Over the last year, an approach has been developed and tested for assessing the risk of exposure to PM2.5 at fine levels of spatial and temporal disaggregation while traveling by various modes of transport. The approach combines the capabilities of new personal Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and portable particle monitors to shed new light on the inherent variability in pollution levels in different travel microenvironments and more importantly identify the location and magnitude of hotspots of PM2.5. The focus of the current paper is cyclist exposure to PM2.5, something which has become highly topical given the strong recent push for this mode on health grounds, primarily in response to the growing obesity epidemic. Specifically, we report on the results of a monitoring campaign conducted during May and June of 2005. The aim was to study exposure while cycling in a range of microenvironments typically experienced by cyclists, including main arterials, back streets, off-road bike-paths, and parks. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214666.
Samenvatting