Cent Eur J Public Health 2016, 24(2):109-114

Assessment of Exposure of Elementary Schools to Traffic Pollution by GIS Methods

Přemysl Štych1, Denisa Šrámková2, Martin Braniš2
1 Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Cartography, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

Aim: The susceptibility of children to polluted air has been pointed out several times in the past. Generally, children suffer from higher exposure to air pollutants than adults because of their higher physical activity, higher metabolic rate and the resultant increase in minute ventilation. The aim of this study was to examine the exposure characteristics of public elementary schools in Prague (the capital of the Czech Republic).

Methods: The exposure was examined by two different methods: by the proximity of selected schools to major urban roads and their location within the modeled urban PM10 concentration fields. We determined average daily traffic counts for all roads within 300 m of 251 elementary schools using the national road network database and geographic information system and calculated by means of GIS tools the proximity of the schools to the roads. In the second method we overlapped the GIS layer of predicted annual urban PM10 concentration field with that of geocoded school addresses.

Results: The results showed that 208 Prague schools (almost 80%) are situated in a close proximity (<300 m) of roads exhibiting high traffic loads. Both methods showed good agreement in the proportion of highly exposed schools at risk; however, we found significant differences in the locations of schools at risk determined by the two methods.

Conclusion: We argue that results of similar proximity studies should be treated with caution before they are used in risk based decision-making process, since different methods may provide different outcomes.

Keywords: GIS, schools, traffic pollution, traffic density, particulate matter, health effects

Received: October 27, 2014; Revised: August 18, 2015; Accepted: August 18, 2015; Published: June 1, 2016  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Štych P, Šrámková D, Braniš M. Assessment of Exposure of Elementary Schools to Traffic Pollution by GIS Methods. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2016;24(2):109-114. PubMed PMID: 27434240.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Stieb DM, Judek S, Burnett RT. Meta-analysis of time-series studies of air pollution and mortality: effects of gases and particulates and the influence of cause of death, age and season. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2002 Apr;52(4):470-84. Go to original source...
    2. Pope CA 3rd., Burnett RT, Thurston G, Thun M, Calle EE, Krewski D, et al. Cardiovascular mortality and long-term exposure to particulate air pollution: epidemiological evidence of general pathophysiological pathways of disease. Circulation. 2004;109(1):71-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Janssen NA, de Hartog JJ, Hoek G, Brunekreef B, Lanki T, Timonen KL, et al. Personal exposure to fine particulate matter in elderly subjects: relation between personal, indoor and outdoor concentrations. JAir Waste Manag Assoc. 2000;50(7):1133-43. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. WheelerAJ, Williams I, Beaumont RA, Hamilton RS. Characterisation of particulate matter sampled during a study of children's personal exposure to airborne particulate matter in a UK urban environment. Environ Monit Assess. 2000;65(1):69-77. Go to original source...
    5. Sarnat JA, Koutrakis P, Suh HH. Assessing the relationship between personal particulate and gaseous exposures of senior citizens living in Baltimore, MD. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2000 Jul;50(7):1184-98. Go to original source...
    6. Harrison RM, Thornton CA, Lawrence RG, Mark D, Kinerslay RP,Ayers JG. Personal exposure monitoring of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide, including susceptible groups. Occup Environ Med. 2002; 59(10):671-9. Go to original source...
    7. Liu LJ, Box M, Kalman D, Kaufman J, Koenig J, Larson T, et al. Exposure assessment of particulate matter for susceptible populations in Seattle. Environ Health Perspect. 2003;111(7):909-18. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Schwartz J.Air pollution and children's health. Pediatrics. 2004Apr;113(4 Suppl):1037-43. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Salvi S. Health effects of ambient air pollution in children. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2007;8(4):275-80. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Bennett WD, Zeman KL. Deposition of fine particles in children spontaneously breathing at rest. Inhal Toxicol. 1998;10(9):831-42. Go to original source...
    11. Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Gilliland F, Vora H, Thomas D, Berhane K, et al. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(11):1057-67. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Janssen NA, Hoek G, Harssema H, Brunekreef B. Childhood exposure to PM10: relation between personal, classroom, and outdoor concentrations. Occup Environ Med. 1997;54(12):888-94. Go to original source...
    13. Green RS, Smorodinsky S, Kim JJ, McLaughlin R, Ostro B. Proximity of California public schools to busy roads. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112(1):61-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. WuYC, Batterman SA. Proximity of schools in Detroit, Michigan to automobile and truck traffic. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2006;16(5):45770. Go to original source...
    15. Chakraborty J, Zandbergen PA. Children at risk: measuring racial/ethnic disparities in potential exposure to air pollution at school and home. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007;61(12):1074-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Appatova AS, Ryan PH, LeMasters GK, Grinshpun SA. Proximal exposure of public schools and students to major roadways: a nationwide US survey. J Environ Plann Manag. 2008;51(5):631-46. Go to original source...
    17. Amram O, Abernethy R, Brauer M, Davies H, Allen RW. Proximity of public elementary schools to major roads in Canadian urban areas. Int J Health Geogr. 2011 Dec 21;10:68. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. van Vliet P, Knape M, de Hartog J, Janssen N, Harssema H, Brunekreef B. Motor vehicle exhaust and chronic respiratory symptoms in children living near freeways. Environ Res. 1997; 74(2):122-32. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Edwards J, Walter S, Griffiths RK. Hospital admissions for asthma in preschool children: Relationship to major roads in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Arch Environ Health. 1994;49(4):223-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Karner AA, Eisinger DS, Niemeier DA. Near-roadway air quality: synthesizing the findings from real-world data. Environ Sci Technol. 2010;44(14):5334-44. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Wjst M, Reitmeir P, Dold S, WulffA, Nicolai T, von Loeffelholz-Colberg EF, et al. Road traffic and adverse effects on respiratory health in children. BMJ. 1993;307(6904):596-600. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. WHOAir quality guidelines for particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide: summary of risk assessment. Global update 2005. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2006.

    Return to the content