CARTEEH’s research program includes a collaborative program with joint projects conducted by consortium members and a competitive program administered by individual consortium members. These projects together address important research needs that synergize the expertise of the various partners.
Our current collaborative and competitive research projects are listed below.
Urban and Transportation Planning and Health: A Literature Review, a Conceptual and a Quantitative Health Impact Assessment Model (TTI-01-17-SI)
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the global population is projected to live in urban areas. Because the environments we inhabit affect our health, urban and transportation planning and policy that promote healthy living are urgently needed. In this work, we start by reviewing the literature linking urban and transportation planning and policy to human health outcomes, focusing on cities. We detail the relationship between mobility and public health. Mobility (or transportation) is influenced by four factors: transportation mode, emergent and disruptive technology, transportation infrastructure, and the land use and built environment of an area. Each of these determine how we choose to move ourselves and goods, and each of these choices levies a public health implication. Further, we synthesize the literature and, using co-production methods, formulate a high-level framework highlighting the linkages between health and transportation planning and policy. We assess the collective literature and shed light on where studies are clustered, as well as where they are lacking. In an attempt to quantify these impacts and inform policy makers — and focusing on premature mortality — we undertake a statewide health impact assessment. In the health impact assessment, we estimate the number of premature deaths preventable by modifying various urban and transportation related exposures.
Assessing Regulatory Compliance and Community Air Pollution Impacts of Crude Oil by Rail Transport in Baltimore City, Maryland (JHU-01-07)
Lead: Johns Hopkins University
Increases in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, in the Bakken Shale region of the United States have resulted in the transport of enormous volumes of crude oil by rail (CBR) across the country to refineries and ports along both the East and West Coasts. Baltimore City has been a hub for CBR transport throughout the fracking boom, due to its central location along the Eastern Shoreline and service as a transfer station along the Chesapeake Bay. This study will characterize CBR shipments in Baltimore City, and their impacts on local communities. Issues of regulatory compliance, impacts on measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in residential areas, and best practices in protecting community health will be addressed.
Particulate Matter Exposure for Paratransit Transport(GT-01-08)
Lead: Georgia Institute of Technology
Paratransit transport typically provides transportation options for seniors and individuals that cannot access the fixed route bus or rail system. As the US population ages, there is an increasing number of people with limited transportation options, who have to rely on services such as paratransit. Little is known about the emissions characteristics of paratransit vehicles, and the exposures faced by paratransit riders, both onboard the vehicles and while waiting at stops. This study will characterize the Particulate Matter (PM) emissions exposures inside the cabin of paratransit buses, as well as in waiting areas, and provide an understanding of the exposures of a vulnerable user group.
Measuring Temporal and Spatial Exposure of Urban Cyclists to Air Pollutants Using an Instrumented Bicycle (GT-01-09)
Lead: Georgia Institute of Technology
Increased use of active transportation can make direct and indirect contributions toward addressing health concerns arising from sedentary lifestyles and other societal transportation issues. However, in the process of cycling for transportation, cyclists themselves are exposed to pollutants that could adversely impact their health. The goal of this study is to better understand local cyclist exposure to air pollutants and variations by route and time of day. Data collection will be done using an instrumented bicycle, and the pollutant exposure of cyclists on parallel routes between major origin‐destination pairs will then be mapped.
Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Childhood Asthma in the United States: A Burden of Disease Assessment (TTI-01-10)
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Asthma is a chronic airway disease characterized by episodes of coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. Around 6 million children in the United States are affected by asthma, making the condition the most common chronic lung disease in childhood. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) may be an important exposure contributing to the development of childhood asthma. Yet the burden of incident childhood asthma, attributable to TRAP, is poorly documented. This study builds on past research and models to estimate the burden of incident childhood asthma, attributable to traffic-related air pollution within the contiguous United States.
Characterizing In-Cab Air Quality in Heavy Duty Diesel Construction Equipment (TTI-01-11)
Lead: Texas A&M University
The goal of this project is to collect and analyze air quality data inside cabs of heavy-duty diesel construction equipment. Virtually nothing is known about indoor air quality (IAQ) in heavy duty diesel (HDD) construction equipment cabs. Previous research on other vehicles such as school buses found that intrusion of the vehicle’s own exhaust into the cab after emission from the tailpipe is a significant source of passenger exposure to diesel-related pollutants. This study will provide empirical evidence regarding the infiltration of emissions, IAQ and operator exposure in HDD construction equipment cabs.
QuantifyingPotential Impacts of Bioavailable Metals and Potential Dust Emissions from Highway-Related and Desert Sediments at Lordsburg Playa, New Mexico (UT-01-13)
Lead: University of Texas at El Paso
In dry regions, blowing dust causes air quality issues, and also has environmental, health and safety impacts on traffic and transportation infrastructure. The project uses land-surface and geophysical field-based testing and characterization methods to assess the changing localized dust emission potentials in different microenvironments of Lordsburg Playa. The study also assesses relative exposures to bioavailable airborne metals from transportation and other activities. The data and findings will be synthesized using GIS to inform stakeholders of potential health hazards from transportation-related vs. natural and mining‐related dust and metal exposures at Lordsburg Playa and provide insight into other areas in the Western US, where numerous routes cross dry lake beds and/or dust hotspots.
Secondary Particulate Matter Exceed Primary Emissions from Current Gasoline Vehicles: Air Quality and Public Health Implications (UCR-01-14)
Lead: University of California, Riverside
Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) technology is becoming increasingly popular among vehicles in the market today. While there is relatively little-established knowledge on GDI vehicle emissions, studies have raised concerns relating to PM emissions, as well as the generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrated-PAHs. Another aspect that has not been investigated in detail is the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, which is also a contributor to airborne PM. This study will characterize the primary emissions and the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from current technology gasoline direct injection (GDI) and port fuel injection (PFI) vehicles when operated under different driving cycles, through in-use emissions testing and the use of a mobile atmospheric chamber and oxidation flow reactor to assess secondary aerosol formation.
Quantifying Traffic Congestion-Induced Change of Near-Road Air Pollutant Concentration (UCR-01-15)
Lead: University of California, Riverside
Traffic congestion exacerbates the ambient air pollution by contributing a large amount of additional fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions. However, the relationship between the prevailing traffic condition and local air pollutant concentration is not well quantified in previous literature. The primary goal of this study is to quantify the contributions to the ambient air quality degradation due to traffic congestion. The study will use real-time traffic characteristics and ambient air quality data from monitoring sites to develop and validate a statistical model that can be used to understand the air quality impacts of traffic congestion.
Developing a Transportation, Emissions and Health Data Hub (TTI-01)
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Partners: All other consortium members
This project addresses the need for a systematic, cross-disciplinary approach to understand different sources of data and reconcile different methods of data collection and analysis. A large amount of high-quality data exists in both the transportation and public health domains, which could be related spatially and temporally with each other for innovative research applications. A data hub developed in cooperation with all CARTEEH consortium members will facilitate the sharing of data between researchers from different disciplines and institutions.
Truck Emissions-Exposure Study in Ports (GT-02)
Lead: Georgia Institute of Technology
Partners: University of California, Riverside, and Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Ports serve as a hub for freight movement into and out of the United States and often face air quality issues due to the emissions from marine engines, freight trucks, drayage trucks, and cargo handling equipment. This has occupational health implications for truck drivers and others working and living in these areas. GT will lead the effort at the Port of Savannah; UCR will lead the study at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles, and TTI will lead the study at the Port of Houston. We will conduct field measurements of in-use in-cab and ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations, and correlate the concentrations with port activities using an expansion of the GT’s Fuel and Emissions Calculator and port simulation models.
Border Crossing Emissions Impacts Study (TTI-03)
Lead: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Partners: University of Texas at El Paso and Johns Hopkins University
Poor air quality and associated health impacts are a major health concern to citizens living in the U.S.-Mexico border region. This is especially true in areas near major ports of entry (POE), where large volumes of cross-border freight and passenger movement occur. This project will characterize the air pollution in El Paso and assess the impacts of traffic-related pollution on a POE bridge in the region.
Healthy Living and Traffic-Related Air Pollution in an Underserved Community (UTEP-04)
Lead: University of Texas at El Paso
Partners: Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Riverside, and Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Numerous epidemiological studies have shown evidence of adverse health effects resulting from acute or chronic exposure to traffic-related pollution. At the same time, active living, which includes walking and bicycling, is being promoted to improve public health. Active living practices aimed at improving health outcomes in underserved populations may, therefore, have a detrimental impact on health from an emissions exposure perspective. The objectives of this project are to quantify air pollution exposures for residents of underserved communities near busy roadways and to develop guidelines on healthy living for the undeserved roadside communities that are subjected to severe air pollution.
Energy and Emission Benefits Evaluation of Battery Electric/Plug-in Hybrid Electric Connected Drayage Trucks (UCR-05)
Lead: University of California, Riverside
Partners: Georgia Institute of Technology
Advances in connected vehicle (CV) technologies have the potential for reducing GHG emissions, fuel consumption, and emissions of other pollutants. The UCR research team has developed a variety of CV applications. One such application is Eco-Approach and Departure (EAD), which uses signal phase and timing information from the traffic signal to determine an optimal speed profile for approaching and departing the intersection in the most eco-friendly manner. With the projected increasing market shares of plug-in hybrid electric trucks in the freight sector in the next several years, this project will evaluate the energy and emission benefits of employing plug-in hybrid electric trucks in place of conventional diesel trucks.
Health Risk Characterization for Transportation Users (JH-06)
Lead: Johns Hopkins University
Partners: University of Texas at El Paso
The fields of occupational and environmental health are moving toward application of the concepts of cumulative risk assessment to enhance the health and safety of workers and communities. Yet, methods are rudimentary and few examples exist in this area, especially in terms of risk profiles for transportation system users and workers. The research team will apply its existing expertise in the area of risk assessments to a pilot project to develop a cumulative exposure and risk profile for transportation workers and transportation system users considering chemical and non-chemical stressors from the transportation setting as well as home, community, and social environments.
