Exposure to environmental pollutants, such as particulate matter and noise, can significantly contribute to the prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, pleasant and green environments have shown to reduce the harm of negative exposures and support health through various pathways. Reducing negative exposures and increasing positive ones is recognized as effective ways to promote public health and people's well-being.
A significant part of our daily exposure comes from travel. Especially when we walk or cycle, we interact directly with our environment. Walking and cycling have a growing importance in preventing the impacts of sedentary lifestyles as well as in combating climate change. Urban and transport planners need ways to identify areas where travel-related exposure exceeds healthy levels, but also where the quality of the environment supports pleasant travel.
A new study from the University of Helsinki's
Using their
"Our results show that the noise exposure of cyclists in the city significantly exceeds the safe limits, while the average air quality stays generally within them," says Doctoral researcher
The researchers were also interested in understanding the connections between multiple exposures. “We found out that while noise exposure and air pollution typically increase together, the amount of greenery tends to be smaller as pollution increases," says Associate Professor Age Poom from the University of Tartu. “Despite this, cyclists also need to make choices about which exposure they want to optimize by choosing an alternative route” she adds.
"More broadly speaking, we know too little about environmental exposures during travel, their magnitude and health effects," says Professor
Article available: Willberg, E., Poom, A., Helle, J., Toivonen, T., 2023. Cyclists’ exposure to air pollution, noise, and greenery: a population-level spatial analysis approach. International Journal of Health Geographics 22, 5.