ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Exposure to traffic related air pollutants: self reported traffic intensity versus GIS modelled exposure

J Heinrich¹, U Gehring², J Cyrys², M Brauer³, G Hoek⁴, P Fischer⁵, T Bellander⁶ and B Brunekreef⁴

¹ GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
² Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Institute of Medical Data Management, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Munich, Germany
³ University of British Columbia, School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver BC V6T1Z3, Canada
⁴ Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Yalelaan 2, PO Box 80176, NL-3508 TD Utrecht, Netherlands
⁵ Centre for Environmental Health Research, RIVM, Bilthoven, Netherlands
⁶ Department of Environmental Health, Norrbacka III, Karolinska Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr J Heinrich
GSF-Institute of Epidemiology, POB 1129, D-85758 Neuherberg, Germany; Joachim.Heinrich{at}gsf.de

Background: In epidemiological studies of the potential health effects of traffic related air pollution, self reported traffic intensity is a commonly used, but rarely validated, exposure variable.

Methods: As part of a study on the impact of Traffic Related Air Pollution on Childhood Asthma (TRAPCA), data from 2633 and 673 infants from the Dutch and the German-Munich cohorts, respectively, were available. Parents subjectively assessed traffic intensity at the home address. Objective exposures were estimated by a combination of spatial air pollution measurements and geographic information system (GIS) based modelling using an identical method for both cohorts.

Results: The agreement rates between self reported and GIS modelled exposure—accumulated over the three strata of self assessed traffic intensity—were 55–58% for PM_2.5, filter absorbance (PM_2.5 abs), and nitrogen dioxide in Munich and 39–40% in the Netherlands. Of the self reported low traffic exposed group, 71–73% in Munich and 45–47% in the Netherlands had low modelled exposure to these three air pollutants. Of the self assessed high exposed subgroups in Munich (15% of the total population) and the Netherlands (22% of the total population), only 22–33% and 30–32% respectively had high modelled exposure to the three air pollutants. The subjective assessments tend to overestimate the modelled estimates for PM_2.5 and NO₂ in both study areas. When analysis was restricted to the portion of the Dutch cohort living in non-urban areas, the agreement rates were even lower.

Conclusions: Self reported and modelled assessment of exposure to air pollutants are only weakly associated.

Keywords: air pollution; vehicle emission; exposure assessment; subjective assessment; geographic information system; GIS

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