Abstract
Pedestrian exposure to traffic-related air pollution depends on many factors; including the nature of the traffic on nearby roads and the route characteristics. In this study, we investigated the effects of differences in vehicle fleet and transport infrastructure on children’s exposure to traffic-related air pollution during their morning walk to school in Auckland, New Zealand. Five pairs of routes to schools—each including a low and a high socioeconomic status (SES) school—were selected and traversed over 7–8 days for each pair while measuring particle number concentration (PNC) and GPS coordinates. At the same time, a sample of 200 license plates of cars from each school’s neighborhood was captured using videos, and the age of each car was extracted using an online database. Both the mean age of the cars and the percentage of old cars (>14 years) were found to be higher in the low SES areas. However, neither measure of vehicle age was associated with a significant difference in exposure to PNC for pedestrians. Route features including narrow footpaths and a higher density of traffic lights may be associated with higher levels of PNC exposure. These findings provide insight into the role of urban design in promoting healthy commutes to school.
Highlights
Walking to and from school can contribute significantly to the physical and mental well-being of children [1]
This research contributes to an understanding of the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and route characteristics on children’s exposure to particle number concentration (PNC) whilst walking to school
It was found that, despite the higher percentage of old cars observed along routes associated with low SES schools, there were no significant differences in the frequency of spikes in PNC nor in the mean PNC between routes associated with low and high SES
Summary
Walking to and from school can contribute significantly to the physical and mental well-being of children [1]. Whether by car, bicycle, or by foot, may lead to exposure to air pollution emitted from road vehicles [4], resulting in an increased risk of many life-threatening diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, and lung cancer [5]. In addition to these chronic conditions, acute effects experienced as a result of short-term periods of high levels of pollution on the order of seconds or minutes (spikes) include short-term respiratory discomfort such as wheezing, asthma attacks. Children are vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution due to their high breathing rate relative to body mass, and the immaturity in the lungs and other vital organs [7]
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