Determination of air pollution levels caused by the road transport in urbanized areas areas

Abstract

Relevance. Due to increasing anthropogenic impact, environmental protection has become a global problem. Transportation is an essential component of modern life. The economic development in all regions is based on people’s access to goods and services provided by modern transportation infrastructure. The road transport is the primary means of transporting goods and people, but its positive aspects are closely linked to environmental pollution. Research conducted over the past decade indicates that air pollution has a significant negative impact on health, and transportation is one of the most important sources of pollution. Road traffic is the largest source of emissions of many harmful air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene, and primary PM10. Despite the large volume of scientific research conducted in recent decades, the question of an integrated assessment of environmental pollution levels from various sources remains open. To develop effective measures to reduce pollution levels, it is necessary to develop pollution maps based on such an integrated indicator. The construction of maps involves the use of a significant amount of data and the development of a special methodology for calculating the level of air pollution caused by automobile transportation. Research Methods: In this study, existing methods for measuring pollutant concentrations produced by vehicles in the atmosphere were analyzed. It was found that the adopted approaches involve conducting long-term observations, collecting and processing a large amount of raw data, as well as having a significant amount of specialized equipment. In this regard, our own methodology for conducting experimental research has been developed. Results: As a result of the research, an express method for measuring pollutant concentrations in the atmosphere has been developed, which allows for a quick assessment of air pollution levels caused by automobile transportation using only one gas analyzer. This method was used in calculating the proposed pollution indicator Zatm.