Finely Resolved On ‐Road PM2.5 and Estimated Premature Mortality in Central North Carolina

In this study, we compared the on‐road PM2.5‐related premature mortality in central North Carolina with two different concentration estimation approaches—(i) using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to model concentration at a coarser resolution of a 36‐km × 36‐km grid resolution, and (ii) using a hybrid of a Gaussian dispersion model, CMAQ, and a space–time interpolation technique to provide annual average PM2.5 concentrations at a Census‐block level (∼105,000 Census blocks). The hybrid modeling approach estimated 24% more on‐road PM2.5‐related premature mortality than CMAQ. The major difference is from the primary on‐road PM2.5 where the hybrid approach estimated 2.5 times more primary on‐road PM2.5‐related premature mortality than CMAQ due to predicted exposure hotspots near roadways that coincide with high population areas. The results show that 72% of primary on‐road PM2.5 premature mortality occurs within 1,000 m from roadways where 50% of the total population resides, highlighting the importance to characterize near‐road primary PM2.5 and suggesting that previous studies may have underestimated premature mortality due to PM2.5 from traffic‐related emissions.
Source: Risk Analysis - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research