A critical review is made of the current methods of measurement of the air pollutants for which air quality standards are promulgated, odorous substances, organic gases, and products of photochemical air pollution.
Recent progress is also reviewed on the measurement of metals employing the methods such as neutron and X-ray activation analysis, and the measurement of aerosol employing middle volume air sampler, β-ray absorption, quartz vibrating balance and so on.
The analysis of polynuclear hydrocarbon, sulfate and individual particles are also described.
The application of spectroscopy on the measurements of air pollutants is also a new field of research. Particularly chemiluminescence detection of 0₃ and other gases, remote sensing by laser radar and Barringer correlation spectrometer are developing.
The preparation of standard materials for the calibration is also an important field of study and the methods of generation of standard gases employing permeation tube, pen-ray tube and of standard aerosol such as spinning disk and condensation generators are are important for the evaluation of newly developed measuring techniques.
However, the cross check of various methods has to be done for the achievement of the reliable comparison of the data obtained by different methods and in different countries. The current cross check of sulfite analysis conducted by EPA of U. S. A. and cross-country comparison of metal concentrations in Europe clearly show the importance of such cross check.

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For a long-term exposure study of nitric oxide, JCL-ICR female mice were exposed to 10 ppm nitric oxide (contamined with 1-1.5 ppm nitrogen dioxide) for half a year. A part of 240 exposed mice and 240 control mice were sacrificed 2 weeks, 2, 4 and 6.5 months after the start of exposure and examined. Increases in lung weight and leucocyte counts, and a decrease in cholinesterase activity of blood were noted in the exposed group. Formation of Heinz-body in the red blood cell, and increases in spleen weight and total bilirubin suggested that destruction of red blood cell was facilitated by NO exposure. Nitrosylhemoglobin contents were constant even after the NO exposure were prolonged for half a year. Methemoglobin was not detected photometrically in the blood of mice, but a component having a peak at 620 nm which suggested the formation of sulfhemoglobin and a component with g-value of 6 by electron spin resonance measurement were found in the exposed group. Slight decrease in oxygen affinity of blood in the exposed group were observed by the measurement of oxygen dissociation curve of red blood cell suspension, but the anoxic histological findings of tissues were not present in the organs such as brains and hearts. Degenerative and necrotic changes, and subsequent hyperplasia of bronchiolar epitheliums, and dilatation of alveolar walls were noted in the exposed group in histological examinations. These changes, however, might not be attributable to the effect of nitric oxide alone in the present study because of the presence of contamination with nitrogen dioxide in the exposure gas, so further detail should be studied.

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The influence of both meteorogical and chemical factors was discussed for photochemical smog generation.
Meteorogical factors involve atmospheric stability, wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, weather condition, insolation intensity etc. The relations of these meteorological factors to photochemical smog emergence were surveyed, based on the field report of photochemical air pollution on Tokyo bay andOsaka bay areas.
Photochemical smog is also affected by chemical factors such as concentration or mixing ratio of NO_X and hydrocarbons (HC). Concerning this problem, NO_X-HC-Oxidant relation, NO_X-HC-Peroxyacyl nitrate relation, NO_X-HC-Carbonyl compounds relation, and reactivities of hydrocarbons, were discussed, referring many kinds of bibliography. In addition, examples of hydrocarbon concentration and NO_X/HC ratio in ambient air in domestic and foreign country were shown. Finally, the effect of addition of H₂O, CO, SO₂ HCHC, and CH₃CHO on the photochemical reaction of NO_X-HC system were discussed.

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The Tokyo metropolitan area first experienced the abnormal phenomenon of harm to humans and plants caused by photochemical air pollution, having oxidants as the main component, in July 1969. Since that time, studies of various photochemical air pollution phenomena such as mechanisms of pollutant formation reactions; pollutant movements and dispersal; relationship of pollution to meteorological phenomena; and effects on humans, animals, and plants, have been undertaken in Japan.
One of the characteristics of photochemical air pollution is that the pollution effects are extremely wide ranging, with a major impact on plants. Hence, severe harmful effects of photochemical air pollution on natural vegetation and agricultural crops in the Tokyo metropolitan area can be inferred. For a full account of the actual effects on the metropolitan area ecosystem, including all vegetation, we must await future studies ; however, the present report collates the research results obtained so far on plant damage, together with a description of photochemical air pollution characteristics in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and includes a bibliography on plant damage caused by oxidants.

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