Toronto Residents' Exposure to Ultrafine Particles

In urban areas, ultrafine particles (UFP: defined as particulate matter with diameters less than 100nm) are emitted in significant quantities from vehicles and form through a complex series of secondary reactions in the atmosphere. Large uncertainties surrounding the long-term behaviour and spatial distribution of UFP in urban areas have been a significant obstacle for exposure assessment. This research examined one of the longest existing urban UFP data sets, collected at a roadside location in downtown Toronto. Between 2006 and 2011, the concentration of particles with diameters <50nm and 50-100nm decreased by 21% and 17%, respectively. This reduction in concentration was attributed to changes in the vehicle fleet and reduced usage of coal-fired power plants for electricity generation. In addition, this research found that the shape of the particle size distribution exhibited distinct temporal and spatial behaviour suggesting that a single monitoring station does not provide sufficient information about UFP for an entire urban area. This investigation also produced a land-use regression model that was used to estimate the range of concentrations that exist across Toronto during the summer months. The highest concentrations were consistently observed near the downtown core and around highways and industrial areas. Finally, this work provides a foundation for future field studies in Toronto.