Do the pollution related to high-traffic roads in urbanised areas pose a significant threat to the local population?

Abstract

Many large neighbourhoods are located near heavy-traffic roads; therefore, it is necessary to control the levels of air pollution near road exposure. The primary air pollutants emitted by motor vehicles are CO, NO2 and PM. Various investigations identify key health outcomes to be consistently associated with NO2 and CO. The objective of this study was the measurement-based assessment for determining whether by high-traffic roads, such as motorways and express ways, and the concentrations of CO and NO2 are within normal limits and do not pose threat to the local population. Average daily values (arithmetic values calculated for 1-h values within 24 h or less, depending on result availability) were measured for concentrations of NO2 and CO by automatic stations belonging to the Voivodship Environmental Protection Inspectorate in Katowice, in areas with similar dominant source of pollutant emission. The measurements were made in three sites: near the motorway and expressway, where the average daily traffic intensity is 100983 and 35414 of vehicles relatively. No evidence was found of exceeding average daily values equal to the maximum allowable NO2 concentration due to the protection of human health in the measurement area of the stations. No daily average values exceeding the admissible CO concentration (8-h moving average) were noted in the examined period. The results clearly show lack of hazards for general population health in terms of increased concentrations of CO and NO2 compounds that are closely related to high intensity car traffic found on selected motorways and speedways located near the city centres.

Characteristics of air quality and sources affecting high levels of PM10 and PM2.5 in Poland, Upper Silesia urban area

“…As far as the air pollution emitted by industry and energetics has been significantly limited due to implementation of the requirements for this sector at the level of EU regulations (Kobza et al 2016 ), there is a lack of effective regulations concerning the heating systems used in households, i.e., furnaces and boilers burnt with solid fuels or chimneys (Supreme Audit Office 2016 ). Although Poland has adopted several vehicle emission control policies over the past decades (Kobza and Geremek 2017 ), there are still no key legal solutions in the scope of transport which would allow to limit the use of cars which pollute the air most.…”

Inequality of Low Air Quality-Related Health Impacts among Socioeconomic Groups in the World of Work

“…People working near the streets, highways, and industrial zones tended to have more health symptoms related to low air quality than in other working environments. Environmental pollution is always a problem in the industrial zones because of hazardous industrial waste and emission, which creates a negative impact on human health [25], while air pollution-related high traffic in urban areas induces a threat to the population living and working near streets and highways [26]. The results also demonstrated no differences in health symptoms between indoor and outdoor work.…”

Air pollution control and the occurrence of acute respiratory illness in school children of Quito, Ecuador

“…They indicate a benefit of the lower concentration of environmental CO on the respiratory health of children achieved by vehicle exhaust control. CO, one of the principal polluting gases from vehicular emissions [56], affects respiratory mucosae from the nose to the alveoli, causing respiratory infections-from colds to bronchospasm and pneumonia [4,57]; and these infections increase hospitalizations [4,[57][58][59]. When CO enters the blood stream it reacts with hemoglobin to form COHb.…”