Exposures to Air Pollution and Noise from Multi-Modal Commuting in a Chinese City

Yisi Liu, Bowen Lan, Jeff Shirai, Elena Austin, Changhong Yang and Edmund Seto
Additional contact information
Yisi Liu: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Bowen Lan: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1020 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada
Jeff Shirai: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Elena Austin: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Changhong Yang: Institute for Public Health and Information, Sichuan Center for Diseases Control and prevention, #6 Zhongxue Road, Chengdu 610041, China
Edmund Seto: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Modern urban travel includes mixtures of transit options, which potentially impact individual pollution exposures and health. This study aims to investigate variations in traffic-related air pollution and noise levels experienced in traffic in Chengdu, China. Methods: Real-time PM 2.5 , black carbon (BC), and noise levels were measured for four transportation modes (car, bus, subway, and shared bike) on scripted routes in three types of neighborhoods (urban core, developing neighborhood, and suburb). Each mode of transportation in each neighborhood was sampled five times in summer and winter, respectively. After quality control, mixed effect models were built for the three pollutants separately. Results: Air pollutants had much higher concentrations in winter. Urban Core had the highest PM 2.5 and BC concentrations across seasons compared to the other neighborhoods. The mixed effect model indicated that car commutes were associated with lower PM 2.5 (−34.4 μg/m 3 ; 95% CI: −47.5, −21.3), BC (−2016.4 ng/m 3 ; 95% CI: −3383.8, −648.6), and noise (−9.3 dBA; 95% CI: −10.5, −8.0) levels compared with other modes; subway commutes had lower PM 2.5 (−11.9 μg/m 3 ; 95% CI: 47.5, −21.3), but higher BC (2349.6 ng/m 3 ; 95% CI: 978.1, 3722.1) and noise (3.0 dBA; 95% CI: 1.7, 4.3) levels than the other three modes of transportation. Conclusion: Personal exposure to air pollution and noise vary by season, neighborhood, and transportation modes. Exposure models accounting for environmental, meteorological, and behavioral factors, and duration of mixed mode commuting may be useful for health studies of urban traffic microenvironments.

Keywords: multi-modal commuting; traffic related air pollution; noise; personal monitoring (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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