Case Studies

Particulate matter (PM) in air – such as dust, soot, and smoke – poses risks to both human health and the environment. It is estimated that over 500,000 deaths in Europe every year are caused by PM exposure and areas of high PM concentration are associated with reduction in life expectancy of 12-36 months. PM is typically monit...

Ammonia (NH3), a colourless, reactive gas, can cause substantial health damage due to its adverse effects on air quality. Once released into the atmosphere, it can form fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that has been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths annually. It can also be absorbed by soils and plants, damaging th...

Ozone, comprised of three linked oxygen atoms, is generated in the stratosphere by the action of solar radiation on oxygen gas, and absorbs 99% of the sun’s biologically harmful UV-B radiation (280 - 315 nm) that is a cause of skin cancers in humans. A rare molecule, it is concentrated in a band around 20-25 km above sea level...

Ionizing radiation can cause sickness or even death in those exposed to it. Nuclear incidents can arise by accident or, potentially, by direct acts of terrorism. In both scenarios an accurate knowledge of the amount and type of radiation present is important to allow appropriate decisions and introduce countermeasures. Static ...

Major nuclear disasters are rare but when they occur large amounts of radionuclides, are released. In 1986 explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) covered an area of Europe greater than 200 000 km2 with radioactive caesium and other radioactive nucleotides. Twenty-five years later, in 2011, a tsunami disrupted the...

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds an...