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Air quality while cycling in Edinburgh
The document discusses the varying exposure levels to air pollutants experienced by cyclists compared to non-cyclists, with a focus on children who may face even higher risks due to their height. It highlights the potential of low-cost sensors to better assess air quality and pollution exposure during cycling journeys. The findings indicate significant variations in pollutant concentrations influenced by traffic conditions and specific environments.
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Air quality while cycling in Edinburgh
- 1. A cyclist’s perspective John Cherrie and Karen Galea John.Cherrie@iom-world.org With help from Melanie Gorman Ng and Araceli Sanchez Jimenez SEPA LAQM 26 March 2013 INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE . Edinburgh . UK www.iom-world.org
- 2. Pollutants are notuniformly distributed… • We see variation in space and time at fixed point monitoring stations • People move through space and so each person experiences different exposures www.scottishairquality.co.uk SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 2
- 3. Pollutants concentrations vary… SEPALAQM 26/03/2013 3
- 4. Cyclists have higher exposures… • One might expect that cyclists are likely to have higher exposures than non-cyclists • But is that the case? SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 4
- 5. Data from China… WuD-L. Influences of Commuting Mode, Air Conditioning Mode and Meteorological Parameters on Fine Particle (PM2.5) Exposure Levels in Traffic Microenvironments. Aerosol Air Qual Res Published Online First: 2013. doi:10.4209/aaqr.2012.08.0212 SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 5
- 6. In cab isnow less polluted? SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 6
- 7. Children may havehigher exposure… • Child cyclists may have higher exposure than adults • Children are smaller and height above the emission sources, i.e. the tailpipe may be important • Buzzard et al showed that exposure of adults about half that of a child Buzzard NA, Clark NN, Guffey SE. Investigation into pedestrian exposure to near-vehicle exhaust emissions. Environmental Health 2009;8:13. SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 7
- 8. Sensors… • We have had a range of direct reading monitors for some time • The difference now is that relatively sensitive low cost devices are becoming available with data-logging capabilities • Coupled with information about position, activity, environment etc. they can make a clearer picture of exposures SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 8
- 9. Demonstration from a cyclingjourney SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 9
- 10. MapMyWalk.com www.MapMyWalk.com SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 10
- 11. Concentration data Throughout the cycle journey SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 11
- 12. Dashboard… Watchat… www.youtube.com/watch?v=PafT2SN6GmM SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 12
- 13. Some key observations • Concentration response lagged in relation to sources • Response also smoothed to some extent • The move from the quiet campus to the roads associated with a rise in concentration • Peaks when traffic heavy • Level seems to rise during the test SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 13
- 14. Why did concentration rise? 18 µg/m3 45 µg/m3 SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 14
- 15. Why did concentration seemBackground to rise? concentration rose in Edinburgh city centre during our test SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 15
- 16. Conclusions and discussion… • Low-cost sensors offer new possibilities to investigate exposure to air pollutants • Video can provide context but is difficult to interpret in a large-scale study • Multiple sensors offer great opportunities, but the challenge is in working with enormous datasets • Watch the video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PafT2SN6GmM SEPA LAQM 26/03/2013 16