HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION AIR POLLUTION MONITORING IN A MEGA-CITY:
IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

(MONITOREO DE CONTAMINACIÓN DEL AIRE DE ALTA RESOLUCIÓN ESPACIAL EN UNA MEGA CIUDAD:
IMPLICACIONES EN LA EVALUACIÓN DE LA EXPOSICIÓN HUMANA Y EN JUSTICIA AMBIENTAL)

Widely-spaced, fixed site air quality monitors remain important for long-term assessment of air pollution control strategies. However, fixed site monitoring stations are not capable of measuring with high spatial resolution the elevated pollutant concentrations, and sharp concentration gradients, immediately downwind of mobile source emissions from roadways or point sources such as ports, refineries and airports.

To address this limitation of fixed site monitors we have equipped an electric vehicle, which has no emissions of its own, with real-time instruments for ultra-fine particles, black carbon, NO/NO2, CO and other key gaseous and particulate air pollutants. Using this mobile monitoring platform we have mapped the spatially- and temporally-resolved air pollutant concentrations and gradients downwind of important emission sources in the Los Angeles basin, including in neighborhoods of widely different socio-economic status.

The results we will present have significant air pollutant exposure and health implications for the populations downwind of these sources. Our data also reveal a pattern of pollution disparity between neighborhoods, raising environmental justice and land-use concerns. Given that Los Angeles is an enormous region housing 20 million people of great diversity, as well as 10 million vehicles, both the use of an electric vehicle mobile monitoring platform and our experimental observations may be relevant to other mega-cities with significant air pollution problems.


Dr. Arthur M. Winer.