10th International Aerosol Conference
September 2 - September 7, 2018
America's Center Convention Complex
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

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Personal Exposure to Particulate Matter While Commuting

VÂNIA MARTINS, Susana Marta Almeida, Tiago Faria, Carolina Correia, Inês Cunha-Lopes, Nuno Canha, Evangelia Diapouli, Manos Manousakas, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, C2TN, IST, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

     Abstract Number: 1505
     Working Group: Aerosol Exposure

Abstract
Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between traffic-related air pollution exposure and a variety of negative human health outcomes. As more commuters are spending a considerable amount of their daily routine inside vehicles it is increasingly relevant to study exposure levels to harmful pollutants. Depending on pollutant, mode of travel and travel distance, the exposure while commuting during along trafficked corridors may constitute a substantial fraction of the total daily exposure. Information regarding the air quality variations when commuting through a city can help the citizens to make more informed decisions on possible avoided emissions when choosing a transport mode and reduce their exposure to air pollutants.

This study aims to assess urban air quality experienced during commutes on different transportation modes. Continuous measuring portable monitors were used during journeys through the city of Lisbon by bus and car. The study continuously tracked not only particles mass and number and black carbon during each journey, but also included collection of PM2.5 and PM10 samples using Personal Environmental Monitors. The chemical characterisation of the PM collected on the filters was carried out in order to assess the commuters’ exposure to PM components.

The values found inside the vehicles when commuting were higher than those measured at urban background monitoring stations, a fact which underlines the need to assess personal exposure by acquiring data directly in the microenvironments where people spend their time.

This work is funded by LIFE Index-Air Project (LIFE15 ENV/PT/000674). C2TN/IST authors gratefully acknowledge the FCT support through the UID/Multi/04349/2013 project.