Keywords
air pollution, conceptual model, contextual data, personal exposure monitoring, scotland
Start Date
1-7-2012 12:00 AM
Abstract
Human exposure to environmental pathogens and specifically air pollutants is a highlytopical issue. Clean air to breathe is a basic requirement of life and the quality of air both outdoorsand indoors is a crucial determinant of health (WHO, 2010). Air is however affected by pollutants suchas Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM), ground level Ozone (O3) and Carbon Monoxide(CO) which can have adverse effects on public health.Air pollutants are ubiquitous and their concentrations are typically subject to a high spatial andtemporal variability. For risk and impact assessments and for the design of effective air pollutioncontrol policies as well as public health advice, it is necessary to quantify human exposure to airpollutants. This is a challenging task as human exposure is based on complex relationships andinteractions between environmental and human systems. Traditionally human exposure has beenassessed based on concentrations from static monitors. Now technology is available to enable us tomonitor personal exposure to air pollutants.The work described here is conducted in the frame of a joint PhD studentship between the Centre forEcology & Hydrology and the University of Exeter. It focuses on the application of methods forpersonal exposure monitoring and the integration of measured data with existing pollution andcontextual data in a combined approach. The aims are to understand more about potentialassociations between air pollution, human exposure to it and health effects in Scotland which isstrongly influenced by activity patterns and a person’s general activity-space.For this purpose, an experimental design with a wearable personal monitoring device to derivepersonal time-activity patterns and pollutant concentrations is currently devised. Resulting personalexposure profiles will be integrated with modelled pollution concentrations and contextual data suchas socioeconomic, population and health indicators.The work presented here will focus on the development of a conceptual model integrating monitored,modelled and contextual data.
Developing a conceptual model for the assessment of personal exposure to air pollution
Human exposure to environmental pathogens and specifically air pollutants is a highlytopical issue. Clean air to breathe is a basic requirement of life and the quality of air both outdoorsand indoors is a crucial determinant of health (WHO, 2010). Air is however affected by pollutants suchas Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM), ground level Ozone (O3) and Carbon Monoxide(CO) which can have adverse effects on public health.Air pollutants are ubiquitous and their concentrations are typically subject to a high spatial andtemporal variability. For risk and impact assessments and for the design of effective air pollutioncontrol policies as well as public health advice, it is necessary to quantify human exposure to airpollutants. This is a challenging task as human exposure is based on complex relationships andinteractions between environmental and human systems. Traditionally human exposure has beenassessed based on concentrations from static monitors. Now technology is available to enable us tomonitor personal exposure to air pollutants.The work described here is conducted in the frame of a joint PhD studentship between the Centre forEcology & Hydrology and the University of Exeter. It focuses on the application of methods forpersonal exposure monitoring and the integration of measured data with existing pollution andcontextual data in a combined approach. The aims are to understand more about potentialassociations between air pollution, human exposure to it and health effects in Scotland which isstrongly influenced by activity patterns and a person’s general activity-space.For this purpose, an experimental design with a wearable personal monitoring device to derivepersonal time-activity patterns and pollutant concentrations is currently devised. Resulting personalexposure profiles will be integrated with modelled pollution concentrations and contextual data suchas socioeconomic, population and health indicators.The work presented here will focus on the development of a conceptual model integrating monitored,modelled and contextual data.
