The aim of this paper is to provide background information on the importance of motor vehicle emissions for commuter's exposure to air pollutants. It addresses the exposure component of the traditional risk model, stressing the contribution of commuting to the total air pollution exposure of people in urban areas. The paper also presents a review of the most important studies on exposure of commuters to carbon monoxide undertaken in different countries. These studies indicate that measurements taken at fixed-site monitoring stations tend to underestimate in-vehicle concentrations of CO, and that high exposures to CO are usually associated with long commuting times. There is evidence to suggest that similar evidence to suggest that similar concentration patterns may also be present for volatile organic compounds such as benzene. Due to the proximity of drivers and passengers to the sources of pollutants (the motor vehicles) and to the exponential nature of the decrease of pollutant concentration from the road it is expected that introduction of cleaner vehicles has greater benefits (health and subsequently economic) than those estimated or anticipated by merely measuring changes in ambient concentration of pollutants. (A)
Abstract