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Last updated
July 26, 2025

Compounds

Air pollution and compounds research focuses on the complex mixture of traffic-related pollutants that extend far beyond traditional tailpipe emissions. Studies reveal that road transport contributes numerous harmful compounds including non-exhaust emissions from brake wear, tyre particles, and road surface degradation. These diverse pollution sources create complex chemical cocktails in urban environments that affect human health in multiple ways. Explore the latest research identifying the various compounds in traffic-related air pollution and their specific health impacts.

Traffic Related Air Pollution

  • Emissions from road transport - we know about tailpipe emissions, but what about non-exhaust emissions: Traffic related air pollution (TRAP) includes road dust and wear on brakes and tyres (Gary Fuller et al., 2023)
  • TRAP components: PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx), black carbon (BC), elemental carbon (EC), ultra-fine particles (UFP), tyre wear particles, road wear particles, brake wear particles, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (Gary Fuller et al., 2023)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Ammonia (NH3)

Heavy Metals (lead, mercury, chromium, etc.)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)‍

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Ultra Fine Particles (UFPs)

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