Air Pollution at College Football Games: Developing a Methodology for Measuring Air Pollutant Exposure in a Sport Event Microenvironment

• Autores: Kyle S. Bunds, Jonathan M. Casper, H. Christopher Frey, Martin Barrett
• Localización: Event management, ISSN 1525-9951, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2019, págs. 399-412
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • International organizations such as the United Nations have begun to recognize the connection between sport events and air pollution. However, to date, there has been a dearth of research attempting to measure air pollution at sporting events. To address the lack of research on air pollution at sporting events, in this article we developed a methodology for measuring the air pollution at a college football game utilizing both stationary and mobile monitoring systems. Stationary monitors allowed for the creation of a microenvironment wherein we could examine the overall particulate matter exposure within the stadium and tailgate lot areas. Mobile monitors allowed for the examination of specific causes of spikes in air pollution. We found grills, generators, and cars caused pollutant spikes, which were, at times, over 20 times worse than the recognized levels for moderate air quality. Additionally, while the overall pollution in the microenvironment was elevated, pollutant levels during postgame (i. e., where there is a rush of individuals leaving at the same time) were consistently and considerably higher. Implications for practice and future research include event policy considerations and the application of the methodology across alternative sporting venues/contexts.