Proximity of licensed child care facilities to near-roadway vehicle pollution.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed child care facilities' proximity to heavily traveled roadways in an attempt to estimate the extent of potential exposure of young children to vehicle-related pollution in this understudied microenvironment.


METHODS
We examined approximately 24,000 licensed child care facilities in California located within 200 m of heavily traveled roadways.


RESULTS
Approximately 57000 of the available slots in California child care centers (7% of the overall capacity) are in facilities located within 200 m (650 ft) of roadways averaging 50000 or more vehicles per day, and another 172000 (21%) are in facilities located within 200 m of roadways averaging 25,000 to 49,000 vehicles per day. Facilities providing care to infants or preschool-aged children and facilities located in disadvantaged areas were more often situated in medium-or high-traffic areas.


CONCLUSIONS
Additional research is needed to further clarify the significance of the child care microenvironment in terms of potential childhood exposures to vehicle-related pollutants. Design strategies, notification standards, and distance-based siting restrictions should be considered in the facility licensing process and in land use and transportation planning.
Houston
Douglas
D
Department of Urban Planning, Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656, USA. dhouston@ucla.edu
Ong
Paul
P
Wu
Jun
J
Winer
Arthur
A
D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008004:Licensure; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014186:Transportation; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
D001335:Vehicle Emissions