ROAD DUST EMISSIONS: IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH AND POSSIBLE MITIGATION

Road dust is one of the main contributor to urban PM10 levels worldwide. Nowadays, about half of the traffic emissions has been calculated to derive from non-exhaust processes, such as road dust suspension due to vehicle-induced turbulence and wind. However, the attention of research has been focused mostly on motor exhaust emissions, limiting the actual knowledge on the impact of road dust both in terms of PM10 levels and health endpoints. The health impact of road particles can be very different, as these particles can derive from diverse sources, such as wear processes of brakes, tires and road pavement, but also fugitive contributions from construction and roadside soils, plant materials and atmospheric deposition. Moreover, the information on effective mitigation strategies to reduce air quality impact of road dust is scarce. This talk will present an overview of the current knowledge on this field, and state-of-the-art methodologies to assess these knowledge gaps.