Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Institute, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 11;19(10):5842. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105842.
Individuals experiencing homelessness represent a growing population in the United States. Air pollution exposure among individuals experiencing homelessness has not been quantified. Utilizing local knowledge mapping, we generated activity spaces for 62 individuals experiencing homelessness residing in a semi-rural county within the United States. Satellite derived measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were utilized to estimate annual exposure to air pollution experienced by our participants, as well as differences in the variation in estimated PM2.5 at the local scale compared with stationary monitor data and point location estimates for the same period. Spatial variation in exposure to PM2.5 was detected between participants at both the point and activity space level. Among all participants, annual median PM2.5 exposure was 16.22 μg/m, exceeding the National Air Quality Standard. Local knowledge mapping represents a novel mechanism to capture mobility patterns and investigate exposure to air pollution within vulnerable populations. Reliance on stationary monitor data to estimate air pollution exposure may lead to exposure misclassification, particularly in rural and semirural regions where monitoring is limited.
在美国，无家可归者的人数不断增加。无家可归者的空气污染暴露情况尚未量化。我们利用当地知识图谱，为居住在美国一个半农村县的 62 名无家可归者生成了活动空间。利用卫星衍生的细颗粒物（PM2.5）测量值来估计我们参与者所经历的空气污染的年暴露量，以及与同一时期的固定监测器数据和点位置估计相比，在当地尺度上估计 PM2.5 的变化差异。在点和活动空间层面上，都检测到了参与者之间 PM2.5 暴露的空间变化。在所有参与者中，PM2.5 的年中位数暴露量为 16.22μg/m，超过了国家空气质量标准。当地知识图谱代表了一种捕获弱势群体的移动模式和调查空气污染暴露的新机制。依赖固定监测器数据来估计空气污染暴露可能会导致暴露分类错误，特别是在监测有限的农村和半农村地区。
