The health hazards of diesel particulate matter (PM) from freight transport have been well established by previous research. Current methods for characterizing and quantifying these health impacts are often costly and require long research timeframes. Much of the existing literature has focusedon the impacts of freight activity at the national or regional level. A simplified method for prospectively characterizing the expected health impacts of freight transport at a local or municipal level would assist policymakers in targeting appropriate policy actions. This paper describes the use of dispersion modeling and health impact estimation techniques to evaluate expected health impacts from diesel PM and demonstrates the application through a case study of freight trucks operating on highways in Sacramento, CA. It demonstrates methods that can simplify and automate this analysis through the use of programmatic structures or computer scripts. This simplification reduces the expertise and resources required to conduct health impact analyses of freight transport, which could empower a broader range of stakeholders to engage in policy discussions regarding freight transport in their community. The case study suggests that the health impacts ofon-highway trucks at a steady cruising speed is low, thereby implying that health impacts from freight trucks may be primarily associated with local arterial traffic and congestion.
Abstract