Estimating NO2 Level from Traffic Exposure Using GIS and GLM

• Activity Number: 422
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics and the Environment
• Author(s): Keita Ebisu*+ and Michelle L. Bell and Lisa McKay and Janneane F. Gent and Kathleen Belanger and Michael B. Bracken and Brian P. Leaderer and Theodore R. Holford
• Companies: Yale University and Yale University and Yale University and Yale University and Yale University and Yale University and Yale University and Yale University
• Keywords: Traffic Dispersion Modeling ; Geographic Information System ; Generalized Linear Models

Abstract

Vehicular exhaust is an important exposure source of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which may exacerbate respiratory symptoms. Several studies have modeled traffic exposure with distance from residence to roadways, but this metric does not capture traffic density or complicated roadway patterns. To incorporate these variables, we used generalized linear modeling with Geographic Information System technology. In the model, exposure from traffic is expressed as an integral of a function that is proportional to average daily traffic and a nonparametric dispersion function that takes the form of a step, polynomial, or spline model. To illustrate the method, an association between traffic exposure and NO2 level of 138 residential monitors in Connecticut was performed. As a second example, traffic-related health effect on wheeze symptoms for 761 infants was studied.