Understanding and mitigating the effects on public health of emerging non-regulated nanoparticle emissions issues and noise

As car and truck engines have become quieter and cleaner over the past decades, particulate and noise emissions from road-tyre interaction have become the dominant source of traffic-generated particulate emission and traffic noise. Both particulates (airborne or as microplastics) and noise are suspected to contribute to negative health outcomes for those living near busy roads.
Currently, non-exhaust particulate emissions are not regulated. Tyre noise is subject to labelling for passenger vehicles, but not yet for trucks. Legislation is in preparation but will require a solid body of evidence of the mechanisms of generation, dispersion and potential health effects of both particulate and noise emissions, in order to introduce measures that are effective and widely accepted.
LEON-T will contribute to this body of evidence by investigating both particulate and noise emissions from tyres, and in doing so define and propose practical standardised methods for both lab and road testing—of tyre abrasion rate (mostly larger particles) and airborne particulate emissions.

LEON-T started June 2021 and will run for three years. 

RIVM colleague involved: Joris Quik.

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 955387.