| Environmental Health Issues Willem H. Roemer and Joop H. van Wijnen Municipal Health Service, Environmental Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Abstract
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we measured airborne particulate matter (PM) during winter 1998-1999, taking daily average measurements at an urban background site, at a busy street, and at a motorway. Comparison of black smoke, PM10, and PM1.0 levels showed that daily averages were highly correlated over time. Median daily concentrations were elevated at sites affected by traffic. The highest increase relative to the background in median daily concentration was noted for black smoke at the motorway (300%) , whereas for PM10 and PM1.0 the increase was only 37% and 30%. These results indicate that mass measurements of ambient particulate matter underestimate the exposure to particles generated by traffic. Key words: black smoke, exposure assessment, PM10, PM1.0, particulate matter, traffic. Environ Health Perspect 109:151-154 (2001) . [Online 24 January 2001] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p151-154roemer/ abstract.html Address correspondence to W.H. Roemer, Municipal Health Service, Environmental Medicine, Nieuwe Achtergracht 100, 1018 WT Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Telephone: +31 20 555-5588. Fax: +31 20 555-5533. E-mail: wroemer@gggd.amsterdam.nl We thank H. Helmink and P. Wallast of OMEGAM for performing air quality measurements. S. van der Zee, K. Seinhorst, and M. Coolen are acknowledged for their useful comments on draft versions of the manuscript. Received 3 July 2000 ; accepted 18 September 2000.
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