Way to Go: Identifying Routes for Walkers and Cyclists to Avoid Air Pollutants

Carol Potera, based in Montana, also writes for Microbe, Genetic Engineering News, and the American Journal of Nursing. About This Article open Citation: Potera C. 2017. Way to go: identifying routes for walkers and cyclists to avoid air pollutants. Environ Health Perspect 125:A71; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.125-A71 Published: 31 March 2017 PDF Version (2.1 MB) Related EHP Article Population-Level Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution during Active Travel: Planning for Low-Exposure, Health-Promoting Cities Steve Hankey, Greg Lindsey, and Julian D. Marshall Exposures to air pollutants may offset a portion of the health benefits of walking and bicycling in cities.1 However, taking a detour just a block or two away from the busiest streets and roads “can make a big difference in your exposure,” says Steve Hankey, an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and coauthor of a new study in EHP.2 Over the course of the study, coauthor Steve Hankey covered about 1,000 miles on his bike, pulling a mobile air sampler through the streets of Minneapolis. © Steve Hankey For every street block in Minneapolis, Minnesota—13,604 in all—Hankey and his colleagues modeled the exposure of pedestrians and cyclists to particulate air pollution during the afternoon rush hour (4:00–6:00 p.m.). Their models of pedestrian and bicycle traffic and of air quality showed that 3–7% of city blocks were what they called “sour spots,”...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: News Science Selections April 2017 Source Type: research