Citation

Matz CJ, Stieb DM, Egyed M, Brion O, Johnson M. Air Qual. Atmos. Health 2018; 11(2): 209-220.

Affiliation

4Air Health Science Division, Health Canada, 269 Laurier Ave W, PL 4903C, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9 Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11869-017-0532-6

PMID

29568337

PMCID

PMC5847121

Abstract

Exposure to traffic and traffic-related air pollution is associated with a wide array of health effects. Time spent in a vehicle, in active transportation, along roadsides, and in close proximity to traffic can substantially contribute to daily exposure to air pollutants. For this study, we evaluated daily time spent in transportation and traffic-influenced microenvironments by urban Canadians using the Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey (CHAPS) 2 results. Approximately 4-7% of daily time was spent in on- or near-road locations, mainly associated with being in a vehicle and smaller contributions from active transportation. Indoor microenvironments can be impacted by traffic emissions, especially when located near major roadways. Over 60% of the target population reported living within one block of a roadway with moderate to heavy traffic, which was variable with income level and city, and confirmed based on elevated NO₂exposure estimated using land use regression. Furthermore, over 55% of the target population ≤ 18 years reported attending a school or daycare in close proximity to moderate to heavy traffic, and little variation was observed based on income or city. The results underline the importance of traffic emissions as a major source of exposure in Canadian urban centers, given the time spent in traffic-influenced microenvironments.

Language: en

Keywords

Canada; Nitrogen dioxide; Survey; Time-activity patterns; Traffic; Transportation