AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Air Pollutant Exposure and inhaled Dose during Urban Commute
Keith Casserly, HAIDER KHWAJA, University at Albany
Abstract Number: 658 Working Group: Health-Related Aerosols
Abstract The prevalent environmental risk to health to worldwide is air pollution. Increasing mortality and morbidity associated with polluted air has been epidemiological demonstrated throughout the world. Particulate matter (PM) and black carbon (BC) found in polluted air has proven to be a powerful compromising agent of poor health by infiltrating the lungs and cardiovascular system, triggering diseases such as respiratory infections, stroke, lung cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The aim of this study is to assess and map the exposure of commuters to air pollutants using different modes and to to consider ventilation variability and travel duration for the estimation of inhaled dose. Particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM7, PM10, and TSP) and BC were measured in the Capital District of Albany using four distinct modes of transportation viz., bicycle, walking, bus, and car. Data for pollutants revealed substantial transportation mode variations and temporal variation within and across study days. All transportation modes constituently encountered the highest PM2.5 , PM10, and BC concentrations in comparison to the other modes of transportation and the passenger car encountered the least. Although spatial variable was high within individual routes, average spatial variability between routes was less significant than diurnal variability for both PM2.5 , PM10, and BC concentrations within the Capital region. Reduced exposure of pedestrian to air pollutants is compensated by their higher inhalation dose.