Traffic Density and Air Pollution: Spatial and Seasonal Variations of Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone in Jamaica, New York

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3) pose significant public health concerns in urban areas. This study assessed the safety level of NO2 and described spatial and seasonal variations of NO2 and O3 in Jamaica Center, New York, using low-cost diffusion tubes at six high-traffic (HT) and three low-traffic (LT) sites over two-week intervals in summer, winter, and fall of 2019. When annualized, the highest NO2 level (33.90 μg/m3) was below the safety threshold (99.6 μg/m3). Mean concentrations of NO2 samples were significantly higher at HT sites (35.79 μg/m3; 95%CI: 32.81–38.77) compared to LT sites (25.29 μg/m3; 95%CI: 11.73–28.85), p = 0.002, and during fall (38.14 μg/m3; 95%CI: 31.18–45.11) compared to winter (25.53 μg/m3; 95%CI: 20.84–30.22). There was no significant difference in O3 levels between the fall (51.68 μg/m3; 95%CI: 44.70–58.67) and summer (46.43 μg/m3; 95%CI: 35.25–57.61), p = 0.37, and between HT sites (48.51 μg/m3; 95%CI: 40.39–56.63) and LT sites (50.14 μg/m3; 95%CI: 43.98–56.30), p = 0.79. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost air monitoring and the need for emission control policies along major corridors mainly in fall and summer, especially with the rapid commercial and economic development underway in Jamaica Center.