Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Evaluating the Effect of Roadside Parking on a Dual-Direction Urban Street
Published on: January 20, 2023
Intermodal comparison of commuters' exposure to VOCs between public, private, and active transportation
Hsi-Hsien Yang1, Narayan Babu Dhital2,3, Yi Hsuan Lai1
1Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, 413310, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Urban populations are exposed to a multitude of traffic-related air pollutants during daily commutes. This study assessed commuters' exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during bus, motorcycle, and bicycle commuting, and estimated the VOC inhalation dose. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) were the main compounds detected, contributing 58 - 68% to ΣVOC (sum of the concentrations of all detected VOCs) in different travel modes. The mean ΣVOC exposure concentration was higher for motorcyclists than for cyclists and bus commuters. However, due to cyclists' higher minute ventilation rates and longer exposure time, they had the highest ΣVOC inhalation dose based on both travel time (7.09 ± 2.36 μg min-1) and distance (32.9 ± 10.8 μg km-1). Among the three travel modes, bus commuters had the lowest ΣVOC inhalation dose based on travel time (2.33 ± 1.18 μg min-1) and distance (8.91 ± 4.91 μg km-1), while motorcyclists had a moderate ΣVOC inhalation dose based on travel time (5.08 ± 1.46 μg min-1) and distance (13.4 ± 5.5 μg km-1). Health impact assessment of VOCs showed that cyclists faced the highest carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, while bus commuters experienced the lowest health risk associated with VOC exposure. Our findings underscore the need to consider air quality in transportation infrastructure design and prioritize interventions to safeguard urban commuters' health, particularly cyclists, who are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of traffic-related air pollutants.
Related Concept Videos
Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
Noncompartmental Analysis: Mean Transit, Absorption and Dissolution Time
One of the key parameters is the mean transit time (MTT), which refers to the total duration required for drug molecules to transit through the body. MTT is determined by calculating the ratio of the area under the moment curve to the area...
Social Traps
Respiratory Capacities
One key metric is the Inspiratory Capacity (IC), which represents the maximum amount of air that can be inhaled with full effort. IC is calculated by summing the tidal volume and inspiratory reserve volume, typically ranging from 2.4 to 3.6 liters.
The Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) represents the air in the...
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Carbon Dioxide Transport in the Blood
Forms of CO2 Transport
1. Dissolved in plasma: A small percentage (7-10%) of CO2 is transported and dissolved directly in the plasma.
2. Carbaminohemoglobin: Just over 20% of CO2 is chemically bound to...

