Assessment of Home-Based and Mobility-Based Exposure to Black Carbon in an Urban Environment: A Pilot Study

Max Gerrit Adam, Phuong Thi Minh Tran, David Kok Wai Cheong, Sitaraman Chandra Sekhar, Kwok Wai Tham and Rajasekhar Balasubramanian
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Max Gerrit Adam: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
Phuong Thi Minh Tran: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
David Kok Wai Cheong: Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Sitaraman Chandra Sekhar: Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Kwok Wai Tham: Department of Building, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Rajasekhar Balasubramanian: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: The combustion of fossil fuels is a significant source of particulate-bound black carbon (BC) in urban environments. The personal exposure (PE) of urban dwellers to BC and subsequent health impacts remain poorly understood due to a lack of observational data. In this study, we assessed and quantified the levels of PE to BC under two exposure scenarios (home-based and mobility-based exposure) in the city of Trivandrum in India. In the home-based scenario, the PE to BC was assessed in a naturally ventilated building over 24 h each day during the study period while in the mobility-based scenario, the PE to BC was monitored across diverse microenvironments (MEs) during the day using the same study protocol for consistency. Elevated BC concentrations were observed during the transport by motorcycle (26.23 ± 2.33 µg/m 3 ) and car (17.49 ± 2.37 µg/m 3 ). The BC concentrations observed in the MEs decreased in the following order: 16.58 ± 1.38 µg/m 3 (temple), 13.78 ± 2.07 µg/m 3 (restaurant), 11.44 ± 1.37 µg/m 3 (bus stop), and 8.27 ± 1.88 µg/m 3 (home); the standard deviations represent the temporal and spatial variations of BC concentrations. Overall, a relatively larger inhaled dose of BC in the range of 148.98–163.87 µg/day was observed for the mobility-based scenario compared to the home-based one (118.10–137.03 µg/day). This work highlights the importance of reducing PE to fossil fuel-related particulate emissions in cities for which BC is a good indicator. The study outcome could be used to formulate effective strategies to improve the urban air quality as well as public health.

Keywords: black carbon; personal exposure; urban air quality; vehicular emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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