An Analysis of Health Impacts from PM and NOx Emissions Resulting from Train Operations in the Alameda Corridor, California.

Author(s)
Sangkapichai, M. Saphores, J.M. Ogunseitan, O. Ritchie, S.G. & Lee, G.
Year
Abstract

The goal of this paper is to estimate the health impacts resulting from exposure to PM and NOx emitted by train operations in the Alameda corridor,a crucial rail link that serves the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, also known as the San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP). The authors link a pollutant dispersion model (CalPUFF) to a health benefits assessment model (BenMAP) to discover population-based health impacts of PM and NOx emissions fromtrain operations (switching and line haul). After analyzing year 2005 asour baseline, we consider two scenarios that correspond to switching to Tier 2 and Tier 3 locomotives. The authors find that mortality from PM exposure accounts for the largest health impacts, with health costs in excessof $40 million annually. A shift to Tier 2 locomotives would save approximately half of the annual health costs but the benefits of shifting from Tier 2 to Tier 3 locomotives would be much smaller. This assessment is onlypartial, however, because of gaps in available health data. To our knowledge, this is the first application of BenMAP to conduct a health assessment at the county level.

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Publication

Library number
C 48171 (In: C 47949 DVD) /15 / ITRD E854499
Source

In: Compendium of papers DVD 89th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board TRB, Washington, D.C., January 10-14, 2010, 19 p.

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This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.