Quantification of Traffic-Related Emissions and Exposures at U.S-Mexico Border Crossings Using Real-Time Portable Sensors
-
2024-02-01
-
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Edition:Final 03/01/2021-03/31/2023
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:Air monitoring was conducted at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) in El Paso, Texas, using continuous Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) instruments for four criteria pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, and NO2) to assess exposure levels of facility operators and users of the BOTA. Concurrent monitoring of PM2.5 in the nearby community using low-cost sensors provided citizens with real-time pollution levels. Air dispersion modeling was conducted using seasonal traffic emission rates to predict PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 levels at the BOTA and the surrounding areas. Monitored average concentrations at the BOTA of PM2.5, O3, and NO2 were 2 percent higher, 15 percent lower, and 20 percent higher, respectively, than concentrations observed at a nearby reference station 0.4 km away. The dispersion modeling of wait-time effects at the BOTA showed that on-site air pollution reaches a maximum level when the queue length is 270 m and concentrations decrease tenfold as the cross-BOTA distance reaches 200 m. Modeled estimates indicate that individuals traveling along the pedestrian walkway experience 75 percent of the impact of the emissions relative to the concentrations inside the BOTA. Modeled estimates indicate that toll booth workers experience 66 percent of the pollutant concentrations estimated inside the traffic lanes of the BOTA. The modeled emissions contribute 51, 147, and 7 percent of the monitored all-period averaged PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 concentrations, respectively. Modeled concentration estimates provide a spatial heat map to assess the reach and direction of pollution exposure.
-
Format:
-
Funding:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type: