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Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified), Open
Preprint
Ambient nitrogen dioxide in 47,187 neighborhoods across 326 cities in eight Latin American countries: population exposures and associations with urban features
MedRxiv
03 May 2023
PMID: 37205591
Abstract
Background: Health research on ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is sparse in Latin America, despite the high prevalence of NO2-associated respiratory diseases in the region. This study describes within-city distributions of ambient NO2 concentrations at high spatial resolution and urban characteristics associated with neighborhood ambient NO2 in 326 Latin American cities. Methods: We aggregated estimates of annual surface NO2 at 1 km2 spatial resolution for 2019, population counts, and urban characteristics compiled by the SALURBAL project to the neighborhood level (i.e., census tracts). We described the percent of the urban population living with ambient NO2 levels exceeding WHO Air Quality Guidelines. We used multilevel models to describe associations of neighborhood ambient NO2 concentrations with population and urban characteristics at the neighborhood and city levels.
Findings: We examined 47,187 neighborhoods in 326 cities from eight Latin American countries. Of the ≈236 million urban residents observed, 85% lived in neighborhoods with ambient annual NO2 above WHO guidelines. In adjusted models, higher neighborhood-level educational attainment, closer proximity to the city center, and lower neighborhood-level greenness were associated with higher ambient NO2. At the city level, higher vehicle congestion, population size, and population density were associated with higher ambient NO2.
Interpretation: Almost nine out of every 10 residents of Latin American cities live with ambient NO2 concentrations above WHO guidelines. Increasing neighborhood greenness and reducing reliance on fossil fuel-powered vehicles warrant further attention as potential actionable urban environmental interventions to reduce population exposure to ambient NO2.
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Details
- Title
- Ambient nitrogen dioxide in 47,187 neighborhoods across 326 cities in eight Latin American countries: population exposures and associations with urban features
- Creators
- Josiah Kephart - Drexel UniversityNelson Gouveia - Universidade de São PauloDaniel Rodriguez - University of California, BerkeleyKatherine Indvik - Drexel UniversityTania Alfaro - University of ChileJ. Jaime Miranda - Universidad Peruana Cayetano HerediaUsama Bilal - Drexel UniversityAna Diez Roux - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- MedRxiv
- Publisher
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; Cold Spring Harbor
- Grant note
- DP5 OD026429 / NIH HHS Wellcome Trust U54 CA267735 / NCI NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Other Identifier
- 991020517071804721