Ambient air pollution concentration in Montreal and environmental
equity: Are children at risk at school?
The analysis of ambient air quality in the environments around elementary schools is an importantissue,
as children are at school for a large part of the day. This article has two objectives: first, to compare the
proportion of major roads and NO2 concentration levels in city blocks where there are schools with the
situation in the rest of the Island of Montreal; and second, to see whether there are significant differences
in these pollution indicators according to the levels of socioeconomic deprivation at these schools.
Montreal’s 319 elementary schools were geocoded in a geographic information system (GIS). Two
types of pollution indicators based on the types of roads and NO2 concentrations were calculated within
a 200-m radius of each city block centroid on the Island of Montreal and of the main building of each
elementary school.
Elementary schools, regardless of their level of socioeconomic deprivation, are located in city blocks
where there are fewer major roads than in, and generally similar concentrations of NO2 to, the rest of the
Island of Montreal. However, NO2 concentrations near elementary schools are positively and
significantly associated with levels of deprivation at these schools.
This study highlights an issue of environmental equity, in showing that students from
socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds tend to attend elementary schools located in more
polluted environments.
2014 World Conference on Transport Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient air pollution concentration in Montreal and environmentalequity: Are children at risk at school?The analysis of ambient air quality in the environments around elementary schools is an importantissue,as children are at school for a large part of the day. This article has two objectives: first, to compare theproportion of major roads and NO2 concentration levels in city blocks where there are schools with thesituation in the rest of the Island of Montreal; and second, to see whether there are significant differencesin these pollution indicators according to the levels of socioeconomic deprivation at these schools.Montreal’s 319 elementary schools were geocoded in a geographic information system (GIS). Twotypes of pollution indicators based on the types of roads and NO2 concentrations were calculated withina 200-m radius of each city block centroid on the Island of Montreal and of the main building of eachelementary school.Elementary schools, regardless of their level of socioeconomic deprivation, are located in city blockswhere there are fewer major roads than in, and generally similar concentrations of NO2 to, the rest of theIsland of Montreal. However, NO2 concentrations near elementary schools are positively andsignificantly associated with levels of deprivation at these schools.This study highlights an issue of environmental equity, in showing that students fromsocioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds tend to attend elementary schools located in morepolluted environments.
2014 World Conference on Transport Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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