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Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified), Open
Journal article
Impact of bicycle route type on exposure to traffic-related air pollution
The Science of the total environment, v 490, pp 37-43
15 Aug 2014
PMID: 24840278
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Cyclists are exposed to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) during their commutes due to their proximity to vehicular traffic. Two of the main components of TRAP are black carbon (BC) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which have both been causally associated with increased mortality. To assess the impact of cyclists' exposure to TRAP, a battery-powered mobile monitoring station was designed to sample air pollutants along five bike routes in Boston, Massachusetts. The bike routes were categorized into three types: bike paths, which are separated from vehicle traffic; bike lanes, which are adjacent to traffic; and designated bike lanes, which are shared traffic lanes for buses and cyclists. Bike lanes were found to have significantly higher concentrations of BC and NO2 than bike paths in both adjusted and unadjusted generalized linear models. Higher concentrations were observed in designated bike lanes than bike paths; however, this association was only significant for NO2. After adjusting for traffic density, background concentration, and proximity to intersections, bike lanes were found to have concentrations of BC and NO2 that were approximately 33% higher than bike paths. Distance from the road, vegetation barriers, and reduced intersection density appear to influence these variations. These findings suggest that cyclists can reduce their exposure to TRAP during their commute by using bike paths preferentially over bike lanes regardless of the potential increase of traffic near these routes.
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Details
- Title
- Impact of bicycle route type on exposure to traffic-related air pollution
- Creators
- Piers MacNaughton - Exposure, Epidemiology & Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: piers.macnaughton@gmail.comSteven Melly - Exposure, Epidemiology & Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USAJose Vallarino - Exposure, Epidemiology & Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USAGary Adamkiewicz - Exposure, Epidemiology & Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USAJohn D Spengler - Exposure, Epidemiology & Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Publication Details
- The Science of the total environment, v 490, pp 37-43
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Grant note
- R44 ES018494 / NIEHS NIH HHS 1R44ES018494-01 / NIEHS NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000347293800005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84900542593
- Other Identifier
- 991021875473604721
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- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences