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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jonathan Levy, ScD, Harvard School of Public Health, P.O. Box 15677, Landmark 404K West, Boston, MA 02215, 617-384-8808, jilevy@hsph.harvard.edu, John Spengler, PhD, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, P.O. Box 15677, Landmark 406 WEST, Boston, MA 02215, and Jalal Ghaemghami, PhD, Environmental Health Office, Boston Public Health Commission, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02118.

One of the most complex dimensions of air pollution involves local-scale exposures. Studies evaluating urban emission patterns and resulting spatial concentration patterns reveal that local pollution levels near motor vehicles and other ground-level sources can significantly exceed what is measured at fixed-site monitors for selected pollutants (i.e., elemental carbon, nitrogen dioxide). This leads to local community concerns about air quality, some of which could be addressed by research on exposure patterns, but there has often been a disconnect between questions of importance for community groups or policy decisions and questions of importance for academics. In this presentation, we discuss multiple cases in which traffic-related air quality impacts were evaluated within the City of Boston, including applications using atmospheric models and different types of monitors, and with varying degrees of community/policymaker involvement. We describe the key conclusions from both the perspective of the scientific knowledge gained and the resulting impact of the research, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the studies from the perspective of influencing public policy or addressing community concerns. We conclude by describing the study designs (both in terms of research methods and organizational structure) that would both provide scientifically credible evidence about traffic-related exposure and health risks and directly inform community concerns.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• List the air pollutants for which exposure differentials would be anticipated within an urban area.
• Describe different study designs to determine the effect of traffic on local air quality, including the pros and cons of monitoring and modeling approaches for multiple pollutants.
• Discuss the means by which air quality research can be linked with community interests and concerns, considering case examples that did/did not use best practices.

Keywords: Community Participation, Air Quality

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation