Assessment of risk components for urban population to heat intensity and air pollution through a dense IoT sensor network

The impacts of heat stress and air pollution are both related to severe health risks for citizens. Complexity and heterogeneity of urban systems can lead to some residents being more exposed than others, possibly exacerbating social inequalities. Whilst the impacts of heath stress and air pollution on population health are known, their relationship with socioeconomic vulnerability has been less investigated. In this work, an integrated risk assessment framework for a mid-size city (Prato, Italy) was developed by combining information on concurrent hazards (summer heat stress and winter air pollution), socioeconomic vulnerabilities indices (Income deciles and Deprivation Index), and demographic exposure (elderly population fraction). Multiple data sources were merged through a novel approach incorporating observed measurements of air temperature and air pollution (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations) at fine time and spatial resolution through a dense IoT sensor network. Results indicated that i) socioeconomic vulnerability was significantly and positively correlated with summer heat intensity (R > 0.8); ii) lowest and highest income classes experienced lower PM concentrations compared to middle-income classes; iii) the fraction of elderly people associated with low socioeconomic vulnerability was little impacted by heat intensity but mostly exposed to winter air pollution depending on their proximity to highly travelled roadways and industrial activities.