Low-income communities are potentially more vulnerable to physical, social and environmental hazards than wealthier communities. The lack of services associated with these communities (such as water supply, sanitation facilities and electrification) has increased the exposure of households to health hazards. These households also lack the coping mechanisms and resources to deal with the stress that these hazards impose on them. This study is concerned with the potential health hazards imposed from indoor air pollution. Traditional health risk assessments are used to determine the level of risk to human health from a variety of chemical or biological hazards. What these assessments do not include however, is a measure of the vulnerability of the household. The aim of this study therefore, was to develop a methodology for generating a vulnerability index for the inclusion of factors underlying urban poverty and vulnerability into a risk assessment of indoor air pollution. The approach adopted in this study followed an iterative and inductive pathway. Theories on risk assessment and urban vulnerability were explored in order to understand the manner in which risk to human health is assessed and compounded by vulnerability. Secondary data sources as well as a household survey provided information that aided the selection of a number of vulnerability indicators. These indicators were chosen as measures of vulnerability specifically for low-income households in South African settlements. The findings of the research show that there are a number of factors or issues which underlie vulnerability. The issues are related to demographics, livelihoods, physical exposures, externalities, services and general health. This study used a four-tiered selection approach to sift through the issues of vulnerability and to transform the key issues into a set of vulnerability indicators which make up the vulnerability index. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (M.S.C.E.)--University of Toledo, 2008. / Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillments of the requirements for The Master of Science in Engineering." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 81-92.

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-75).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (University of Texas Digital Repository, viewed on Sept. 9, 2009). Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

1.1\xWith the emphasis on particulate matter (PM) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from uncontrolled sources, this study focused on the ambient air pollution of e-waste recycling regions and the indoor air quality of urban areas in South China.;1.2\xIn the past decades, severe PM and POPs pollutions were recorded in e-waste recycling regions in China. Since the 2010s, more effective measures, stricter regulations and sophisticated dismantling technologies have been implemented in Guiyu and Qingyuan by local authorities. In this study, total suspended particles (TSP), fine particles (PM2.5), gas phase samples, and indoor settled dust were collected simultaneously in the primary recycling areas as well as reference sites in Guiyu and Qingyuan in August, 2013. The results showed that both PM, PCDD/Fs (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans) , PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in ambient air showed significantly reduced levels in the regions, compared with the former corresponding reports. The changed source patterns of the POPs confirmed the environmental effects of the implementation of stricter regulation and advanced technologies in these years. Nevertheless, the remained uncontrolled e-waste recycling activities in Guiyu, including plastics recycling and circuit board baking, still made significant influence to the air environment and resulted in alarming levels of PCDD/Fs (0.73~2.43 pg I-TEQ/m3) in the recycling areas. While in Qingyuan, high environmental PCBs burden was observed both in informal (1737 pg/m3) and formal recycling areas (1075 pg/m3), which could attribute to the uncontrolled dismantling of PCB-contained transformers. The estimated non-cancer risk for children and adults in the recycling regions were 2.7~25.2 and 1.2~3.2, respectively, and moderate cancer risk were found for the residents living in the recycling regions of Guiyu and the vicinage of the formal recycing factory (CR>10-4). The unacceptable estimated risk for both children and adults suggested unsafe air environments in the two recycling regions.;1.4\xCollectively, our results suggest unsatisfactory air quality in both e-waste recycling regions and common urban areas. The air problems could both attribute to the uncontrolled sources of the related spaces. The obtained results firstly indicated that a long way to solve e-waste issues and more effective measures are needed to control the contaminants release and the exposure to the local residents. Secondly, indoor air quality standard for fine particulate matters as well as associated toxicants such as PAHs is urgently needed to guide common populations and communities.;1.5\xKeywords: Air pollution; E-waste recycling; Urban areas; Indoor air; Ambient air; PM2.5; Persistent organic pollutants; Health risk assessment