APPLICATION OF DISPERSION MODELS FOR EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF URBAN AIR-POLLUTION ON HUMAN HEALTH

The main objective of this study is to analyse quantitatively the infl uence of urban air pollution on the health of children, by (i) analysi ng the concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere, (ii) analysing the indoor air concentrations, and (iii) conducting epidemiological su rveys. The area considered is Espoo, the neighbouring city of Helsinki . We focus in particular on the influence of urban air pollution on ch ildren at some selected day nurseries. This paper addresses the first part of the study, i.e. the application of atmospheric dispersion mode ls for analysing outdoor air quality. Numerical results have been comp uted with a multiple-source urban area dispersion model, using the met eorological hourly time series for the year 1990. The results show the spatial distribution of the concentrations of carbon monoxide, nitrog en dioxide and sulphur dioxide.