https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6698-6165
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ABSTRACT
Springtime road dust is a common air quality concern for northern latitudes communities. Traction material, brake wear, tire wear, and other particles entrained in snow during winter become re-suspended into the air as the snow melts. Characterization of within-season variability of road dust composition and weather conditions is critical to understanding its acute health impacts. Sixty 24-hour samples of PM10 were collected with a high-volume sampler at a near-road site in Prince George, British Columbia. Near-road samples were collected intermittently in winter and daily in spring. All samples were analyzed for 18 trace elements. We used data from a nearby regulatory monitor to estimate daily coarse fraction (PM10–2.5). Proportion of PM10–2.5 in PM10 was used to classify days as high or low road dust based on a threshold of 65% PM10–2.5. We identified clusters of near-road samples based on weather parameters and PM10 components using Bayesian profile regression (BPR). Twenty-one near-road PM10 samples were classified as high road dust days and 34 as low road dust days. Concentrations of total trace elements and specific trace elements were significantly higher on high road dust days (aluminum, chromium, iron, lead, tin, vanadium, and zinc). High road dust days also had low relative humidity and precipitation and higher temperature and air pressure. We identified five clusters of near-road PM10 mixtures that suggested an interaction between temperature and humidity for road dust impacts. Samples from a near-road site indicated days highly affected by springtime road dust are distinct from other days based on particulate mixtures and meteorological factors. Higher loading of trace element mixtures in PM10 on high road dust days has important implications for acute toxicity of road dust. Relationships between road dust and weather may facilitate further research into health effects of road dust as the climate changes.
Implications: Non-tailpipe emissions driven by springtime road dust in northern latitude communities is increasing in importance for air pollution control and improving our understanding of the health effects of chemical mixtures from particulate matter exposure. High-volume samples from a near-road site indicated that days affected by springtime road dust are substantively different from other days with respect to particulate matter mixture composition and meteorological drivers. The high load of trace elements in PM10 on high road dust days has important implications for the acute toxicity of inhaled air and subsequent health effects. The complex relationships between road dust and weather identified in this study may facilitate further research on the health effects of chemical mixtures related to road dust while also highlighting potential changes in this unique form of air pollution as the climate changes.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank our colleagues at Health Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and UBC for supporting loan of the sampling equipment.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
Raw data were generated at the BCCDC. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [ESC] on request.
Supplementary data
Supplemental data for this paper can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2023.2186964
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Funding
Notes on contributors
Eric S. Coker
Eric S. Coker is an environmental health scientist at British Columbia Centre for Disease Control with expertise in environmental epidemiology and exposure science.
Nikita Saha Turna
Nikita Saha Turna is a toxicologist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
Mya Schouwenburg
Mya Schouwenburg is a chemical analyst at the University of Northern BC with expertise in industrial hygiene.
Ahmad Jalil
Ahmad Jalil is a student research assistant at the University of Northern BC (UNBC) with expertise.
Charles Bradshaw
Charles Bradshaw is a chemical analyst at the University of BC.
Michael Kuo
Michael Kuo is a Data Analyst with the BC CDC.
Molly Mastel
Molly Mastel is a Research Assistant with the BC CDC with expertise in industrial hygiene.
Hossein Kazemian
Hossein Kazemian is a chemist and adjunct professor at UNBC with many years of experience as a senior analytical, environmental and material chemist and a team leader in both academia and industry with extensive background on synthesis, characterization, properties and environmental applications (for water, air and soil remediation processes) of porous zeolitic materials from natural and synthetic zeolite to MOFs and ZIFs.
Meghan Roushorne
Meghan Roushorne is an Air Quality and Health Specialist with Health Canada.
Sarah B. Henderson
Sarah B. Henderson is the scientific director of Environmental Health Services at BCCDC and of the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health.