Inequality in personal exposure to air pollution in transport microenvironments for commuters in Bogotá
Luis A. Guzmán, Carlos Beltrán, Ricardo Morales, Olga L. Sarmiento
Abstract
Commuters in Bogotá (Colombia) are exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants, in part, due to their proximity to mobile sources. This paper analyzes current inequalities in the potential daily inhaled dose of particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and carbon monoxide (CO) that commuters experience in transport microenvironments according to their socioeconomic background and travel patterns in Bogotá. We use data reported from in-situ measurements of personal exposure to air pollutants in different transport modes and several locations across the city as well as detailed commuter travel time and travel choice data from a city-wide household mobility survey. The personal exposure data together with the mobility survey are then used to estimate the potential inhaled dose of commuters in different transport modes and to investigate the potential associations between the most salient features of commuter exposure. We found larger inequalities in the potential daily inhaled dose of air pollutants between the lowest and the highest quintile of the population distribution. The results also suggest that inequality is largely explained by the transport mode of commuters and travel time. Results are useful for informing further public policies aimed at minimizing air pollution exposure and decreasing the current exposure inequalities, particularly to improve the disadvantaged situation of the low-income population.