Abstract
Background: Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are airborne particulate matter less than 100nm in diameter. They have more potential for lung deposition and translocation to other parts of the body than the other larger particulate matter. UFPs are suspended for a longer period in the air than the larger particles and are more conveniently evaluated by measurements of particle number concentration (PNC) rather than mass concentration. The concentration of UFPs varies greatly within a city, with the concentration close to the highways about 25% higher than the concentration far away from the highway. There is an underlying principle that low-income populations are more exposed to air pollutants and are more susceptible to exposure-related health outcomes than the high socio-economic status population, thereby creating environmental-driven health inequalities across a population. This project therefore evaluated the spatial and temporal variation of UFPs by income level in the Montreal neighborhoods, through a short-term mobile monitoring campaign.
Data Collection and Analyses: data was collected for a period of 1 month in Villa-Marie, Hochelaga, Westmont and Outremont using a bicycle. Testo DiSCmini nanoparticle counter set to 1-second resolution was used for the data collection. A GPS monitor also set at 1-second resolution was used to concurrently collect GPS coordinates along the cycling routes. Each neighborhood was cycled in the morning and afternoon for 5 days in the summer months of June and July 2022. The data was analysed in RStudio, and the results presented in tables, boxplots, and maps.
Result/conclusion: the results showed no clear relationship between neighborhood’s income level and ultrafine particles concentration. However, the small sample size limits me from drawing a valid conclusion from this study. However, there was a great temporal and spatial variation of the particles in the neighborhoods. The particles’ concentrations in the morning are greater than the concentrations in the afternoon in all the neighborhoods. Evidence from other studies show that weather conditions such as temperature, and wind speed/direction along with traffic levels could explain these differences in concentration of UFPs.