An investigation into cyclo-commuters’ exposure to particulate matter on Maltese roads

Abstract

Particulate matter is considered a primary cause of numerous detrimental health effects, including both chronic and acute diseases or illnesses. Road transport is the greatest anthropogenic source of particulate matter in Malta through both exhaust and non-exhaust emissions, ranging from general tailpipe emissions and unburnt fuel to brake and tyre wear. Cyclists who travel during peak hours of traffic are particularly exposed to such harmful emissions, especially since their breathing rates are higher than those of car drivers during their commute. This project investigates the extent of exposure faced by cyclo-commuters to both PM10 and PM2.5 during peak hours of traffic on Maltese roads, as well as the perspectives of cyclocommuters on the matter. The general objective of this research is to collect, analyse, compare and discuss particulate matter concentrations faced by cyclists and car users alike during their daily commute in the morning and afternoon. Overall results are displayed in the form of pollution heatmaps, charts and statistics. These results generally indicate that cyclists are less exposed to APM than car users during peak hours of traffic, primarily due to less time spent in traffic congestion. PM concentrations were found to be higher during the afternoon, whilst differences between PM10 and PM2.5 were minimal. Ironically, it was revealed that cyclo-commuters believe themselves to be more exposed to APM than car users during these peak hours, which points to an important factor that this study does not measure, that of breathing rate.