Mobile monitoring of air pollution in cities: the case of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Air pollution in urban centres is increasing, with burgeoning population and increased traffic and industry. The detrimental impact on population health has been the focus of many epidemiological studies. Some cities are fortunate to have one, or at most a few, sparsely spaced fixed air quality monitors, which provide much needed daily data. However, fixed monitors do not accurately depict the spatial distribution of air pollution over the extent of an urban area nor can they target areas for focused surveys. We have used mobile monitoring to improve spatial coverage of pollution concentrations over the city of Hamilton, Ontario and to enhance our knowledge of the short-term bursts of pollution to which the population is exposed. Mobile surveys have been carried out in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada since 2005. Results for two pollutants,