Vinit Kumar Mishra - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Vinit Kumar Mishra

Environmental health perspectives, Sep 13, 2011

Jan Theunis, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Be... more Jan Theunis, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Belgium Roland O’Donoghue, University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,UK Martine Van Poppel, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Belgium Vinit Mishra, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Belgium Patrick Berghmans, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Environmental Risk and Health, Belgium

ISEE Conference Abstracts

Methodology: The ultrafine particles (UFP) are modelled with the three dimensional computational ... more Methodology: The ultrafine particles (UFP) are modelled with the three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D CFD) model ENVI-met. The model was extended to account for different transformation processes that could have impact on the size and the number of particles (for example coagulation, deposition, etc).The UFP total number emissions are accounted based on the PARTICULATES project results. In order to validate the results,a measurement campaign was held in a street canyon in Antwerp, Belgium. The study domain contains a small street canyon in combination with a heavily trafficked boulevard perpendicular to it. The concentration of UFP in the street was measured at four different locations (one close to the busy boulevard, two opposite to each other in the middle and one at the other end). Results: Two examples are show the complexity and concerns when modeling the UFP dispersion and analyzing the results. The modelled concentration for total number of UFP was compared wit...

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2015

Size-segregated ultrafine particles from motor vehicles were investigated in the Craeybeckx tunne... more Size-segregated ultrafine particles from motor vehicles were investigated in the Craeybeckx tunnel (E19 motorway, Antwerp, Belgium) at two measurement sites, at 100 and 300 m inside the tunnel, respectively, during March 2008. It was observed that out of the three size modes, nucleation, Aitken, and accumulation, Aitken mode was the most dominant size fraction inside the tunnel. The diurnal variation in ultrafine particle (UFP) levels closely follows the vehicular traffic inside the tunnel, which was maximum during office rush hours, both in the morning and evening and minimum during night-time around 3 am. The tunnel data showed very high growth rates in comparison with free atmosphere. The average condensation sink during the growth period was 14.1–17.3 × 10−2 s−1. The average growth rate (GR) of geometric mean diameter was found to be 18.6 ± 2.45 nm h−1. It was observed that increase in Aitken mode was related to the numbers of heavy-duty vehicles (HDV), as they emit mainly in the Aitken mode. The higher Aitken mode during traffic jams correlated well with HDV numbers. At the end of the tunnel, sudden dilution leading to fast coagulation was responsible for the sudden drop in the UFP number concentration.

The Science of the total environment, 2011

Ultrafine particles (UFP, diameter<100 nm) are very likely to negatively affect human health, ... more Ultrafine particles (UFP, diameter<100 nm) are very likely to negatively affect human health, as underlined by some epidemiological studies. Unfortunately, further investigation and monitoring are hindered by the high cost involved in measuring these UFP. Therefore we investigated the possibility to correlate UFP counts with data coming from low-cost sensors, most notably noise sensors. Analyses are based on an experiment where UFP counts, noise levels, traffic counts, nitrogen oxide (NO, NO(2) and their combination NO(x)) concentrations, and meteorological data were collected simultaneously in a street canyon with a traffic intensity of 3200 vehicles/day, over a 3-week period during summer. Previous reports that NO(x) concentrations could be used as a proxy to UFP monitoring were verified in our setup. Traffic intensity or noise level data were found to correlate with UFP to a lesser degree than NO(x) did. This can be explained by the important influence of meteorological condit...

Environmental Engineering Research, 2017

The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) is recognized as a source of many pollutants, just like co... more The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) is recognized as a source of many pollutants, just like conventional cigarettes (CCs). The analysis of EC aerosol samples has confirmed the presence of various metallic species. Most of these metals originate from various parts of the cartomizer, e.g., solder joints, wires, and silicate beads. The metal concentration levels in EC samples were shown to be generally two to four orders of magnitude lower than those of CCs. However, the use of ECs can still pose significant human health hazards as consumers are exposed to the toxicity of those metals and many other hazardous pollutants released simultaneously via the vaping of ECs. The review also describes the detection and quantification of various metals in ECs and CCs. This review was carried out to assess the level of metal species released from ECs and to suggest proper guidelines to control consumer exposure.

$Research paper thumbnail of Exposure assessment of a cyclist to <tex>PM_{10}$</tex> and ultrafine particles$

Due to ever increasing awareness about the health relevance of Ultrafine particles (UFP) several ... more Due to ever increasing awareness about the health relevance of Ultrafine particles (UFP) several studies have examined particle number concentrations (Rank et al., 2001; Gulliver and Briggs, 2007; Briggs et al., 2008), using a variety of different measurement methods. Exposures to UFP in traffic are generally higher than and poorly correlated with concentrations measured simultaneously at fixed monitoring locations, even if these are located in major streets (Kaur et al., 2007). Hence characterization of UFP cannot rely only on fixed site monitoring. A combined mobile and fixed monitoring have been performed to understand fine scale dynamics of UFP within a grid of 1 Km at Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium.

A new parameterization for size resolved ultrafine particles (UFP) traffic emissions is proposed ... more A new parameterization for size resolved ultrafine particles (UFP) traffic emissions is proposed based on the results of PARTICULATES project (Samaras et al., 2005). It includes the emission factors from the Emission Inventory Guidebook (2006) (total number of particles, #/km/veh), the shape of the corresponding particle size distribution given in PARTICULATES and data for the traffic activity. The output of the model UFPEM (UltraFine Particle Emission Model) is a sum of continuous distributions of ultrafine particles emissions per vehicle type (passenger cars and heavy duty vehicles), fuel (petrol and diesel) and average speed representative for urban, rural and highway driving. The results from the parameterization are compared with measured total number of ultrafine particles and size distributions in a tunnel in Antwerp (Belgium). The measured UFP concentration over the entire campaign shows a close relation to the traffic activity. The modelled concentration is found to be lower than the measured in the campaign. The average emission factor from the measurement is 4.29E+14 #/km/veh whereas the calculated is around 30% lower. A comparison of emission factors with literature is done as well and in overall a good agreement is found. For the size distributions it is found that the measured distributions consist of three modes--Nucleation, Aitken and accumulation and most of the ultrafine particles belong to the Nucleation and the Aitken modes. The modelled Aitken mode (peak around 0.04-0.05 μm) is found in a good agreement both as amplitude of the peak and the number of particles whereas the modelled Nucleation mode is shifted to smaller diameters and the peak is much lower that the observed. Time scale analysis shows that at 300 m in the tunnel coagulation and deposition are slow and therefore neglected. The UFPEM emission model can be used as a source term in dispersion models.

Science of The Total Environment, 2009

Estimating personal exposure to air pollution is a crucial component in identifying high-risk pop... more Estimating personal exposure to air pollution is a crucial component in identifying high-risk populations and situations. It will enable policy makers to determine efficient control strategies. Cycling is again becoming a favorite mode of transport both in developing and in developed countries due to increasing traffic congestion and environmental concerns. In Europe, it is also seen as a healthy sports activity. However, due to high levels of hazardous pollutants in the present day road microenvironment the cyclist might be at a higher health risk due to higher breathing rate and proximity to the vehicular exhaust. In this paper we present estimates of the exposure of a cyclist to particles of various size fractions including ultrafine particles (UFP) in the town of Mol (Flanders, Belgium). The results indicate relatively higher UFP concentration exposure during morning office hours and moderate UFP levels during afternoon. The major sources of UFP and PM(10) were identified, which are vehicular emission and construction activities, respectively. We also present a dust mapping technique which can be a useful tool for town planners and local policy makers.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2020

This study evaluated intermittent screening and treatment during pregnancy (ISTp) for malaria usi... more This study evaluated intermittent screening and treatment during pregnancy (ISTp) for malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at antenatal care (ANC) compared with passive case detection within the routine health system. The mixed-method evaluation included two cross-sectional household surveys (pre-and post-implementation of ISTp), in-depth interviews with health workers, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with pregnant women. Differences in proportions between surveys for a number of outcomes were tested; 553 and 534 current and recently pregnant women were surveyed (pre-and post-implementation, respectively). In-depth interviews were conducted with 29 health providers, and 13 FGDs were held with pregnant women. The proportion of pregnant women who received an RDT for malaria at ANC at least once during their pregnancy increased from pre-to post-implementation (19.2%; 95% CI: 14.9, 24.3 versus 42.5%; 95% CI: 36.6, 48.7; P < 0.0001), and the proportion of women who had more than one RDT also increased (16.5%; 95% CI: 13.1, 20.5 versus 27.7%; 95% CI: 23.0, 33.0; P = 0.0008). Post-implementation, however, only 8% of women who had completed their pregnancy received an RDT on three visits to ANC. Health workers were positive about ISTp mainly because of their perception that many pregnant women with malaria were asymptomatic. Health workers perceived pregnant women to have reservations about ISTp because of their dislike of frequent blood withdrawal, but pregnant women themselves were more positive. Intermittent screening and treatment during pregnancy was not sufficiently adopted by health workers to ensure the increased detection of malaria infections achievable with this strategy in this setting.

BMJ Global Health, 2019

BackgroundThe control of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in India relies on testing women who present ... more BackgroundThe control of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in India relies on testing women who present with symptoms or signs suggestive of malaria. We hypothesised that intermittent screening and treatment for malaria at each antenatal care visit (ISTp) would improve on this approach and reduce the adverse effects of MiP.MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial comparing ISTp versus passive case detection (PCD) was conducted in Jharkhand state. Pregnant women of all parities with a gestational age of 18–28 weeks were enrolled. Women in the ISTp group were screened with a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for malaria at each antenatal clinic visit and those in the PCD group were screened only if they had symptoms or signs suggestive of malaria. All RDT positive women were treated with artesunate/sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine. The primary endpoint was placental malaria, determined by placental histology, and the key secondary endpoints were birth weight, gestational age, vital status of the newb...

Disposal of municipal sewage sludge, especially in large metropolitan cities is emerging as a ser... more Disposal of municipal sewage sludge, especially in large metropolitan cities is emerging as a serious problem for urban authorities as sludge contains a high load of potentially infectious microorganisms that can be a serious threat to public health. Radiation technology is recommended for sewage sludge disinfection, a dose of 6 KGy is for sewage sludge and a dose of 1 KGy for sewage water. The gamma irradiation reduces the pathogens and organic pollutants drastically and reduces the availability of heavy metals uptake by the plants from the irradiated sludge. Sewage wastewater, treated with gamma radiation can be an important non-conventional water resource for irrigation. Sewage sludge generated from such water is a good source of organic fertilizer. Looking at the severe paucity of land for STP plants, unhygienic conditions in and around current STP plants, leading to increased incidents of communicable diseases and also odor nuisance from the sludge disposal sites. Shri Ram Inst...