Self-Portraits of Personal Exposure to Air Pollution: on where and when People Are Exposed, and on why it Is Difficult to Avoid

Abstract

I discuss personal exposure to air pollution through an analysis of the space-time trajectories of seven Brussels residents. Through an activity-based model, I examine how much, when, and where the subjects are exposed to PM2.5 during a typical week. Drawing on social theories of practice, I explore why people become exposed by examining the role of perception and representations of air pollution in organizing a typical week and in considering alternative options. By framing personal exposure as a consequence of the enactment and synchronization of social practices, this research sheds light on how social and ecological processes such as urban planning, energy production, and weather intermingle with the lived experience of individuals and communities to produce specific patterns of pollution exposure. This article is the outcome of a citizen science project conducted in Brussels to test alternative approaches to measure and address outdoor air pollution.