We used the CMAQ adjoint model in order to estimate sensitivities of mortality attributed to exposure to BC with respect to emissions at a highly resolved spatial and sectoral level of specificity. While a majority of mortalities occur in highly-populated, urban locations, we were able to show that transport from less-populated regions plays an important role. We calculated that, of the 12,583 mortalities attributed to exposure to BC in 2007, 12,177 of those were caused by anthropogenic emissions of BC. We were able to show that many of the major roadways have larger emission percentages than contribution percentages. This suggests that while the transportation sector is responsible for 52.3% of total BC emissions in the U.S., controlling those emissions may not be the most optimal strategy to reduce mortalities on a per unit emission basis. Additionally, we were able to show that contribution percentages are higher than mortality percentage in areas upwind of urban areas.
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