Protecting playgrounds: local-scale reduction of airborne particulate matter concentrations through particulate...

Exposure to traffic-related particulate air pollution has been linked with excess risks for a range of cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological health outcomes; risks likely to be exacerbated in young children attending schools adjacent to highly-trafficked roads. One immediate way of reducing airborne PM concentrations at the local (i.e., near-road community) scale is installation of roadside vegetation as a means of passive pollution abatement. Roadside vegetation can decrease airborne PM concentrations, through PM deposition on leaves, but can also increase them, by impeding airflow and PM dispersion. Critical to optimizing PM removal is selection of species with high particle deposition velocity (Vd) values, currently under-parameterised in most modelling studies. Here, the measured amounts of leaf-deposited magnetic PM after roadside greening ('tredge') installation, and measured reductions in playground PM, particle number and black carbon concentrations demonstrate that air quality improvements by deposition can be achieved at the local, near-road, community/playground scale. PM deposition on the western red cedar tredge removed ~ 49% of BC, and ~ 46% and 26% of the traffic-sourced PM_2.5 and PM₁, respectively. These findings demonstrate that roadside vegetation can be designed, installed and maintained to achieve rapid, significant, cost-effective improvement of air quality by optimising PM deposition on plant leaves.