Potential damage to modern building materials from 21st century air pollution

Peter Brimblecombe, Carlota M. Grossi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The evolution of damage to building materials has been estimated for the 21st century, with a particular focus on aluminum, zinc, copper, plastic, paint, and rubber in urban areas. We set idealized air pollution and climates to represent London and Prague across the period 1950-2100. Environmental parameters were used to estimate future recession, corrosion, and loss of properties through published damage or dose-response functions. The 21st century seems to provide a less aggressive environment for stone and metals than recent times. Improvements in air quality are the most relevant drivers for this amelioration. Changes in climate predicted for the 21 st century do not alter this picture. On the other hand, polymeric materials, plastic, paint, and rubber might show slightly increased rates of degradation, to some extent the result of enhanced oxidant concentrations, but also the possibility of contributions from more solar radiation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)116-125
Number of pages10
JournalScientific World Journal
Volume10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Cite this