Human exposure to traffic pollution. Experience from Danish studies*
Ole Hertel1**, Steen Solvang Jensen1, Helle Vibeke
Andersen1, Finn Palmgren1, Peter Wåhlin1,
Henrik Skov1, Ivan Vejsgaard Nielsen1, Mette Sørensen2,
Steffen Loft2, and Ole Raaschou-Nielsen3
1National Environmental
Research Institute, Department of Atmospheric Environment, P. O. Box
358, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; 2Institute
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Panum, Blegdamsvej 3, Copenhagen
DK-2200 N, Denmark; 3Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish
Cancer Society, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark
Abstract: Air pollution may have severe long-term as well as
short-term health effects. The determination of possible links between
pollution levels and impact on human health is, however, not a straightforward
task. A key problem is the assessment of human exposure to ambient pollution
levels. In later years, the possible role of particulate pollution as
a health hazard has drawn major attention and is, therefore, the subject
of research projects in many countries including Denmark. The present
paper gives a review of recent and ongoing/planned Danish air pollution
exposure studies. Furthermore, key results from Danish studies of ultrafine
particles from urban traffic are outlined. The exposure studies show
that air pollution models may be strong tools in impact assessment studies,
especially when used in combination with personal exposure monitoring
and application of biomarkers. Personal exposure measurements in Copenhagen
indicate that indoor pollution levels may be very important for the
personal exposure to fine fraction particles (PM2.5). Measurements
with a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) in Danish urban areas show
that number concentrations of ultrafine particles (<100 nm) in busy
streets are strongly correlated with classic traffic pollutants such
as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. The number concentrations in
urban Danish streets have decreased considerably between two campaigns
in 1999 and 2000, apparently as a result of reductions in sulfur contents
in Danish diesel fuels that took place in July 1999.
*Lectures presented at the International Symposium
on Green Chemistry, Delhi, India, 10-13 January 2001. Other presentations
are published in this issue, pp. 77-203.
** Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected];
Tel.: +45 46301148; Fax: +45 46301214. Member of the IUPAC Commission
on Atmospheric Chemistry and Commission on Toxicology