Assessment of exposure to traffic related air pollution of children attending schools near motorways

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 35; no. 22; pp. 3875 - 3884
• Main Authors: Janssen, Nicole A.H, van Vliet, Patricia H.N, Aarts, Francée, Harssema, Hendrik, Brunekreef, Bert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Air; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Benzene; Biological and medical sciences; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Exact sciences and technology; Medical sciences; Netherlands; Nitrogen dioxide; Particles; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Roads; schools; Soot; Toxicology; Traffic pollution; Transports; Netherlands; Europe; Roads; Nitrogen dioxide; Traffic pollution; Soot; Benzene; Particles; Human; Hydrocarbon; Air quality; Exposure; Urban area; Carbon; Epidemiology; Suspended particle; Ambient air concentration; School buildings; Surveillance; Pollution source; Aerosols; Indoor pollution; Air pollution; Aromatic compound; Road traffic; Child; Public health; Moving source
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/S1352-2310(01)00144-3

To assess exposure to air pollution from traffic of children attending schools near motorways, traffic related air pollution (PM 2.5,NO 2 and benzene) was measured in and outside 24 schools located within 400 m of motorways in the Netherlands. Reflectance of PM 2.5 filters was measured as a proxy for elemental carbon (EC). The relationship between this proxy and measurements of EC was studied in a sub-sample and a high correlation was established. In both indoor and outdoor air, concentrations of PM 2.5 and “soot” significantly increased with increasing truck traffic density and significantly decreased with increasing distance. Indoor NO 2 concentrations significantly increased with increasing car traffic. The percentage of time that the school was downwind of the motorway during the measurements was significantly associated with “soot” and NO 2, but not with PM 2.5 and benzene. Estimated yearly averaged concentrations, calculated after standardising for differences in the background concentrations during the measurements, showed an about 2.5 fold range in “soot”, benzene (indoors and outdoors) and NO 2 (indoors) concentrations. For PM 2.5 (indoors and outdoors) and NO 2 outdoors the range was smaller (1.4–1.7). Standardised concentrations were highly correlated with the results of two other approaches that were used to order the exposures at the schools. This study has shown that concentrations of air pollutants in and outside schools near motorways are significantly associated with distance, traffic density and composition, and percentage of time downwind. These variables can therefore be used to assess exposure to traffic related air pollution of subjects living near motorways. Furthermore, the yearly averaged concentrations of PM 2.5, “soot”, NO 2 and benzene can be used as a more direct measure of long-term exposure in epidemiological studies of the children attending the 24 schools.