TagUltrafine Particulates(66)

This research presentation describes a mobile air monitoring study conducted in Seattle to measure ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon pollution levels for elderly residents participating in the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, which investigates aging and dementia. Researchers used a vehicle-mounted monitoring system to collect repeated short-term air quality samples across the Seattle area, aiming to estimate long-term pollution exposure for cohort participants aged 65 and older. The study is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute on Aging.

A 2021 University of Washington study found that ultrafine air pollution particles from road and aircraft traffic near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were infiltrating nearby school classrooms, with indoor levels reaching roughly half of outdoor concentrations before any intervention. Installing portable HEPA air purifiers reduced classroom ultrafine particle levels to about one-tenth of outdoor levels, cutting overall particle concentrations by an estimated 70%. A follow-up Phase 2 study is now underway in 30 Washington schools to examine longer-term air quality improvements and their effects on student health and academic performance.

Researchers from the University of Washington School of Public Health examined how aircraft flight traffic at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport relates to ultrafine particle pollution and noise levels in surrounding communities. The study highlights that neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and other South King County areas already rank among the most environmentally burdened in Washington State, facing cumulative hazards including both air and noise pollution from aircraft. The findings are intended to inform policy discussions about the health impacts of airport operations on nearby, often disadvantaged, communities.

In October 2020, the City of Burien considered joining Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, and SeaTac in funding a $62,500 University of Washington study examining how ultrafine particles from aircraft emissions penetrate school buildings near Sea-Tac Airport. The first phase of the study would assess the air filtration efficiency of five schools located north and south of the airport, while a proposed second phase ($250,000) would test interventions to improve indoor air quality and measure their impact on student health and academic performance. Each participating city was asked to contribute $12,500, with the City Manager recommending approval of an Interlocal Agreement to move the project forward.

Researchers at the University of Washington conducted the MOV-UP study to measure ultrafine particle (UFP) pollution around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the neighborhoods affected by its air traffic. The study aimed to determine how much of the UFP exposure in surrounding communities comes specifically from jet aircraft, which emit extremely tiny particles (under 30 nanometers) along flight paths, versus other sources like diesel vehicles on nearby roads. Findings and community feedback were shared with local governments to inform air quality and noise policy decisions.

A peer-reviewed study by researchers from Tufts, UCLA, USC, and the University of Washington found that mothers living near airports and exposed to ultrafine particles from jet exhaust face elevated rates of preterm birth. The research, published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2020, is particularly relevant to communities near large airports like Sea-Tac, where millions of residents live within the impact zone of aircraft emissions. The findings carry significant environmental justice implications, as near-airport communities with high pollution exposure are often among the most vulnerable populations.

This editorial introduces a special journal issue examining ultrafine particles (UFPs) — tiny airborne pollutants less than 100 nanometers in diameter produced by fossil fuel combustion, industrial emissions, and other sources. The articles covered explain how UFPs can enter the body through the lungs and travel to virtually all organs, contributing to respiratory disease, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, cancer, and neurological effects. The editors emphasize that while UFPs pose significant health risks, their precise role in many illnesses remains poorly understood, calling for urgent global research into their sources and health impacts.

Review article by Dean E. Schraufnagel published in Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2020) 52:311–317, DOI 10.1038/s12276-020-0403-3, examining the health effects of ultrafine particles (PM0.1, also called nanoparticles). Covers PM0.1 sources (traffic exhaust, welding, forest fires, cooking, tobacco smoke), absorption and retention in the lung, translocation to distal organs, pulmonary inflammation, metal fume fever, cardiovascular disease,