Chang-Fu Wu

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM_2.5) is a major concern in many areas. Numerous epidemiological studies have identified the adverse health effects from exposures to PM_2.5. From the perspective of reducing exposures and protecting public health, this presentation will cover two approaches of identifying PM_2.5 sources and their associations with health outcomes. (1) Receptor modeling: The concepts of source apportionment will be introduced together with examples of PM_2.5 sources identified in Taiwan using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. The source-specific health analysis results also will be discussed. (2) Land use regression: Through collecting air monitoring data at multiple locations and retrieving predictor variables based on the geographic information system (GIS) and regression models, sources affecting PM_2.5 distribution can be identified properly. Examples of land use regression researches and their application in epidemiological studies will be presented.