Exposure to ultrafine particles while walking or bicycling during COVID-19 closures: A repeated measures study in Copenhagen, Denmark.

ABSTRACT: Ultrafine particles (UFP; particulate matter <0.1 μm diameter) emitted from motorized traffic may be highly detrimental to health. Active mobility (walking, bicycling) is increasingly encouraged as a way to reduce traffic congestion and increase physical activity levels. However, it has raised concerns of increased exposure to UFP, due to increased breathing rates in traffic microenvironments, immediately close to their source. The recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) societal closures reduced commuting needs, allowing a natural experiment to estimate contributions from motorized traffic to UFP exposure while walking or bicycling. From late-March to mid-July 2020, UFP was repeatedly measured while walking or bicycling, capturing local COVID-19 closure ('Phase 0') and subsequent phase

SUBMITTER: Bergmann ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8178061 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature