USE OF MODELED TRAFFIC DATA TO ESTIMATE VEHICULAR POLLUTION IN MUNICIPALITY OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Abstract

São Paulo city has around 7 million vehicles, which are the main source of atmospheric pollutants; and it represents an important problem of public health. Several studies have pointed the use of models to evaluate vehicular pollution in urban areas and to analyze the traffic behavior and pollutants emission and dispersion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of traffic data obtained by EMME-2 to assess traffic-related human exposure. The number of vehicles was simulated using EMME -2 and in order to calculate CO, NOx and PM10 concentrations, the model CALINE -4 was used. Results show a gradient of pollutant concentration in the expanded center of Sao Paulo city and it highlights the importance of the development of detailed exposure assessment studies. It was also possible to identify polluted critical areas and evaluate the contribution for each type of vehicle. This information are important at traffic management and public policies. Besides, this study also shows the necessity of an improvement at the required information, not only for model inputs, but also for model validation and calibration.