Babies in bike trailers exposed to higher levels of pollutants than
their parents

Date:
February 10, 2022
Source:
University of Surrey
Summary:
Babies and children sitting in bicycle trailers breathe in more
polluted air than the adults riding the bikes that pull them ---
but trailer covers can help halve air pollution levels.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Babies and children sitting in bicycle trailers breathe in more polluted
air than the adults riding the bikes that pull them -- but trailer
covers can help halve air pollution levels, according to research from
the University of Surrey.


==========================================================================
In research published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances,
Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) found that on
journeys typical of school or nursery runs, the average concentration
of coarse air pollution particles in a bike trailer is 14% higher than
at cyclist height and 18% higher than cyclist height in the afternoons
when parents or carers typically collect children.

The researchers found that young children were exposed to even higher concentrations of air pollution during peak morning periods at urban
pollution hotspots, such as traffic lights.

Air pollution is a leading cause of death in children under the age
of five.

Professor Prashant Kumar, Founding Director of GCARE at the University
of Surrey, said: "It's unfortunate that the very people who help
minimise pollution by cycling rather than driving can be exposing
their children to higher levels of pollution, and I'd encourage adults
pulling bike trailers to use covers in heavy traffic. With the use of electric-assisted cargo bikes growing rapidly in Europe, it's crucial
traffic planners ensure road infrastructure is designed to enable safe
use of sustainable transport options." In their peer-reviewed study,
the GCARE researchers detailed how they simulated the exposure profiles
of an adult cyclist and young children sitting in a bike trailer attached
to it for multiple air pollutants during the school runs in the morning
and afternoon hours. Taking measurements on over 80 runs covering 176km,
the researchers assessed the differences in exposure concentrations on
the bike compared within the trailer.

The researchers compared pollution in bike trailers with and without
covers, finding that concerned parents and carers can reduce their
children's exposure to pollutants by using a trailer cover. Covers halved
the levels of fine particles in trailers during peak morning hours.

The study also discussed the impact of lockdown restrictions. When schools
were closed and vehicle journeys limited to essential travel at the start
of last year, bike trailer concentrations of fine pollution particles
were reduced by up to 91% compared with the eased lockdown period when
schools re-opened in March 2021.

In future, the researchers hope to secure funding to continue their
research so they can build an exposure profile database in a variety of
bike trailers under diverse traffic and built environmental conditions.

Indoor and outdoor air pollution is estimated by the World Health
Organization to be a leading cause of one in ten deaths in children under
the age of five years, a group particularly vulnerable to the negative
health impacts of air pollution. In 2016 alone, exposure to outdoor air pollution led to nearly 543,000 premature deaths of children worldwide
under the age of five.

This work was supported by the EPSRC MAPE project (Project Reference
1948919) and builds upon previous GCARE research into citizen science
as a part of Guildford Living Lab, school guidance and pram exposure
and mitigation studies, as well as ESPRC COTRACE project.

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may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ashish Sharma, Prashant Kumar. Air pollution exposure assessment
simulation of babies in a bike trailer and implication for
mitigation measures. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances,
2022; 100050 DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100050 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220210084957.htm

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