This pilot study focuses on emissions characterization of air pollutants produced from incineration of some municipal solid wastes (MSWs). The MSWs incinerated by an electric furnace maintained up to $600^{\circ}C$ included food, paper, and plastic wastes. The pollutants analyzed in this study included concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bottom ash contents, and heavy metals extracted from the bottom ash of each waste. The VOCs identified were classified based on their chemical structure. The total emissions of VOCs produced from incineration of the papers were identified as the highest followed by those from the plastics and the food wastes. Aliphatic alkenes were major VOC compounds produced from incineration of plastic or food wastes, while furans were major VOCs produced from incineration of papers. The second major VOCs produced from incineration of food, plastics, and papers were aromatics. In particular, hazardous air pollutants such as benzene were produced with considerable amount of emission concentration. The bottom ash contents of papers were usually much higher than those of food or plastic wastes. The bottom ash contents produced from incineration of food and plastics were much lower than those of other MSWs. In analysis of heavy metals extracted by an ultrasonic method from the bottom ashes of the papers, high concentrations of heavy metals were identified from incineration of newspapers and box (cardboard). In addition, it was identified that the general public might be exposed to considerable amounts of lead concentrations during incineration processes and uses of paper cup and from ashes.

Four intensive seasonal sampling campaigns between October 1998 and October 1999 were undertaken at an urban site of Chongju, in which polyurethane foam (PUF) sampler was used to collect particulate- and vapor-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The contribution to total (particulate+vapor) PAH concentration by the vapor phase component exceeded the particulate phase contribution by factor of ${\sim}2.6$. Summed concentrations of phenanthrene (30.9%), pyrene (16.6%), naphthalene (11.3%) and fluoranthene (11.0%) account for significant amounts of the vapor-phase, while chrysene (12.5%), benzo[b]fluoranthene (11.6%), indeno[123-cd]pyrene (9.9%), benzo[ghi]perylene (9.5%), benzo[k]fluoranthene (9.4%), pyrene (8.9%), and benzo[a]pyrene (8.3%) are found to be the most common PAH compounds in the particulate phase. The results from application of principal component analysis to particulate-phase PAH data demonstrate that a combination of PAH and $PM_{2.5}$ inorganic data is a more powerful tracer of emission sources than PAH species data alone. Particulate-phase PAH species were found to be associated predominantly with emissions from diesel engine vehicles and incineration.

Combined gas and aerosol measurements at a downwind area of the volcanic plume would be essential for helping to access the impact of the volcanic eruption on the local ecosystem and residents. An intensive and the fine time resolution measurement of $SO_2$, sulfate and PM2.5 was made to estimate their distribution in the Kanto area of Japan during the Miyakejima volcanic eruption period. In Tokyo, the 1 hr average $SO_2$ concentration observed before the eruption was 23.9 ppbv, while that of after eruption was 140.4 ppbv. In the Saitama Prefecture, the average concentration of $SO_2$ marked in the present study was two times higher than the average before the volcanic eruption. The PM2.5 mass concentrations in Sitama ranged from 3.8 to $136{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$. Sulfate accounts for $4.4{\sim}39.6%$ of PM2.5 in Sitama. The good correlationship between the concentrations of $SO_2$ and sulfate was obtained. The results of the VAFTAD and HYSPLIT models indicate that $SO_2$, sulfate, and PM2.5 measured in the present study would be expected to be significantly affected by the Miyakejima volcanic plume.

In order to study the characteristics of cloud, a real-scale experiment for cloud generation was carried out using an extinct vertical mine (430 m height) located in the northeastern Honshu, Japan. The dry particles generated from the three-step concentrations of NaCl solutions were used for cloud generation. The number size distributions of initial dry particles and cloud droplets were monitored by Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) and Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP) at bottom and upper sites of pit, respectively. The polymeric water absorbent film (PWAF) method was employed to measure liquid water content ($W_L$) as a function of droplet size. Moreover the chemical properties of individual droplet replicas were determined by micro-PIXE. The CCN number concentration shows the lognormal form in dependence of the particle size, while the number size distributions of droplets are bimodal showing the peaks around $9{\mu}m$ and $20{\mu}m$ for every case. In comparison to background mineral particles, right shifting of size distribution line for NaCl particles was occurred. When NaCl solutions with three-step different concentrations were neulized, $W_L$ shows the strong droplet size dependence. It varied from $10.0mg\;m^{-3}$ up to $13.6mg\;m^{-3}$ with average $11.6mg\;m^{-3}$. A good relationship between $W_L$ and cloud droplet number concentration was obtained. Both chemical inhomogeneities (mixed components with mineral and C1) and homogeneities (only mineral components or C1) in individual droplet replicas were obviously observed from micro-PIXE elemental images.

Two tobacco cultivars (Nicotiana tabacum L.), Bel-B and Bel-W3, tolerant and sensitive to ozone, respectively, were grown in a greenhouse supplied with charcoal filtered air and exposed to 200 ppb ozone for 4 hr. Effects on chlorophyll fluorescence, net photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance are described. Quantum yield was calculated from chlorophyll fluorescence and the initial slope of the assimilation-light curve measured by the gas exchange method. Only the sensitive cultivar, Bel-W3, developed visual injury symptoms on up to 50% of the $5^{th}$ leaf. The maximum net photosynthetic rate of ozone-treated plants was reduced 40% compared to control plants immediately after ozone fumigation in the tolerant cultivar; however, photosynthesis recovered by 24 hr post fumigation and remained at the same level as control plants. On the other hand, ozone exposure reduced maximum net photosynthesis up to 50%, with no recovery, in the sensitive cultivar apparently causing permanent damage to the photosystem. Reductions in apparent quantum efficiency, calculated from the assimilation-light curve, differed between cultivars. Bel-B showed an immediate depression of 14% compared to controls, whereas, Bel-W3 showed a 27% decline. Electron transport rate (ETR), at saturating light intensity, decreased 58% and 80% immediately after ozone treatment in Bel-B and Bel-W3, respectively. Quantum yield decreased 28% and 36% in Bel-B and Bel-W3, respectively. It can be concluded that ozone caused a greater relative decrease in linear electron transport than maximum net photosynthesis, suggesting greater damage to PSII than the carbon reduction cycle.