Mobile laboratory measurements of air pollutants in Baltimore, MD elucidate issues of environmental justice

Abstract

ABSTRACT The City of Baltimore, MD has a history of problems with environmental justice (EJ), air pollution, and the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Current chemical transport models lack the resolution to simulate concentrations on the scale needed, about 100 m, to identify the neighborhoods with anomalously high air pollution levels. In this paper we introduce the capabilities of a mobile laboratory and an initial survey of several pollutants in Baltimore to identify which communities are exposed to disproportionate concentrations of air pollution and to which species. High concentrations of black carbon (BC) stood out at some locations – near major highways, downtown, and in the Curtis Bay neighborhood of Baltimore. Results from the mobile lab are confirmed with longer-term, low-cost monitoring. In Curtis Bay, higher concentrations of BC were measured along Pennington Ave. (mean [5th to 95th percentiles] = 2.08 [2.0–10.9] μg m−3) than along Curtis Ave. just ~ 150 m away (0.67[0.1 – 1.8] μg m−3). Other species, including criteria pollutants ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), showed little gradient. Observations with high spatial and temporal resolution help isolate the mechanisms leading to locally high pollutant concentrations. The difference in BC appears to result not from heavier truck traffic or slower dispersion but from the interruptions in traffic flow. Pennington Ave. has three stoplights while Curtis Ave. has none. As heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles accelerate, they experience turbo-lag and the resulting rich air-fuel mixture exacerbates BC emissions. Immediate mediation might be achieved through smoother traffic flow, and the long-term solution through replacing heavy-duty trucks with electric vehicles. Implications: We present results documenting the locations within Baltimore of high concentrations of Black Carbon pollution and identify the likely source – diesel exhaust emissions exacerbated by stop-and-go traffic and associated turbo-lag. This suggests solutions (smoother traffic, retrofit particulate filters, replacement of diesel with electric vehicles) that would enhance Environmental Justice (EJ) and could be applied to other cities with EJ problems. Synopsis: This paper presents observations of atmospheric black carbon aerosol showing impacts on environmental justice, then identifies causes and suggests solutions.