Ulrich Franck

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung | UFZ

In 2021, concentrations of heavy metals (Ba, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ru, Sr, Zn, Zr) and radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs) were measured in 13 locations in Vilnius in surface samples of walls and facades of buildings built of yellow bricks in order to evaluate possible aerosol air pollution due to sandblasting. The activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs appeared there as a re...

The school environment is crucial for the child’s health and well-being. On the other hand, the data about the role of school’s aerosol pollution on the etiology of chronic non-communicable diseases remain scarce. This study aims to evaluate the level of indoor aerosol pollution in primary schools and its relation to the incidence of doctor’s diagn...

The school environment is crucial for the child’s health and wellbeing. On the other hand, the data about the role of school’s aerosol pollution on the etiology of chronic non-communicable diseases remain scarce. Objectives: To evaluate the level of indoor aerosol pollution in primary schools and its relation to the incidence of doctor’s diagnosed...

To improve ambient air quality during the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Chinese Government and Beijing’s municipal government implemented comprehensive emission control policies in Beijing and its neighboring regions before and during this period. The goal of this study was to investigate the association between particulate air poll...

Background: The growing public health concern caused by non-communicable diseases in urban surroundings cannot be solved by health care alone; therefore - a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. This study aimed to evaluate the airborne aerosol pollution level in primary schools as possible factor influencing origin and course of the diseases i...

Aerosol particle number (PNC) and mass concentrations (PMC) were studied in 11 primary schools during the 2017–2018 school years (from September to May) in Vilnius, Lithuania, with the aim to evaluate the main aerosol pollution sources and its levels. Expeditious information on the total aerosol particle concentration over the full range of sizes (...

Few studies investigated residential particle concentration levels with a full picture of aerosol particles from 10 nm to 10 µm size range with size-resolved information, and none was performed in central Europe in the long-term in multiple homes. To capture representative diurnal and seasonal patterns of exposure to particles, and investigate the...

Population growth and rapid urbanization accelerate the scarcity of limited environmental resources such as land, drinking water, energy, and clean air, especially in urban agglomerations (Kabisch and Kuhlicke 2014). Environmental pollution of air, water and soil, noise, and littering adversely affect the environmental quality and quality of life,...

Hitzebelastung ist in der aktuellen deutschen wie auch internationalen Debatte zur Anpassung der Städte an den Klimawandel eines der Top-Themen. Zusammen mit Starkregen, Hochwasser oder Stürmen werden sommerliche Hitzewellen als die Klimafolgen benannt, auf die sich Städte vorbereiten müssen. Aus sozialwissenschaftlicher Sicht sind einerseits die U...

In indoor air, terpene-ozone reactions can form secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in a transient process. ‘Real world’ measurements conducted in a furnished room without air conditioning were modelled involving the indoor background of airborne particulate matter, outdoor ozone infiltrated by natural ventilation, repeated transient limonene evaporat...

Through this assessment, the authors and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) secretariat are providing an objective evaluation and analysis of the pan-European environment designed to support environmental decision-making at multiple scales. In this assessment, the judgement of experts is applied to existing knowledge to provide scienti...

Background: The link between particulate matter (PM) and cardiovascular morbidity has been investigated in numerous studies. Less evidence exists, however, about how age, gender and season may modify this relationship. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ambient PM2.5 (PM ≤ 2.5 µm) and daily hospital emergency room visits...

For an appropriate assessment of personal exposure in the indoor environment we suggest a framework for the utilization of VOC data measured by means of passive sampling. On the basis of 2246 measurements of 47 VOCs in flats in Leipzig, Germany, we explain how the concentrations have to be pre-processed for each VOC in order to come to a reliable a...

Using field data and statistical models, this paper introduces structural and landscape metrics to estimate noise and particle pollution in cities, particularly built and open space structures. Thus, statements about the effectiveness of the respective land use changes, constructions and demolition measures in the city could be made und thus also u...

Atmospheric ozone-terpene reactions, which form secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, can affect indoor air quality when outdoor air mixes with indoor air during ventilation. This study, conducted in Leipzig, Germany, focused on limonene-induced particle formation in a genuine indoor environment (24 m(3)). Particle number, limonene and ozone c...

This paper outlines perspectives to further investigate the health effects of ultrafine particles (UFPs; aerodynamic diameter < 100 nm) in ambient air. Although UFPs are currently not subject to legal regulation, evidence from about 50 epidemiological studies and toxicological findings suggest harmful effects of ambient UFPs upon human health. In t...

High concentrations of various air pollutants have been associated with hospitalization due to development and exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to assess associations between airborne exposures by particulate matter as well as gaseous air pollutants and hospital admissions due to different cardiovascular disease groups in Santiago...

Unlabelled: Our results provide evidence for respiratory effects of combined exposure to airborne pollutants in Santiago de Chile. Different pollutants account for varying adverse effects. Ozone was not found to be significantly associated with respiratory morbidity. Background: High concentrations of various air pollutants have been associated...

We propose a framework for simulating the individual-specific exposure as an indicator for the environmental quality of urban regions. Adopting the perspective of a moving individual we combined maps of urban temperature with algorithms simulating human mobility. The former were derived from thermal-scan data gathered with an aeroplane and calibrat...

Exposure by airborne pollutants adversely affects human health and well-being. Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOX, NO2) are two of the most important airborne pollutants in Germany. Epidemiological studies found that these pollutants significantly increase morbidity and mortality by cardiovascular, respiratory and other disea...

Climate projections for Leipzig suggest elevated minimum and maximum temperatures as well as more frequent days with high temperatures. Hence, climate change is threatening human well-being and health. People spend the majority of their time indoors. Therefore, indoor temperatures (especially during the night) are of special importance with respect...

Increasing heat stress is one of the impacts of global warming cities have to cope with and adapt to. The recent German and international debate focuses on the threat of increasing mortality rates, especially the vulnerability of the elderly people and measures to reduce it. Further, possibilities of adaptation to climate change by means of urban d...

This chapter addresses the link between Santiago’s transport sector and its corresponding emissions, on the one hand, and the impact on the health of its citizens, on the other. The dispersion of pollutants at the micro and meso scale is based on an integrated approach that incorporates different platforms – satellite data, in situ measurements and...

Urban heat islands (UHIs) describe the phenomenon of altered temperatures that occur in urban areas when compared to their rural surroundings. UHIs influence human well-being, human health and the city as an ecological niche. UHIs can be quantified with meteorological ground measurements of air temperatures or with remotely sensed land surface temp...

Numerous epidemiological studies have provided evidence of an association between elevated outdoor particulate air pollution and adverse health effects. Young children typically spend majority of time at home and indoors. There is still limited knowledge on indoor particles sources and especially on their health effects. Even insights into the infl...

Increasing traffic density and a changing car fleet on the one hand as well as various reduction measures on the other hand may influence the composition of the particle population and, hence, the health risks for residents of megacities like Beijing. A suitable tool for identification and quantification of source group-related particle exposure co...

Increasing heat stress is one of the impacts of global warming cities have to cope with and adapt to. The recent German and international debate focuses on the threat of increasing mortality rates, especially the vulnerability of the elderly people and measures to reduce it. Further, possibilities of adaptation to climate change by means of urban d...

While the link between particulate matter and cardiovascular mortality is well established, it is not fully investigated and understood which properties of the aerosol might be responsible for the health effects, especially in polluted mega-city areas. Our goal was to explore the association between daily cardiovascular mortality and different part...

Numerous studies have described the adverse associations between particle mass and respiratory health. The aim of the study was to analyze the associations of particle properties, especially size-segregated particle number concentrations (PNC), and respiratory mortality in Beijing, P.R. China. We gathered daily values of respiratory mortality and a...

Previous studies observed associations between airborne particles and cardio-vascular disease. Questions, however, remain as to which size of the inhalable particles (coarse, fine, or ultrafine) exerts the most significant impact on health. For this retrospective study, data of the total number of 23,741 emergency service calls, registered between...

This file contains three additional tables and four additional figures to the manuscript. They are: - Additional file, Table S1. Confounders included in each base model - Additional file, Table S2. Correlations between air temperature and PM2.5 as well as UFP in the urban area of Beijing - Additional file, Table S3. Relative risks (RR, with 95% con...

Associations between air temperature and mortality have been consistently observed in Europe and the United States; however, there is a lack of studies for Asian countries. Our study investigated the association between air temperature and cardio-respiratory mortality in the urban area of Beijing, China. Death counts for cardiovascular and respirat...

Extensive epidemiological studies have provided evidence of an association between elevated outdoor particulate air pollution and adverse health effects. However, while people typically spend majority of time indoors, there is limited knowledge on airborne indoor particles and on the correlation between the concentrations of indoor particles and he...

The link between concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and respiratory morbidity has been investigated in numerous studies. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of different particle size fractions with respect to respiratory health in Beijing, China. Data on particle size distributions from 3 nm to 1 µm; PM10 (PM ≤ 10 µm), nitrogen di...

Objective: Using case-crossover design to explore the association between ambient air pollution and the hospital emergency room visits for respiratory diseases (International Classification of Diseases, tenth vision ICD-10: J00-J99) in Beijing, China. Methods: Data regarding the daily hospital emergency room visits of the respiratory diseases (I...

A correct description of fine (diameter <1 μm) and ultrafine (<0.1 μm) aerosol particles in urban areas is of interest for particle exposure assessment but also basic atmospheric research. We examined the spatio-temporal variability of atmospheric aerosol particles (size range 3–800 nm) using concurrent number size distribution measurements at a ma...

Associations between ambient air pollution and respiratory health have been mainly reported for Western Europe and Northern America. Our goal was to investigate such associations among the population of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania, a city in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), and to quantify their modification by air humidity. The latter is of increa...

Immunomodulatory effects of chemicals adsorbed to particles with aerodynamic diameter below 0.49 microm (PM(0.5)) collected in winter 2001 at three sampling points (industrial area [LPIn], traffic-influenced urban area [LPCi], and control area [LPCo]) of La Plata, Argentina, were investigated. The sampling of particulate matter was carried out with...

Zur automatisicrten Verarbeitung und Auswertung von NMR-Spektren bei der Lösung von Problemen der Isotopen- und Strahlenforschung wurde ein NMR-Spektrometer BS 487 C/Tesla über einen Mikrocomputer AMCA-80 mit einer EDVA EC 1040 on-line gekoppelt. Entsprechend den unterschiedlichen Aufgabengebieten wurden 3 Verarbeitungs-programme (FORTRAN) für den...

Background: Results of epidemiological studies have shown an influence of VOC (volatile organic compounds) on allergies. For example within the LISS study (Leipzig infection, allergy and airway diseases study among school starters, involving 2536 children) the effect of indoor exposure on physician-confirmed eczema and allergic symptoms could be s...

Rationale: In vitro studies, animal experiments, and human exposure studies have shown how ambient air pollution increases the risk of atopic diseases. However, results derived from observational studies are inconsistent. Objectives: To assess the relationship between individual-based exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and allergic disease...

OBJECTIVE. Current prophylactic feeding guidelines recommend a delayed introduction of solids for the prevention of atopic diseases. This study investigates whether a delayed introduction of solids (past 4 or 6 months) is protective against the development of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food or inhalant sensitization at the age of 6 year...

Airborne particles seem to be associated with health effects. The main question is what kind of particles (ultrafine, fine — PM2.5 or PM10) cause these adverse health effects. Linked with this question is the problem of exposure pattern and/or exposure scenarios and what is the contribution to the doses coming from outdoor and indoor exposure. In u...

Airborne particles represent a very important pollutant with respect to healthy housing conditions. The snag is that in lack of indoor data epidemiological studies focusing on submicron and ultrafine (<100 nm in diameter) particles are usually forced to use outdoor particle concentrations only. On the other hand it is known that people spend most o...

Ambient aerosol has been identified as a major pollutant affecting human health. Standards to reduce particles mass concentrations have therefore been established in many countries. Recent studies suggest that the number concentration of aerosol particles, which is dominated by the ultrafine size range smaller than 100 nm in diameter, may be indepe...

This German-language report has collected information on all available ultrafine atmospheric aerosol particle measurements in Germany.

Airborne particulate matter in Saxony (Germany) was investigated at three different sites (central urban, urban outskirts, rural) during a winter (1999/2000) and a summer (2000) campaign. PM was collected simultaneously at all three sites using five-stage Berner impactors. Besides size-segregated chemical particle characterisation and mass closure...

The classical way to demonstrate the efficiency of remediation is measuring the reduction of toxic compounds in the environment. Nevertheless, more important is the risk reduction in human health. To determine changing health effects, exposure and bio-effects have to be monitored at time of and during remediation. Kindergarten children from a heavi...

The electrophoretic behavior of gamma-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles was studied in aqueous solutions of Na(2)SO(4)-NaOH (pH 10.8) and of Na(2)SO(4)-Na(3)cit (pH 7.1) as running electrolytes. Two electrophoretic zones (smooth and with spikes) due to colloidal and suspended particles of approximately the same size range were formed during the runs. The sus...

The liver is an important target organ in exposure to foreign substances or their metabolites. Early changes in the metabolic capacity of the liver may be a first sign of the effect of an exposure and an indication of an early (pre)pathological process. For the noninvasive testing of this metabolic capacity, a special diagnostic tool has been devel...

The effect of remediation activities in formerly high-loaded industrial areas is measured conventionally in terms of decreased toxic loads. It is more difficult to investigate the effect on physiological parameters of the people living there. A non-invasive 15N-based organ function test, the [15N]methacetin urine test, was adapted to environmental-...

Abstract Abstract Although almost all epidemiological studies of smaller airborne particles only consider outdoor concentrations, people in Central Europe actually spend most of their time indoors. Yet indoor pollutants such as organic gases, allergens and dust are known to play a prominent role, often affecting human health more than outdoor ones...

THE INDOOR PROBLEM: Close attention must be devoted to indoor environments since people often spend most of their time indoors. Indoor pollutants such as organic gases, allergens and dust are also known to play a prominent role, often affecting humans more seriously than outdoor ones. The snag is that epidemiological studies into submicron and ultr...

Today many epidemiological studies investigate correlations between short-term (daily and sub-daily) variations of aerosol parameters with short term health effects. Exposure assessment of these studies is typically based on a single measurement site in a city. This strategy requires that short-term exposure to the aerosol at different places withi...

Today many epidemiological studies investigate correlations between short-term (daily and sub-daily) variations of aerosol parameters with short term health effects. Exposure assessment of these studies is typically based on a single measurement site in a city. This strategy requires that short-term exposure to the aerosol at different places withi...

Airborne particulates, especially fine particles and bound chemical compounds, are a potential mediator of adverse health effects. In this study an analysis was done of the concentration and size distribution of air particulate matter, the content of bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the biological effects of organic extracts from...

Particles in the air are characterized not only by their effective diameters but by their shapes as well. In this study electron microscopy was used to provide detailed information about individual particles, including diameter and shape. Following image analysis, statistical methods were used to describe diameter and shape distribution. From using...