Spatial variations in estimated chronic exposure to traffic-related air pollution in working populations: A simulation

Background Chronic exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with a variety of health impacts in adults and recent studies show that exposure varies spatially, with some residents in a community more exposed than others. A spatial exposure simulation model (SESM) which incorporates six...
Ausführliche Beschreibung

Background Chronic exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with a variety of health impacts in adults and recent studies show that exposure varies spatially, with some residents in a community more exposed than others. A spatial exposure simulation model (SESM) which incorporates six microenvironments (home indoor, work indoor, other indoor, outdoor, in-vehicle to work and in-vehicle other) is described and used to explore spatial variability in estimates of exposure to traffic-related nitrogen dioxide (not including indoor sources) for working people. The study models spatial variability in estimated exposure aggregated at the census tracts level for 382 census tracts in the Greater Vancouver Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. Summary statistics relating to the distributions of the estimated exposures are compared visually through mapping. Observed variations are explored through analyses of model inputs. Results Two sources of spatial variability in exposure to traffic-related nitrogen dioxide were identified. Median estimates of total exposure ranged from 8 μg/$ m^{3} $ to 35 μg/$ m^{3} $ of annual average hourly $ NO_{2} $ for workers in different census tracts in the study area. Exposure estimates are highest where ambient pollution levels are highest. This reflects the regional gradient of pollution in the study area and the relatively high percentage of time spent at home locations. However, for workers within the same census tract, variations were observed in the partial exposure estimates associated with time spent outside the residential census tract. Simulation modeling shows that some workers may have exposures 1.3 times higher than other workers residing in the same census tract because of time spent away from the residential census tract, and that time spent in work census tracts contributes most to the differences in exposure. Exposure estimates associated with the activity of commuting by vehicle to work were negligible, based on the relatively short amount of time spent in this microenvironment compared to other locations. We recognize that this may not be the case for pollutants other than $ NO_{2.} $ These results represent the first time spatially disaggregated variations in exposure to traffic-related air pollution within a community have been estimated and reported. Conclusion The results suggest that while time spent in the home indoor microenvironment contributes most to between-census tract variation in estimates of annual average exposures to traffic-related $ NO_{2} $, time spent in the work indoor microenvironment contributes most to within-census tract variation, and time spent in transit by vehicle makes a negligible contribution. The SESM has potential as a policy evaluation tool, given input data that reflect changes in pollution levels or work flow patterns due to traffic demand management and land use development policy. Ausführliche Beschreibung

Autor*in:	Setton, Eleanor M [verfasserIn] Keller, C Peter Cloutier-Fisher, Denise Hystad, Perry W

Format:	E-Artikel
Sprache:	Englisch

Erschienen:	2008

Schlagwörter:	Census Tract Total Exposure Urban Core Indoor Source Partial Exposure

Anmerkung:	© Setton et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2008

Übergeordnetes Werk:	Enthalten in: International journal of health geographics - London : BioMed Central, 2002, 7(2008), 1 vom: 18. Juli
Übergeordnetes Werk:	volume:7 ; year:2008 ; number:1 ; day:18 ; month:07

Links:	Volltext

DOI / URN:	10.1186/1476-072X-7-39

Katalog-ID:	SPR028784278