Abstract:
The New York City (NYC) subway system accommodates 5.5 million daily commuters, and the environment within the subway is known to have high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. Naturally, subway air pollution varies among individuals according to their mobility patterns, introducing the possibility of inequality in PM2.5 exposure. This study aims to evaluate individual and community-level exposure to subway PM2.5. We simulated the intracity home-to-work trip patterns using the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) records of 3.1 million working commuters across 34,169 census blocks in four boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx) of NYC. We incorporated the on-platform and on-train measured PM2.5 concentration data for the entire subway system. The mean underground platform concentration in the city was 139 μg/m3 with a standard deviation of 25 μg/m3, while the on-train concentration when underground was 99 μg/m3 with a standard deviation of 21 μg/m3. Using a network model, we determined the exposure of individual commuters during their daily home-work trips. We quantified the mean per capita exposure at the census block level by considering the proportion of workers within the blocks who rely on the subway for their work commute. Results indicate statistically significant weak positive correlation between elevated subway PM2.5 exposure and economically disadvantaged and racial minority groups.
摘要:
纽约市(NYC)的地铁系统每天可容纳550万通勤者,已知地铁内的环境具有高浓度的细颗粒物(PM2.5)污染。自然,地铁空气污染因人而异,在PM2.5暴露中引入不平等的可能性。本研究旨在评估个人和社区水平对地铁PM2.5的暴露。我们使用纵向雇主-家庭动态(LEHD)记录模拟了四个行政区(曼哈顿,布鲁克林,皇后区,和纽约的布朗克斯)。我们纳入了整个地铁系统的平台上和火车上测量的PM2.5浓度数据。城市的平均地下平台浓度为139μg/m3,标准偏差为25μg/m3,而地下时的火车上浓度为99μg/m3,标准偏差为21μg/m3。使用网络模型,我们确定了通勤者在日常回家旅行中的暴露情况。通过考虑街区内依赖地铁通勤的工人比例,我们量化了人口普查街区级别的人均平均暴露量。结果表明,地铁PM2.5暴露量升高与经济上处于不利地位和种族少数群体之间具有统计学意义的弱正相关。