Abstract
We investigated commuter exposure to volatile organic compounds in the metropolitan area of Mexico City in 2011 in private car, microbus, bus, metro, metrobus, and trolley bus. A similar survey was conducted in 2002 before initiation of the ProAire2002–2010 program aimed at reducing air pollution. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene were sampled while traveling during the morning rush hour in May 2011. Compared with the 2002 survey, in-vehicle concentrations were substantially lower in 2011, except for formaldehyde in microbuses (35% higher than in 2002). The reductions were 17–42% (except microbuses), 25–44%, 41–61%, 43–61%, 71–79%, 80–91%, and 79–93% for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene, respectively. These reductions are considered to be the outcome of some of the actions in the ProAire2002–2010 program. In some microbuses, use of liquid petroleum gas may have increased in-vehicle formaldehyde concentrations. The reduction in predicted excess cancer incidence of commuters because of ProAire2002–2010 was estimated to be 1.4 cases/yr. In addition, if every microbus commuter changed their transport mode to bus, metro, or metrobus in the future, the estimated excess cancer incidence of commuters could be further decreased from 6.4 to 0.88–2.2 cases/year.
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Acknowledgements
This study was conducted as part of the “Joint Research Project on the Formation Mechanism of Ozone, VOCs, and PM2.5 and Proposal of Countermeasure Scenarios” funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency and Japan International Cooperation Agency under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development program.
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Shinohara, N., Ángeles, F., Basaldud, R. et al. Reductions in commuter exposure to volatile organic compounds in Mexico City due to the environmental program ProAire2002–2010. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27, 339–345 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.31