Emission Scenarios and the Health Risks Posed by Priority Mobile Air Toxics in an Urban to Regional Area: An Application in Nashville, Tennessee

Abstract

Toxic air pollutants, also known as hazardous air pollutants, are those that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as birth defects or adverse environmental outcomes. The aim of this research was to predict air toxics related health risks due to different emission scenarios by linking Models-3/CMAQ and cancer risk assessments. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, this study was performed on the priority mobile source air toxics (PMSAT) of benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and diesel particulate matter (DPM), based on data from 2003. The analysis was carried out in the eastern US, and mainly in Nashville, TN. Ten emissions scenarios were examined, including a 2020 scenario with the effects of on-road mobile source regulations. The results show that DPM poses a cancer risk that is 4.2 times higher than the combined total cancer risk from all of four other PMSAT. These high cancer risk levels are mainly due to non-road sources (57.9%). The main cancer risk from acetaldehyde, benzene, formaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene (4HAPs) is due to biogenic sources, which account for 32.2% of this risk, although these cannot be controlled. Excluding DPM, the main on-road cancer risk contribution was due to the air toxics generated by gasoline light duty vehicles (LDVs), principally benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The scenario for 2020 showed reductions in the adverse health effects related to DPM and 4HAPs of 32.8 and 19.4%, respectively. This research provides strong evidence that reducing ambient DPM concentrations will lead to greater improvements in human health than other air toxics, indicating that better technologies and regulations must be applied to mobile diesel engines, as these have more significant adverse health effects than non-road diesel sources.

Sensitivity analysis of biodiesel blends on Benzo[a]pyrene and main emissions using MOVES: A case study in Temuco, Chile

“…Currently there exist diverse models that permit the estimation of emission from different pollution sources, especially from mobile sources (Díaz-Robles et al, 2008bDíaz-Robles, 2013). As mentioned above, in the city of Temuco, the program MODEM II has been used to obtain results from these mobile sources (CONAMA, 2009).…”

Species and characteristics of volatile organic compounds emitted from an auto-repair painting workshop

“…Ketones, such as methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone, are toxic chemicals that are widely used in industrial solvents 28 ; inhalation of their vapors and skin contact with liquid ketones are the main routes of human exposure to these compounds 6 . Several studies have shown BTEX pollutants to have a significant adverse impact on human health and classified them as hazardous because they cause serious pathologic conditions, such as asthma, inflammatory disorders, central nervous system dysfunction, and DNA damage, which can potentially lead to cancer 29 , 30 . In plants, high O 3 concentrations affect the growth and yield, whereas in human beings it has been known to exert harmful effects on the eyes and respiratory system, resulting in reduced lung capacity, respiratory distress, etc.…”

Assessment of Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Case Study of Pregnant Women in South Texas

“…Accordingly, epidemiology studies have documented adverse respiratory and cardiovascular effects [6,7,8] for populations living in close proximity to major roadways. Studies have shown specific adverse health effects of being exposed to Particulate Matter (PM), including heart diseases [9,10], cancer risk [11] and adverse birth outcomes [12]. Children, pregnant women, elderly and people with existing health issues are some of the vulnerable population groups to adverse traffic-related air pollution.…”