Reductions in commuter exposure to volatile organic compounds in Mexico City due to the environmental program ProAire2002-2010

• Published in: Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 339 - 345
• Main Authors: Shinohara, Naohide, Ángeles, Felipe, Basaldud, Roberto, Cardenas, Beatriz, Wakamatsu, Shinji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Nature Publishing Group 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Acetaldehyde; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution - analysis; Air pollution control; Air quality management; Aldehydes; Benzene; Buses; Cancer; Cities; Commuters; Commuting; Environmental aspects; Environmental Exposure - prevention & control; Environmental Monitoring; Ethylbenzene; Formaldehyde; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Health aspects; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Hydrocarbons; In vehicle; Liquefied petroleum gas; Metropolitan areas; Mexico - epidemiology; Neoplasms - chemically induced; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Organic compounds; p-Xylene; Planning; Polls & surveys; Surveys; Toluene; Trolley-buses; Vehicle Emissions - analysis; Vehicle Emissions - prevention & control; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; Xylene; Japan; Mexico; Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico City
• ISSN: 1559-0631; 1559-064X
• DOI: 10.1038/jes.2016.31

We investigated commuter exposure to volatile organic compounds in the metropolitan area of Mexico City in 2011 in private car, microbus, bus, metro, metrobus, and trolley bus. A similar survey was conducted in 2002 before initiation of the ProAire2002-2010 program aimed at reducing air pollution. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene were sampled while traveling during the morning rush hour in May 2011. Compared with the 2002 survey, in-vehicle concentrations were substantially lower in 2011, except for formaldehyde in microbuses (35% higher than in 2002). The reductions were 17-42% (except microbuses), 25-44%, 41-61%, 43-61%, 71-79%, 80-91%, and 79-93% for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene, respectively. These reductions are considered to be the outcome of some of the actions in the ProAire2002-2010 program. In some microbuses, use of liquid petroleum gas may have increased in-vehicle formaldehyde concentrations. The reduction in predicted excess cancer incidence of commuters because of ProAire2002-2010 was estimated to be 1.4 cases/yr. In addition, if every microbus commuter changed their transport mode to bus, metro, or metrobus in the future, the estimated excess cancer incidence of commuters could be further decreased from 6.4 to 0.88-2.2 cases/year.