Cyclists’ personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and its influence on bikeability

Tran, Phuong Thi Minh; Zhao, Mushu; Yamamoto, Kohei; Minet, Laura; Nguyen, Teron; Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar

doi:10.1016/j.trd.2020.102563

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…The following pollution control measures are suggested: (i) post-combustion emission controls at large plants in the power and industry sectors; (ii) effective mitigation of these precursor emissions from industrial processes, including steel, cement and glass production; (iii) implementation of higher emissions standards such as Euro VI for diesel and gasoline vehicles ( Jonson et al, 2017 ; Rhys-Tyler et al, 2011 ); (iv) large-scale installation of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydro power for electricity generation in countries by providing economic incentives ( Alvarez-Herranz et al, 2017 ); (v) prescribed land clearing activities associated with agricultural practices to prevent the occurrence of biomass burning episodes (forest and peat fires) ( Adam et al, 2021b ); (vi) the use of clean cooking fuels such as electricity and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) ( Rosenthal et al, 2018 ); (vii) improved energy efficiency of household appliances, buildings, lighting, heating and cooling and encourage roof-top solar installations; (viii) environmentally-benign urban planning involving green infrastructure and low-emission zones in cities ( Kumar et al, 2019 ); (ix) promotion of public and active transport and vehicle sharing concepts with the added benefits of physical activity if active transport is used ( Rabl and De Nazelle, 2012 ; Tran et al, 2021c ). To facilitate this lifestyle habit change, cities need to make appropriate changes to their infrastructure, e.g., by implementing more cycling lanes ( Tran et al, 2020b ); and (x) promotion of electric and fuel-cell powered vehicles in cities ( Liang et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review

Adam

Tran

Balasubramanian

2021

Atmospheric Research

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101

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In response to the rapid spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) within and across countries and the need to protect public health, governments worldwide introduced unprecedented measures such as restricted road and air travel and reduced human mobility in 2020. The curtailment of personal travel and economic activity provided a unique opportunity for researchers to assess the interplay between anthropogenic emissions of primary air pollutants, their physical transport, chemical transformation, ultimate fate and potential health impacts. In general, reductions in the atmospheric levels of outdoor air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were observed in many countries during the lockdowns. However, the levels of ozone (O 3 ), a secondary air pollutant linked to asthma and respiratory ailments, and secondary PM were frequently reported to remain unchanged or even increase. An increase in O 3 can enhance the formation of secondary PM 2.5 , especially secondary organic aerosols, through the atmospheric oxidation of VOCs. Given that the gaseous precursors of O 3 (VOCs and NO x ) are also involved in the formation of secondary PM 2.5, an integrated control strategy should focus on reducing the emission of the common precursors for the co-mitigation of PM 2.5 and O 3 with an emphasis on their complex photochemical interactions. Compared to outdoor air quality, comprehensive investigations of indoor air quality (IAQ) are relatively sparse. People spend more than 80% of their time indoors with exposure to air pollutants of both outdoor and indoor origins. Consequently, an integrated assessment of exposure to air pollutants in both outdoor and indoor microenvironments is needed for effective urban air quality management and for mitigation of health risk. To provide further insights into air quality, we provide a critical review of scientific articles, published from January 2020 to December 2020 across the globe. Finally, we discuss policy implications of our review in the context of global air quality improvement.

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Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review

Adam

Tran

Balasubramanian

2021

Atmospheric Research

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101

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“…However, this work is not sufficiently advanced to fulfil this last function and should be integrated within a multidimensional framework, more particularly by including the connectivity needs of the cycling network, cyclists' actual trips, safety, or once again noise exposure. The work of Tran et al (2020) is a step in that direction. They propose a bikeability index taking into account air quality (PM 2.5 , BC), accessibility (potential destinations), suitability (slope, infrastructure), and perceptibility (greenery, crowdedness, enclosure).…”

Section: Study Of Itineraries How To Orient Cyclists and Reduce Theimentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyclists’ exposure to atmospheric and noise pollution: a systematic literature review

Gelb

2021

Transport Reviews

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Cyclists constitute a population particularly exposed to atmospheric and noise pollution in urban environments; at the same time, they contribute to its reduction. For about ten years now, more and more studies have been completed to assess cyclists' exposure, comparing this mode of transportation with others, quantifying its impacts in term of individual and collective health, understanding cyclists' perceptions regarding their exposure, etc. Though some literature reviews have examined some of these specific issues, none have yet proposed a general overview of this field of study. Therefore, this mapping literature review fills this gap by jointly analysing 205 articles and identifying elements of consensus and disagreement, as well as existing gaps. Among others, our results indicate that the cities in the South and exposure to noise are under-studied and that cyclists' ventilation is still too rarely accounted for, regardless of the type of studies. Modelling studies regarding exposure are too heterogeneous methodologically to allow a generalisation of their results. Conversely, intermodal comparison studies clearly indicate overexposure for cyclists compared to other modes. Also, health studies conclude that, either individually or collectively, the benefits of cycling surpass the costs of exposure to atmospheric pollution. The knowledge produced by this research trend remains difficult to exploit by urban planners, but the recent work done seems to offer more practical perspectives to professionals.

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“…There is a well-established worldwide trend of investing in the development of infrastructure for cyclists, which brings many obvious and positive outcomes for cities’ residents in terms of increasing their quality of life or simply by delivering tangible benefits to the environment. The link between physical activity in urban environments (such as cycling or jogging) and enhanced exposure to air pollutants was previously confirmed by multiple authors 1 , 2 . It was found that while physical activity brings many health benefits, when performed outdoors in polluted environments, it can increase exposure to air pollutants 3 – 5 , causing multiple possible health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Adverse health and environmental outcomes of cycling in heavily polluted urban environments

Adamiec

Jarosz‐Krzemińska

Bilkiewicz-Kubarek

2022

Sci Rep

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Cycling is a healthy habit; however, are its benefits outweighing risks when biking in heavily trafficked and air-polluted cities? Research involved studying contamination with traffic-related elements of dust collected from bike paths located in top trafficked cities of Europe in Poland. Human health risk was assessed via inhalation and ingestion pathways for adults and children. Bike path dust was heavily contaminated with Zn, Cd (Geoaccumulation index Igeo 4) and Pb (Igeo 3), sourced predominantly from nonexhaust car emissions. The concentrations of metals in dust decreased in the following descending order: Zn > Mn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. A fractionation study revealed that Zn and Cd are almost entirely bioavailable (Mobility factor MF above 90%), causing hazards to humans and the environment. The highest congested intersections result in more TRAP-contaminated dust deposited on bike paths, which is easily resuspended, posing a health risk for cyclists or pedestrians. Avoiding cycling in proximity to heavily trafficked routes should be considered, when possible, as well as physical removal of dust by wet sweeping to limit dust resuspension.

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Cyclists’ personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and its influence on bikeability

Cited by 29 publications

References 72 publications

Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review

Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review

Cyclists’ exposure to atmospheric and noise pollution: a systematic literature review

Adverse health and environmental outcomes of cycling in heavily polluted urban environments

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