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The Effect of Route Choice in Children’s Exposure to Ultrafine Particles Whilst Walking to School

Author

Listed:
  • Mehrdad Rafiepourgatabi

    (School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand)

  • Alistair Woodward

    (School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand)

  • Jennifer A. Salmond

    (School of Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand)

  • Kim Natasha Dirks

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand)

Abstract

Children walking to school are at a high risk of exposure to air pollution compared with other modes because of the time they spend in close proximity to traffic during their commute. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a walker’s route choice on their exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP) on the walk to school. During morning commutes over a period of three weeks, exposure to UFP was measured along three routes: two routes were alongside both sides of a busy arterial road with significantly higher levels of traffic on one side compared to the other, and the third route passed through quiet streets (the background route). The results indicate that the mean exposure for the pedestrian walking along the background route was half the exposure experienced on the other two routes. Walkers on the trafficked side were exposed to elevated concentrations (>100,000 pt/cc) 2.5 times longer than the low-trafficked side. However, the duration of the elevated exposure for the background route was close to zero. Public health officials and urban planners may use the results of this study to promote healthier walking routes to schools, especially those planned as part of organized commutes.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehrdad Rafiepourgatabi & Alistair Woodward & Jennifer A. Salmond & Kim Natasha Dirks, 2021. "The Effect of Route Choice in Children’s Exposure to Ultrafine Particles Whilst Walking to School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:15:p:7808-:d:599814
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mehrdad Rafiepourgatabi & Alistair Woodward & Jennifer A. Salmond & Kim N. Dirks, 2021. "Socioeconomic Status and Route Characteristics in Relation to Children’s Exposure to Air Pollution from Road Traffic While Walking to School in Auckland, New Zealand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-17, May.
    2. Daniela Dias & Oxana Tchepel, 2018. "Spatial and Temporal Dynamics in Air Pollution Exposure Assessment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Brand, Veronika Sassen & Kumar, Prashant & Damascena, Aline Santos & Pritchard, John P. & Geurs, Karst T. & Andrade, Maria de Fatima, 2019. "Impact of route choice and period of the day on cyclists' exposure to black carbon in London, Rotterdam and São Paulo," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 153-165.
    4. Kim N. Dirks & Jennifer A. Salmond & Nicholas Talbot, 2018. "Air Pollution Exposure in Walking School Bus Routes: A New Zealand Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Kim N. Dirks & Judith Y. T. Wang & Amirul Khan & Christopher Rushton, 2016. "Air Pollution Exposure in Relation to the Commute to School: A Bradford UK Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-10, October.
    6. Collins, Damian C. A. & Kearns, Robin A., 2005. "Geographies of inequality: Child pedestrian injury and walking school buses in Auckland, New Zealand," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 61-69, January.
    7. Moayad Shammut & Mengqiu Cao & Yuerong Zhang & Claire Papaix & Yuqi Liu & Xing Gao, 2019. "Banning Diesel Vehicles in London: Is 2040 Too Late?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-17, September.
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    1. Yage Wang & Xinshi Zhang & Shenghao Yuan & Hongwei Huang & Ying Tang & Chengyong Shi, 2025. "Analysis and Optimization Prioritization of School Routes in Mountainous Cities Based on Child-Friendly Principles: A Case Study of Chongqing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-25, April.

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