N.C. A&T Researchers investigate winter pollution
levels in new study; could affect emission policies
by Jordan M. Howse |
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 23, 2018) – While several
studies of summer air quality have led to tighter emission standards
and significant reductions in pollution, new research on winter air
shows why pollution levels remain somewhat stagnant in wintertime
and suggests that more aggressive emission standards could be
necessary. |
Professor Solomon Bililign, colleague Marc N.
Fiddler and doctoral student Jaime Green comprise North Carolina
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Agricultural and Technical State
University’s Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry research group,
and they collaborated on the study led by
researchers at the University of Washington. The team’s research
explored the formation of pollution particulates containing sulfate
and nitrate in the wintertime, when they are produced more slowly,
but spread over larger geographic areas. |
The findings of the study were published the week of July 23 in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in an article
co-authored by Bililign, Fiddler and Green. “Studies have looked at
emissions and particulate matter in summer
conditions, but there was relatively little |
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research on what they look like in the winter,” said Bililign, who led the N.C. A&T group. When people around the
world are exposed to fine particulate matter, their chances of
premature death and illness increases substantially, he said.
Emission reduction standards have lowered the concentrations of
sulfate and nitrate except for in wintertime.
More |
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