Personal exposure assessment of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on cardiorespiratory health outcomes among pedestrians in university campus

Shuhaimi, Noor Syahirah (2023) Personal exposure assessment of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on cardiorespiratory health outcomes among pedestrians in university campus. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) is one of the most serious environmental and public health problems as it is one of the main causes of air pollution in urban areas. Pedestrians that actively travel near the roadsides may be exposed to higher amounts of air pollutants because of their near vicinity to vehicle emissions, direct inhalation of pollutants from vehicle exhaust in traffic area, increased inhalation rate while walking and longer time of travel. The exposure to air pollutants, particularly particulate matter (PM) was known to cause deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and cancers. Objectives: This study aims to assess the impact of PM2.5 exposure during walking trip at low and high traffic area on the cardiorespiratory health status of pedestrian in university campus. Methodology: Pedestrians exposure to PM2.5 was measured during the morning rush hours at two walking routes in low and high traffic areas. 30 volunteers walked in designated walking routes carrying SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitor AM510. In addition, their cardiorespiratory health status was determined through the measurement of blood pressure and lung function before, immediately after, after 15 minutes and after 1 hour of walking trip using Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor and Chestgraph HI-105 Spirometer, respectively. The pedestrians’ inhalation dose was estimated by considering the PM2.5 concentration, inhalation rate, duration of exposure and distance travelled. Results and Discussion: The average concentration of PM2.5 measured at high traffic area (61.6 ± 14.6 μg/m³) is 1.6 times higher than the low traffic area (37.9 ± 14.5 μg/m³). There were statistically significant difference in the inhalation dose of PM2.5 per trip and per kilometer travelled between low and high traffic area (p < 0.05) as tested by the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. This study found strong correlation (r > 0.9 is considered strong), but in this case the correlation between PM2.5 concentration with systolic blood pressure measured at baseline, immediately after, after 15 minutes and after 1 hour and FVC measured at baseline and after 1 hour of walking trip in high traffic area is just r > 0.5. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that there were increase in the systolic blood pressure and FVC of pedestrians after the exposure to high PM2.5 concentration at high traffic area (61.6 ± 14.6 μg/m³). The university management is suggested to establish a clean air zone across the campus by implementing anti-idling practices near air pollution hotspots like bus stops, kerbsides, and traffic intersections. Rule which only permit registered vehicle owners, such as the university staffs and students to pass by the roads within the campus must also be enforced. Besides, the urban green space in the university campus (i.e., Bukit Ekspo) should be preserved by providing a policy that prohibit any motorized vehicles from passing through the green space. The university management should also provide pedestrian walkways that are safe, convenient and within walking distances to vi encourage and promote active commuting within the campus. Also, the Travel Reduction Program (TRP) is suggested to be conducted within the campus community to encourage the use of public transport and the practice of carpooling. Keywords: Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP), PM2.5, Blood Pressure, Cardiorespiratory Health, Pedestrian

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	09 May 2024 00:51
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2025 03:37
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1722

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