Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises
Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution even at relatively low concentrations is associated with adverse health effects especially for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing chronic disease. Due to a variety of urban planning decisions, essential building premises attended by these v...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | City and Environment Interactions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590252023000181 |
| _version_ | 1797398521198936064 |
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| author | Grace W. Lee Joe Van Buskirk Edward Jegasothy Luke D. Knibbs Christine Cowie Geoffrey G. Morgan |
| author_facet | Grace W. Lee Joe Van Buskirk Edward Jegasothy Luke D. Knibbs Christine Cowie Geoffrey G. Morgan |
| author_sort | Grace W. Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution even at relatively low concentrations is associated with adverse health effects especially for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing chronic disease. Due to a variety of urban planning decisions, essential building premises attended by these vulnerable groups may be sited in locations exposed to higher levels of air pollution. Using high spatial resolution air pollution concentrations estimated by satellite-based Land Use Regression (LUR) models in Australia, we mapped and approximated the annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at schools, child care centres, aged care facilities and hospitals across Sydney. We found that 137 (3.1 %) and 287 (6.4 %) of the total number of essential buildings assessed were exposed to annual average PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations, respectively, where: the air pollutant concentrations were greater than the median concentration of other locations in the surrounding Local Government Area (LGA), and; air pollutant levels were greater than the 90th percentile concentrations for Sydney, and; air pollution at the essential building location was at least 1 µg/m3 for PM2.5 or 2 ppb for NO2 greater than the 25th percentile concentration of other locations in the LGA. Based on these criteria, we found that many essential building premises in Sydney were in high air pollution locations and there were other meaningfully lower air pollution locations within the surrounding area. Air quality is becoming an increasingly important issue for local jurisdictions to consider as more essential amenities are required to serve denser populations in busier places exposed to more air pollution. Our study showed that high resolution maps can be used as a health-based planning tool to encourage the siting of buildings at locations better protective of health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9fa6545e2874204be285c68ff44fe67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-2520 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:26:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | City and Environment Interactions |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9fa6545e2874204be285c68ff44fe672023-12-10T06:17:30ZengElsevierCity and Environment Interactions2590-25202023-12-0120100116Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premisesGrace W. Lee0Joe Van Buskirk1Edward Jegasothy2Luke D. Knibbs3Christine Cowie4Geoffrey G. Morgan5Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; University Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Lismore, NSW 2480, AustraliaSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; Public Health Research Analytics and Methods for Evidence, Public Health Unit, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW 2050, AustraliaSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; University Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia; Centre for Safe Air, National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; Public Health Research Analytics and Methods for Evidence, Public Health Unit, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; Centre for Safe Air, National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaSouth West Sydney Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia; Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia; Centre for Safe Air, National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; University Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia; Centre for Safe Air, National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia; Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) National Research Network, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Corresponding author at: Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, AustraliaLong-term exposure to ambient air pollution even at relatively low concentrations is associated with adverse health effects especially for children, the elderly and people with pre-existing chronic disease. Due to a variety of urban planning decisions, essential building premises attended by these vulnerable groups may be sited in locations exposed to higher levels of air pollution. Using high spatial resolution air pollution concentrations estimated by satellite-based Land Use Regression (LUR) models in Australia, we mapped and approximated the annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at schools, child care centres, aged care facilities and hospitals across Sydney. We found that 137 (3.1 %) and 287 (6.4 %) of the total number of essential buildings assessed were exposed to annual average PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations, respectively, where: the air pollutant concentrations were greater than the median concentration of other locations in the surrounding Local Government Area (LGA), and; air pollutant levels were greater than the 90th percentile concentrations for Sydney, and; air pollution at the essential building location was at least 1 µg/m3 for PM2.5 or 2 ppb for NO2 greater than the 25th percentile concentration of other locations in the LGA. Based on these criteria, we found that many essential building premises in Sydney were in high air pollution locations and there were other meaningfully lower air pollution locations within the surrounding area. Air quality is becoming an increasingly important issue for local jurisdictions to consider as more essential amenities are required to serve denser populations in busier places exposed to more air pollution. Our study showed that high resolution maps can be used as a health-based planning tool to encourage the siting of buildings at locations better protective of health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590252023000181Air pollutionParticulate MatterNO2ExposureBuildingsVulnerable populations |
| spellingShingle | Grace W. Lee Joe Van Buskirk Edward Jegasothy Luke D. Knibbs Christine Cowie Geoffrey G. Morgan Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises City and Environment Interactions Air pollution Particulate Matter NO2 Exposure Buildings Vulnerable populations |
| title | Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises |
| title_full | Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises |
| title_fullStr | Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises |
| title_short | Cleaner air for vulnerable people – Finding better locations for essential building premises |
| title_sort | cleaner air for vulnerable people finding better locations for essential building premises |
| topic | Air pollution Particulate Matter NO2 Exposure Buildings Vulnerable populations |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590252023000181 |
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