Effects of wind on background particle concentrations at truck freight terminals.
Truck freight terminals are predominantly located near highways and industrial facilities. This proximity to pollution sources, coupled with meteorological conditions and wind patterns, may affect occupational exposures to particles at these work locations. To understand this process, data from an environmental sampling study of particles at U.S. trucking terminals, along with weather and geographic maps, were analyzed to determine the extent to which the transportation of particles from local pollutant sources elevated observed occupational exposures at these locations. To help identify potential upwind sources, wind direction weighted averages and speed measurements were used to construct wind roses that were superimposed on overhead photos of the terminal and examined for upwind source activity. Statistical tests were performed on these "source" and "nonsource" directions to determine whether there were significant differences in observed particle levels between the two groups. Our results provide evidence that nearby upwind pollution sources significantly elevated background concentrations at only a few of the locations sampled, whereas the majority provided little to no evidence of a significant upwind source effect.
Garcia
Ronald
R
Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hart
Jaime E
JE
Davis
Mary E
ME
Reaser
Paul
P
Natkin
Jonathan
J
Laden
Francine
F
Garshick
Eric
E
Smith
Thomas J
TJ
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D014186:Transportation; D014481:United States; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*; D014919:Wind
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions