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Assessing Ultrafine Particle Exposure and Socioeconomic Status in Montreal Neighbourhoods

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Speak with Alessya Venuta about her practicum on January 31st from 4:00-4:30pm via this .

Video Presentation

View Alessya Venuta's poster presentation in this video recording: 

Abstract

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Black carbon and ultrafine particles are important components traffic-associated air pollution, varying greatly over spatial gradients in urban environments. Both constituents are associated with adverse cardiopulmonary health outcomes, but their effects vary across population subgroups. This project explores variations of ultrafine particle exposure across areas of different median household income in Montreal using 2016 Canadian census data. 

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UFP and BC concentrations were measured along with temperature data using fixed-site (31 and 69 sites, respectively) and mobile-site monitoring during summer 2021 on the island of Montreal. Fixed-site UFP data was combined with geospatial data to create map visualizations. Multivariate regression was used to estimate the effect size of median household income on ultrafine particle numbers, adjusted for ambient temperature.  

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UFP number concentrations vary between Montreal census subdivisions and also within said subdivisions. Weak negative associations were found between census subdivision socioeconomic status and mean UFP concentration. Spatial data visualisations were created to represent these differences. SES status alone cannot predict UFP exposure within a given area. 

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Fixed-site and mobile monitoring of black carbon, ultrafine particles, O3 and NO2 will be used to create models of traffic-related outdoor air pollutants in Montreal and Toronto. Exploring the relationship between UFP and BC gradients in areas of varying socioeconomic status is an important first step in assessing whether SES can predict UFP exposure. Environmental inequities related to urban outdoor air pollution must be elucidated to assess whether individuals of lower socioeconomic status are disproportionately affected by spatial variations in exposure and assess the risks from a population health perspective.  

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