Abstract
Abstract Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a major atmospheric pollutant which is produced from a variety of anthropogenic sources, notably vehicular emissions. High NO2 concentrations are found in and around the urban environment and as such pose a significant threat to human health. Diffusion tube surveys of NO2 concentrations were carried out at a variety of intersections and road layouts over a 3-month period in 2017. This study identified that ‘hotspots’ in NO2 concentrations frequently occurred in sections of road where vehicles are accelerating or queueing. Under these conditions, concentrations were elevated by 58.6% and 52.6% respectively compared to when vehicles were cruising. Analysis of environmental factors which influence NO2 concentrations show that meteorology, topography, traffic volume and driver behaviour all contribute. The results highlight the complexity of monitoring hotspot locations and show the need for traffic and driver behaviour to be included in vehicle emission models. Additionally, the investigation suggests need for caution when relying on in-situ monitors to determine pollutant exceedances as there is shown to be substantial variation along a street and the location of the monitor is critical.
Highlights
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a major airborne pollutant which contributes to a variety of adverse health effects. (WHO, 2005; COMEAP, 2015)
Student's t-tests were carried out to determine the presence of any significant differences in the [NO2] recorded by diffusion tubes and [NO2] recorded by the CYC in-situ monitor
A more detailed assessment of the wind movements would have to be undertaken to confirm this hypothesis. This investigation has shown the existence of NO2 hotspots within intersections which are influenced by traffic behaviour
Summary
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a major airborne pollutant which contributes to a variety of adverse health effects. (WHO, 2005; COMEAP, 2015). A recent report from the UK Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP, 2015) considered current evidence to conclude that short and long-term exposures to NO2 are likely to have impacts on human morbidity and mortality rates. Strak et al (2013) suggest that short term exposure to NO2 likely increases thrombin production and results in an elevated risk of stroke, myocardial ischaemia and coronary heart disease. There are increases in asthma incidence resulting from exposures to NO2 (EPA, 2015). Effects include neo-natal weight reduction, when mothers experience third trimester exposure (Huang et al, 2015), and asthma morbidity amongst preschool children (Hansel et al, 2008). Long term exposure to NO2 has been linked to higher incidence of lung disease (SotoMartinez and Sly, 2010)
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