(503e) Comparing Cyclist Air Pollution Exposures in Major Cities in the United States

Air pollution exposure during outdoor activity is associated with decreased maximum oxygen consumption, increased heart rate, decreased maximum activity time, decreased maximum heart rate, and decreased performance. While the current scientific evidence suggests that the benefits of increased activity outweigh the consequences of air pollution exposure, at least in areas like the United States, it also suggests the importance of taking measures to minimize exposure by carefully considering the time and location of the activity. In this project, we estimate the air pollution exposure to cyclists in major cities throughout the United States. We use publically shared cycling route data to estimate the routes cyclists take in each city. We use satellite-derived land-use regression estimates for NOx and particulate matter concentrations for each census block-group developed by the Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions (Kim et al. 2018). Based on initial results, cyclists in cities with lower cycling-commuter rates tend to experience lower air pollutant exposures, likely due to decreased amounts of cycling in the dense urban core. For example, Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL, which have relatively high cycling commuter rates (1.8% and 1.2%, respectively), have relatively high average NOx exposure concentrations (21.714 ppb and 20.617 ppb, respectively). By contrast, cyclists in Detroit, MI and San Antonio, TX, both cities with low cycling commuter rates (0.6% and 0.2%, respectively), had much lower average NOx exposure concentrations (12.153 ppb and 7.129 ppb, respectively). Ultimately, the findings will help active commuters on a personal level recognize the effect that their route and mode of transportation have on their exposure to air pollution. On a larger scale, these findings may encourage infrastructure development which mitigates some of the air pollution exposure of active commuters.