Relationship between motor vehicle emissions of hazardous pollutants, roadway proximity, and ambient concentrations in Portland, Oregon

Independent variables in the model included emission rates and traffic volumes for individual roadway links, distance and direction between roadway links and receptors, and distributions of wind speeds and directions. Dependent variables were derived from simulated annual average pollutant concentrations from motor vehicles at modeled receptor locations, predicted using CALPUFF. The regression model had limited capability to predict CALPUFF concentrations with an R-squared value of about 0.6. The model indicated the zone of influence around a roadway as between 200 and 400 m. The results support the thesis that in order to capture localized impacts of hazardous air pollutants in a dispersion model, there is a need to include individual roadway links.