暴露进行了长期评估。在这里，我们提供了在为柏林-勃兰登堡空气研究（BEAR）招募的 16 所学校中测量的 PNC 的时空变异性的见解。结果表明，柏林的平均 PNC 为 7900±7000cm，与其他欧洲城市一致。最高的 PNC 中位数出现在春季（6700cm），最低的出现在冬季（5100cm）。由于道路交通排放，大多数测量点在早晨和傍晚的 PNC 呈双峰式增加。在距离测量点最远可达 5 公里的范围内，测量值与固定监测站的测量值之间存在良好的一致性。当测量点之间的距离增加时，这种一致性的下降变得明显。TXL 关闭后，周边地区的 PNC 下降了 30%。然而，在 BER 因新冠疫情封锁后重新开放后，并未出现这种趋势，因为航空交通尚未达到满负荷运行。对颗粒物数大小分布数据的分析表明，UFP 数分数呈现季节性变化，春、秋两季的数值较高。这可以用成核事件来解释，成核事件显著影响了 PNC。本研究的结果将在即将到来的源归因和流行病学研究中发挥关键作用，为机场对空气污染物水平及其健康影响的全面理解提供支持。该研究呼吁进一步研究距离机场较远（>10 公里）地区与航空交通相关的物理化学污染物特性。
