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Commuting in urban environments accounts for a large fraction of the daily dose of inhaled air pollutants, especially in countries where vehicles have old technologies or run on dirty fuels. We measured black carbon (BC) concentrations during bus, walk and bicycle commutes in a Brazilian city and found a large spatial variability across the surveyed area, with median values between 2.5 and 12.0 μg m. Traffic volume on roadways (especially the number of heavy-duty diesel vehicles), self-pollution from the bus tailpipe, number of stops along the route and displacement speed were the main drivers of air pollution on the buses. BC concentrations increased abruptly at or close to traffic signals and bus stops, causing in-cabin peaks as large as 60.0 μg m. BC hotspots for the walk mode coincided with the locations of bus stops and traffic signals, whilst measurements along a cycle lane located 12 m from the kerb were less affected. The median BC concentrations of the two active modes were significantly lower than the concentrations inside the bus, with a bus/walk and bus/bicycle ratios of up to 6. However, the greater inhalation rates of cyclist and pedestrians yielded larger doses (2.6 and 3.5 μg on a 1.5-km commute), suggesting that the greater physical effort during the active commute may outweigh the reduction in exposure due to the shift from passive to active transport modes.

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