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The localisation of it struck me when I read an Irish EPA report on traffic-related air pollution a few years ago that recommended carrying your child if you were walking regularly near heavy traffic. The air at 0.8m (their breathing height) has 5-15% more NOx in it than the air at 2m (the height they would breath at being carried by you).
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I remember reading something similar about walking on the part of the pavement furthest from the road, because being an extra meter or so away makes a big difference
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A quick note for my fellow US Americans -- A British speaker calling it 'pavement' is referring to what we call the sidewalk.
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Most air pollution is pretty localized. CFCs and greenhouse gases are the biggest outliers for how global their effects are.
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