Motor vehicles cause air pollution, noise pollution, and water pollution, impacting a community’s health and resulting in higher health care costs. A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report suggests that air pollution from motor vehicle use costs society between $30 billion to $349 billion per year in premature death and illness caused by particulate matter. Two-thirds of the costs are attributable to urban travel and one-third to rural travel.
Air pollution. Motor vehicle traffic has become the main source of air pollution in many areas, especially for communities located next to highways. Particularly dangerous are fine particles that can get deep into the lungs, reducing lung function resulting in shortness of breath and causing asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Air pollution has been linked with lung cancer, cardiopulmonary disease and other causes of death. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes approximately 9% of lung cancer deaths, 5% of cardiopulmonary deaths, and 1% of respiratory infection deaths worldwide. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 5% of heart disease deaths are due to air pollution exposure. Risks are particularly high for children and older adults who have weaker lung function. A 2012 meta-analysis found that children who lived near high traffic density roads were exposed to higher levels of motor vehicle air pollutants, and were more likely to have childhood asthma and wheeze. Studies have also established links between air pollution and infant death from respiratory illnesses. A study of the effects of air pollution on the elderly found that higher concentrations of CO, NO2, and PM were associated with adult cardiovascular hospital admissions.
Exposure to air pollutants can be reduced by using alternatives to cars, particularly during peak hours. A study in Sydney that compared the concentration levels of key pollutants for peak hour commuters in Sydney for five different commuting modes found that air pollution is more concentrated for motor vehicles users than in other commuting modes (Figure 1), perhaps due to direct contamination from the motor vehicle itself. The lowest levels of air pollution were found for train commuters, perhaps because they are not in the roadway environment. Transport Canada describes how drivers and car passengers are exposed to up to 10 times more pollution than pedestrians, cyclists or transit users.
Noise pollution. Transportation also affects health through increased environmental noise. Hearing can be damaged by a single exposure to a high noise level as well as chronic exposure to lower levels of noise. At 85 dBA (decibel-A weighting), your hearing can tolerate upto 8 hours of exposure. However, your hearing can only tolerate 2 hours at 91 dBA and 15 minutes at 100 dBA.
A study of noise levels in the New York City transit system measured an average noise level of 86 ± 4 dBA on the subway platforms. Maximum levels of 106 dBA were measured on subway platforms, 112 dBA inside subway cars, and 89 dBA at bus stops. Similar exposures were documented in the Bay Area, with average exposure durations of 85 dBA or more translating to almost half of the maximum daily exposure levels set. Traffic noise depends on the volume of traffic, speed, and number of trucks. A typical sound level for a diesel truck 50 feet away is 85 dBA and noisy urban area in the daytime is 80dBA.
The World Health Organization describes health problems related to noise: noise-induced hearing loss, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease, and acceleration of mental disorders due to anxiety and stress. In Europe, long-term exposure to traffic noise is estimated to account for approximately 3% coronary heart disease deaths each year. In addition, noise affects cognitive performance. A study in Israel documented distress symptoms, increased accidents, and sickness absence among workers high noise exposure levels. Exposure to high traffic noise at a school in Spain had lower test results than a comparable “quiet” school.
Noise pollution can be reduced by government trip reduction ordinances that encourage the use of ridesharing, transit, and active transportation, as well as use of quieter vehicles, building noise abatements (such as noise walls), ensuring sufficient “buffer zones” between buildings and roads, limiting use of certain roads by trucks, and reducing speed limits.
Water pollution. Oil, fuel, coolant, metals from brake and rubber, and other chemicals associated with motorized transportation are a major source of pollution in stormwater runoff, affecting water sources and resulting in poor health. The FHWA describes two kinds of runoff: runoff from urban roads that can carry trash, debris, metals, hydrocarbons, and fecal matter into water sources and highway runoff contains heavy metals, inorganic salts, aromatic hydrocarbons, and suspended solids that accumulate on the road surface as a result of regular highway operation and maintenance activities, materials that are washed off the highway during rain or snow storm events. In addition, water is polluted by leaking motor-fuel storage tanks and nitrogen emissions that is deposited onto soil, plants, and water bodies.
Consuming contaminated water through drinking or during recreation can result in acute illness. For example, large concentrations of copper, zinc, and lead are toxic for humans. An analysis of 548 waterborne disease outbreaks between 1948 and 1994 found that most were preceded by heavy rainfall that washed contaminants on the surface into water streams. Bacteria and parasites carried by runoff into bodies of water used for recreation cause ear and eye discharges, skin rashes, and gastrointestinal problems. For example, swimmers close to storm drain outlets in Santa Monica Bay were more likely to have fever, chills, ear discharge, vomiting, coughing, highly credible gastroenteritis, and significant respiratory disease.
Water pollution can be reduced by limiting the use of vehicles and implementing management practices such as compact site designs with significant open space, designs that collect runoff and allow it to infiltrate the soil, and regular street sweeping.
Influence of ACCS Programs
As part of a major metropolitan area, Arlington County has a history of working to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The County’s Community Energy Plan works to identify ways to ensure our economic, energy and environmental future. In the area of transportation, the plan includes purchasing fuel-efficiency vehicles and conducting smart fleet management, using B20 biodiesel in County and school fleet operations, installing electric vehicle infrastructure for County fleet use, and discussing the link between Combined Heat & Power and streetcars.
Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS) promotes the use of public transit, walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, telecommuting, and other options that reduce the demand for vehicular travel, which reduces congestion and pollution. Limiting the use of single-occupancy vehicles, using electric-powered trains and newer buses with state-of-the-art engines, and encouraging active transportation are some of the ways to reduce pollution.
The impacts of ACCS programs on health due to reduce air pollution can be measured through:
- Reduced average exposure to fine particles (per cubic meter)
- Reduced number of days when ozone standard is exceeded
- Reduced level of traffic noise
- Decreased level of water pollution