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Abstract
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.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Trucking Industry Particle Study is funded by the National Cancer Institute (grant number CA 9072). The authors wish to acknowledge the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Health and Safety Office and the excellent assistance provided by the many managers and workers of the participating trucking companies we visited.
The authors would also like to acknowledge the field work of Kevin Lane and Drew Blicharz at the trucking terminals and in the lab; their labor and dedication to the study made the research possible.
Notes
AWind Speed Classification: Light (0.45 to 2.23 m/s); Moderate (2.23 to 6.70 m/sec).