Air Pollution: from Sources to Health Effects (ENV 642)
Instructor: Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Ph.D., junfeng.zhang@duke.edu
TA:
Class: MW 10:05-11:20 Spring 2014, A155 (tentative)
Office hours:
Course Synapsis:
Both urban outdoor air pollution and household indoor air pollution contribute significantly to
global burden of disease. This course covers fundamentals about how major air pollutants are
generated and transported in the atmosphere and how these pollutants affect human health.
Relevant exposure assessment, toxicology and epidemiology case studies are discussed.
Course Objectives:
This course will prepare students to:
 Understand both the local impact and the global impact of air pollution.
 Understand basic principles of air pollution formation, transport, and exposure.
 Be familiar with epidemiological approaches to studying health effects of air pollution.
 Be familiar with toxicological approaches to studying biological mechanisms underlying
air pollution health effects.
 Be knowledgeable about risk overlapping between household air pollution from burning
solid fuels and air pollution associated with the fossil-fuel based economy in developing
countries.
Prerequisite: General chemistry, introductory-level statistics
Evaluation Criteria:
Homework
Midterm
Final
30% (Late: -5%/day)
30%
40%
Textbook and Reading Materials:
Introduction to Air Pollution Science: A Public Health Perspective by Robert F. Phalen and
Robert N. Phalen. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013. ISBN-13: 9780763780449.
Timely journal articles will be assigned as additional reading materials.
Course outline:
Date
Week 1
Topics
Contribution of air pollution to global burden of disease and the
source-to- health effects framework
The history of air pollution
Air pollution contribution to GDB
1
The sourcetransportexposuredosehealth effects
framework
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Sources and emissions of air pollutants
Sources of major indoor and outdoor pollutants
Source apportionment for urban air pollution
Fate and transport of air pollutants
Impact of meteorology on outdoor air pollution
Impact of ventilation on indoor air pollution
Properties of major air pollutants
Regulated air pollutants
Gases
“Good ozone” vs. “bad ozone”
Particulate matter
Physical and chemical properties of atmospheric particles
Deposition of particles in the respiratory tract
Particular concerns on ultrafine (nano-sized) particles
Exposure measurement and assessment
Central-site monitoring
Micro-environmental monitoring
Personal monitoring
Epidemiology – linking air pollution exposure and health endpoints
Effects from short-term exposure
Effects from long-term exposure
Uncertainties and Limitations
Toxicology – Understanding biological mechanisms
Mode of actions: how air pollution causes health damage
Limitations of laboratory-based experiments
Case studies
Emissions characterization and environmental modeling
Exposure assessment
Epidemiological studies
Week 10
Case studies
Toxicological studies
Quasi- experimental studies
Week 11
Air pollution and global climate change
Greenhouse gases and black carbon
Health impact of climate change
Week 12
Regulation and abatement of air pollutants
Risk assessment
Local concerns vs. global concern
Technological interventions
2
3