Assessment of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) at two near-road schools and residence in El Paso, Texas, USA

Abstract

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and associated health risks at near-road communities have been studies extensively. As part of a larger air pollution health effects study in children with asthma, this research used on-site air quality monitors to characterize air pollutants at two near-road schools (CW and B) and a residential house (H) in El Paso, TX. The study sites were near a major inter-state roadway (US-54). Air quality data for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 was collected for ten weeks in Fall (2017). The spatial and temporal variability in the pollutant concentrations was compared with air quality data from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) sites. Similar trends in measured pollutants were observed across all examined sites. Higher concentrations of PM10 were recorded at school B. Spearman correlations, coefficient of divergence, and diurnal graphs helped characterize the differences in the pollutant levels between these sites. The results suggest a spatial and temporal variability between the sites examined and available TCEQ sites. It is recommended that studies performed in this high-altitude arid region employ on-site measurements to avoid exposure misclassification and erroneous estimations from using urban central ambient monitoring sites (CAMS).