THE LONDON LOW EMISSION ZONE BASELINE STUDY
Impact/Purpose:
The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) baseline study is designed to conduct research aimed at evaluating whether regulatory and other actions taken to improve air quality have resulted in the intended improvements in air quality, exposure, and health outcomes.
The London LEZ was designed to improve air quality in Greater London by restricting entry of the oldest and most polluting vehicles in phases. Beginning in February 2008, heavy-duty diesel-engine vehicles and then other classes of vehicles would have to meet Euro III emissions standards and, by 2012, the more stringent Euro IV standards. Low emission zones, also known as environmental zones, have been implemented in countries all over the world. With coverage of about 2644 km2, the London LEZ is one of the largest and therefore provides an intriguing opportunity for research.
In planning their evaluation of the LEZ, Kelly and colleagues plan to build upon their earlier investigation of the air quality impacts of London’s Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS); they intend to study the potential impacts of the LEZ first on air quality and then on health using existing databases of electronic medical records from primary-care practices serving a majority of London residents. The Investigators intend to evaluate the feasibility of such a study by collecting baseline data before the LEZ went into effect and to develop methodological approaches.
Description:
The investigators hope that the LEZ baseline study will present a creative effort to lay the groundwork for studying spatial and temporal changes in air pollutant concentrations and health outcomes in advance of a major regulatory intervention. It is hope that the study will provide important lessons for future research into the health outcomes of actions to improve air quality.
Record Details:
Record Type:PROJECT(
ABSTRACT
)
Start Date:04/01/2010
Completion Date:03/31/2015
Record ID:
258843
Related Organizations:
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:HEALTH EFFECTS INSTITUTE
Organization Name
:HEI2010
Mailing Address
:Charlestown Navy Yard, 120 Second Avenue
Citation
:Boston
State
:MA
Zip Code
:2129
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Organization Name
:HEI2010
Project Information:
Approach
:
The investigators will conduct detailed emissions and air pollution modeling. Using an LEZ scenario in which heavy-duty diesel-engine trucks and buses were required to meet Euro IV emissions standards for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), they will project effects of the LEZ on the mix of vehicles entering the zone, their emissions, and air pollutant concentrations and compared them with those of a “base case” scenario, which assumed the LEZ had not been implemented. Specifically, they predicted total emissions and ambient concentrations of NO, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) from exhaust, and PM10 from tire and brake wear throughout Greater London.
Using these projections, they will evaluate the existing air monitoring network; as a result of this assessment, Transport for London, which is responsible for London’s transport system, agreed to add or upgrade air pollution and traffic monitoring at seven key roadside locations. The final monitoring network available for study will include 41 sites (28 roadside and 9 urban background sites within London and 2 roadside and 2 urban background sites outside London).
Using methods based on their earlier study of the London CCS, the investigators will study characteristics of PM that they hypothesized might explain its toxicity. They will examine the oxidative potential and the metal content in extracts from archived filter samples of PM10 and PM2.5 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) from the monitoring sites. Oxidative potential, an indicator of a compound’s ability to cause damage via chemical reactions, will be estimated using a cell-free in vitro assay (i.e., the synthetic respiratory tract lining fluid assay) developed by the team. The assay will measure the ability of filter extracts to deplete the levels of three common antioxidant compounds (ascorbate, reduced glutathione, and urate)
Cost
:$.00
Research Component
:Health Effects
Approach
:
The investigators will conduct detailed emissions and air pollution modeling. Using an LEZ scenario in which heavy-duty diesel-engine trucks and buses were required to meet Euro IV emissions standards for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), they will project effects of the LEZ on the mix of vehicles entering the zone, their emissions, and air pollutant concentrations and compared them with those of a “base case” scenario, which assumed the LEZ had not been implemented. Specifically, they predicted total emissions and ambient concentrations of NO, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) from exhaust, and PM10 from tire and brake wear throughout Greater London.
Using these projections, they will evaluate the existing air monitoring network; as a result of this assessment, Transport for London, which is responsible for London’s transport system, agreed to add or upgrade air pollution and traffic monitoring at seven key roadside locations. The final monitoring network available for study will include 41 sites (28 roadside and 9 urban background sites within London and 2 roadside and 2 urban background sites outside London).
Using methods based on their earlier study of the London CCS, the investigators will study characteristics of PM that they hypothesized might explain its toxicity. They will examine the oxidative potential and the metal content in extracts from archived filter samples of PM10 and PM2.5 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) from the monitoring sites. Oxidative potential, an indicator of a compound’s ability to cause damage via chemical reactions, will be estimated using a cell-free in vitro assay (i.e., the synthetic respiratory tract lining fluid assay) developed by the team. The assay will measure the ability of filter extracts to deplete the levels of three common antioxidant compounds (ascorbate, reduced glutathione, and urate)
Cost
:$.00
Research Component
:Air Quality and Air Toxics