Validation of the ExTra index in Grenoble. (20th February 2004)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reungoat, Patrice; Chiron, Mireille; Le Moullec, Yvon; Gauvin, Stephanie; Zmirou, Denis; Flori, Jean-Paul; Momas, Isabelle
• Is Part Of: International journal of vehicle design. Volume 27:Number 1/2//3/4(2001)
• Page Start: 286
• Page End: 295
• Publication Date: 2004-02-20
• Subjects: motor vehicle related pollution -- exposure index -- validation -- nitrogen oxides; Motor vehicles -- Design and construction -- Periodicals; 629.231
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-3369

Abstract

The ExTra index evaluates ambient concentrations of transport-related pollutants outside the work and living places of urban dwellers. This study contributes to the validation of the ExTra index in Grenoble by comparing ambient concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOxx ) measured over 6 weeks with passive samplers, and of calculated concentrations using the ExTra index, taking into account traffic density, topographical parameters (building height, road and pavement width), weather conditions (wind direction and strength), and background pollution levels. Comparing the measured values and the index calculation in Grenoble indicated a highly significant correlation (0.84) and a good intra-class correlation coefficient (0.80) between the two series of values, which were not significantly different on average. These results suggest that this model could be a useful epidemiological tool to classify city-dwellers according to their present, or even cumulative, exposure to automobile air pollution.