Way to Go: Identifying Routes for Walkers and Cyclists to Avoid Air Pollutants

Exposures to air pollutants may offset a portion of the health benefits of walking and bicycling in cities. However, taking a detour just a block or two away from the busiest streets and roads “can make a big difference in your exposure,” says Steve Hankey, an assistant professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and coauthor of a new study in EHP. For every street block in Minneapolis, Minnesota—13,604 in all—Hankey and his colleagues modeled the exposure of pedestrians and cyclists to particulate air pollution during the afternoon rush hour (4:00–6:00 p.m.). Their models of pedestrian