1. Personal exposure to airborne particles in transport micro-environments and potential health impacts: A tale of two cities.
- Author
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Tran, Phuong T.M., Nguyen, Teron, and Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar
- Subjects
CHOICE of transportation ,PARTICULATE matter ,CARBON-black ,LIFE expectancy ,PARTICLES ,RAILROAD commuter service - Abstract
• Personal exposure to PM 2.5 and BC in Danang(Vietnam) and Singapore was assessed. • Exposure to PM 2.5 and BC by commuters was much higher in Danang than Singapore. • Exposure to PM 2.5 and BC in homes should also be considered. • Heavy-duty vehicles and motorcycles are the major contributors to PM in both cities. • Health effects of motorized transport can be avoided by switching to active mobility. The present study investigated the personal exposure (PE) of commuters to fine particles (PM 2.5) and black carbon (BC) in two cities: Singapore and Danang (Vietnam) with different socio-economic conditions. The PE measurement was conducted during a multimodal round trip from Singapore to Danang and back with various on-road transport modes in urban micro-environments within each city by using portable devices. Real-time assessment of PE revealed that more than 60% of the integrated inhaled dose of PM 2.5 by commuters to occurred at airport concourses and transit micro-environments to/from the aeroplane by apron bus. Whereas for BC, the transit by apron bus made a major contribution (> 50%) to the total integrated exposure. The PE to PM 2.5 and BC in transport micro-environments was an order of magnitude higher in Danang compared to Singapore while using various on-road modes of transport in each city. Elevated concentrations of airborne particles in Singapore and Danang were significantly contributed by heavy-duty diesel vehicles and motorcycles, respectively. Moreover, a reduction in years of life expectancy is likely to occur among urban commuters while using motorized transport compared to active mobility (cycling). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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