1. Exploring the triple burden of social disadvantage, mobility poverty, and exposure to traffic-related air pollution.
- Author
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Xu J, Saeedi M, Zalzal J, Zhang M, Ganji A, Mallinen K, Wang A, Lloyd M, Venuta A, Simon L, Weichenthal S, and Hatzopoulou M
- Subjects
- Humans, Environmental Monitoring, Vehicle Emissions analysis, Particulate Matter analysis, Ontario, Poverty, Air Pollutants analysis, Air Pollution analysis
- Abstract
Understanding the relationships between ultrafine particle (UFP) exposure, socioeconomic status (SES), and sustainable transportation accessibility in Toronto, Canada is crucial for promoting public health, addressing environmental justice, and ensuring transportation equity. We conducted a large-scale mobile measurement campaign and employed a gradient boost model to generate exposure surfaces using land use, built environment, and meteorological conditions. The Ontario Marginalization Index was used to quantify various indicators of social disadvantage for Toronto's neighborhoods. Our findings reveal that people in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas experience elevated UFP exposures. We highlight significant disparities in accessing sustainable transportation, particularly in areas with higher ethnic concentrations. When factoring in daily mobility, UFP exposure disparities in disadvantaged populations are further exacerbated. Furthermore, individuals who do not generate emissions themselves are consistently exposed to higher UFPs, with active transportation users experiencing the highest UFP exposures both at home and at activity locations. Finally, we proposed a novel index, the Community Prioritization Index (CPI), incorporating three indicators, including air quality, social disadvantage, and sustainable transportation. This index identifies neighborhoods experiencing a triple burden, often situated near major infrastructure hubs with high diesel truck activity and lacking greenspace, marking them as high-priority areas for policy action and targeted interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Marianne Hatzopoulou reports financial support was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage Grant. Scott Weichenthal reports financial support was provided by Health Effects Institute (HEI). Marianne Hatzopoulou reports financial support was provided by Health Effects Institute (HEI). Marianne Hatzopoulou reports financial support was provided by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Scott Weichenthal reports financial support was provided by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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