1. Long-term variation in exposure to NO 2 concentrations in the city of Naples, Italy: Results of a citizen science project.
- Author
-
Chianese E and Riccio A
- Subjects
- Italy, Humans, Environmental Exposure statistics & numerical data, Environmental Monitoring methods, Citizen Science, Cities, Air Pollutants analysis, Air Pollution statistics & numerical data, Air Pollution prevention & control, Nitrogen Dioxide analysis
- Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate long-term changes in the level of exposure to NO
2 among the population living in the urban area of Naples (south Italy). This has been achieved by integrating data from the regional reference monitoring network with information collected during the citizen science initiative called 'NO2 , NO grazie!' conducted in February 2020 and coordinated by the Non-Governmental Organisation 'Cittadini per l'aria'. This citizen science campaign was based on low-cost passive samplers (Palmes tubes), providing the ability to obtain unprecedented high-resolution NO2 levels. Using a Land Use Random Forest (LURF), we extrapolated the experimental data obtained from the citizen science campaign and evaluated the changes in population exposure from 2013 to 2022 and the uncertainty associated with this assessment was quantified. The results indicate that a large proportion of the inhabitants of Naples are still exposed to high NO2 concentrations, even if strict emission containment measures are enforced. The average levels remain higher than the new interim and air quality targets suggested by the World Health Organisation. The implementation of co-created citizen science projects, where NGO and citizens actively participate alongside scientists, can significantly improve the estimation and the interpretation of official reference data., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2024
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