Petrol Filling Stations as Emerging Social Hubs: Assessing Health Risks and Urban Planning Challenges – A Case Study of New Cairo, Egypt | ||
| JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences | ||
| Article 6, Volume 53, Issue 3, May and June 2025, Pages 208-230 PDF (1.85 M) | ||
| Document Type: Research Paper | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.346658.1398 | ||
| Author | ||
| Nanees Elsayyad* | ||
| Architectural Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Mansoura University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The relationship between urban planning, public health, and the risks associated with petrol filling stations (PFS) serving as informal social hubs is increasingly significant in rapidly urbanizing areas. In New Cairo, Egypt, PFS have evolved from purely service-oriented spaces to vibrant social gathering points, a trend that became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift demonstrates how urban infrastructure adapts to changing societal behaviours but also introduces public health concerns, including increased exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a heightened risk of disease transmission. This study aims to assess the dual role of PFS as both essential urban facilities and emerging social spaces, examining their health and environmental implications. A mixed-methods approach, including a literature review, behavioural analysis, spatial assessments, and structured user surveys, is employed to evaluate VOC exposure levels, social interaction patterns, and public risk perceptions. The findings reveal that PFS function as critical social nodes, particularly for young adults. However, air quality measurements indicate that VOC concentrations near seating and gathering areas often exceed WHO-recommended safety thresholds. The research underscores the need for integrated urban planning and public health policies that balance the social utility of PFS with necessary safety regulations, ensuring healthier and more sustainable urban environments. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Petrol Filling Stations; Place and Non-Place Theory; VOC Health Impact; Social Interaction | ||
| References | ||
|
References (ITDP), I. F. T. A. D. P. 2023. Paris transforms urban space: Reclaiming streets for pedestrians and sustainable mobility. https://itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/STA-2023-Spotlight-ParisFrance-june.pdf. (SDAPCD), S. D. A. P. C. D. 2024. Gas station compliance requirements.https://www.sdapcd.org/content/sdapcd/compliance/compliance-requirements/gas-stations.html. ALBATAYNEH, A., JUAIDI, A., ABDALLAH, R. & JEGUIRIM, M. 2024. Preparing for the EV revolution: Petrol stations' profitability in Jordan. Energy for Sustainable Development, 79, 101412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2024.101412. ALENEZI, R. & ALDAIHAN, N. 2019. Impact of fuel dispensing stations in the vicinity of residential homes on the indoor and outdoor air quality. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 16, 2783-2796. https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:102793478. BAEZA CARACENA, A., MORALES TERRES, I. M., DOVAL MIñARRO, M., GONZáLEZ FERRADáS, E. & BARBERá RICO, J. 2010. Assessing the impact of petrol stations on their immediate surroundings. Journal of Environmental Management, Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.009. BINSALEH, N., ELTAYEB, R., BASHIR, E., IDRIS, H., ALTHOBITI, M., AHMED, H., KHAN, M. & QANASH, H. 2024. Insight into hematological parameters of petrol station workers. European Review for Medical & Pharmacological Sciences, 28. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202404_36029
CARR, S. 1992. Public space, Cambridge University Press.(book) CSAMBALIK, L., GáL, I., MADARAS, K., TóBIáS, A. & PUSZTAI, P. 2024. Beyond Efficiency: The Social and Ecological Costs of Plant Factories in Urban Farming—A Review. Urban Science, 8, 210. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040210 DE ALBUQUERQUE AZEVEDO, H. A. M. & DE SOUZA BIAS, E. 2011. Environmental diagnostic model to support the environmental municipality planning: Case study of Inhambane municipality in Mozambique. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 22, 358-373. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777831111122923 DE ARAUJO, L. G., ZORDAN, D. F., CELZARD, A. & FIERRO, V. 2023. Glyphosate uses, adverse effects and alternatives: focus on the current scenario in Brazil. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 45, 9559-9582. DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01763-w
DEMOULIN, D., CAI, H., VERMEULEN, R., ZHENG, W., LIPWORTH, L. & SHU, X.-O. 2024. Occupational benzene exposure and cancer risk among Chinese men: a report from the Shanghai Men’s Health Study. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 33, 1465-1474. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-0325
EL KHATEEB, S. & SHAWKET, I. M. 2022. A new perception; generating well-being urban public spaces after the era of pandemics. Developments in the built environment, 9, 100065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100065 FAHMY, S. 2018. Re-thinking the Vibrant life on the Sidewalk: Mapping the Spatial Relations of Informal. University of Stuttgart. https://iusd.asu.edu.eg
FISHMAN, R. 1990. America’s new city. The Wilson Quarterly, 14, 24-55. http://archive.wilsonquarterly.com/sites/default/files/articles/WQ_VOL14_W_1990_Article_01.pdf FONTES, T., BARROS, N. & MANSO, M. Human health risk for the population living in the vicinity of urban petrol stations. International conference on urban risks, 2016. 615-622. GAZETTE, C. 2024. Regulations amending the petroleum and refinery air emissions regulations. https://canadagazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2024/2024-02-24/html/reg1-eng.html. GIOVANNONI, G. 2016. The Social Life of Gas Stations. The Journal of Public Space, 1, 75-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/jps.v1i1.12 GOVERNMENT, S. M. 2022. Seoul makes progress towards its EV 10% goal with more than 35,000 charging stations. https://world.seoul.go.kr/seoul-makes-progress-towards-its-ev-10-goal-with-more-than-35000-charging-stations/. HERBST, A. A method to determine spray drift potential from nozzles and its link to buffer zone restrictions. 2001 ASAE Annual Meeting, 1998. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 1. doi: 10.13031/2013.7333 HILPERT, M., MORA, B. A., NI, J., RULE, A. M. & NACHMAN, K. E. 2015. Hydrocarbon release during fuel storage and transfer at gas stations: environmental and health effects. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2, 412-422.DOI: 10.1007/s40572-015-0074-8
KHAHRO, S. H., MATORI, A. N., CHANDIO, I. A. & TALPUR, M. A. H. 2014. Land suitability analysis for installing new petrol filling stations using GIS. Procedia Engineering, 77, 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2014.07.024 LEARY, P. J., LINDSTROM, M., JOHNSON, C. O., EMMONS-BELL, S., RICH, S., CORRIS, P. A., DUBROCK, H. M., VENTETUOLO, C. E., ABATE, Y. H. & ABDELMASSEH, M. 2024. Global, regional, and national burden of pulmonary arterial hypertension, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. MALAVOLTI, M., MALAGOLI, C., FILIPPINI, T., WISE, L. A., BELLELLI, A., PALAZZI, G., CELLINI, M., COSTANZINI, S., TEGGI, S. & VINCETI, M. 2023. Residential proximity to petrol stations and risk of childhood leukemia. European Journal of Epidemiology, 38, 771-782. DOI: 10.1007/s10654-023-01009-0
MANINI, P., DE PALMA, G., ANDREOLI, R., POLI, D., PETYX, M., CORRADI, M., MUTTI, A. & APOSTOLI, P. 2008. Biological monitoring of low benzene exposure in Italian traffic policemen. Toxicology letters, 181, 25-30. DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2008.06.865
MARC, A. & MACKIAN, S. 1995. Non-places: Introduction to an anthropology of supermodernity: From places to non-places, Verso. MAZZEI, A., KONSTANTINOUDIS, G., KREIS, C., DIEZI, M., AMMANN, R. A., ZWAHLEN, M., KUHNI, C. & SPYCHER, B. D. 2022. Childhood cancer and residential proximity to petrol stations: A nationwide registry-based case–control study in Switzerland and an updated meta-analysis. International archives of occupational and environmental health, 1-12. DOI: 10.1007/s00420-021-01767-y
MCNAMARA, C., MONTOTO, S., EYRE, T. A., ARDESHNA, K., BURTON, C., ILLIDGE, T. M., LINTON, K. M., RULE, S., TOWNSEND, W. & WONG, W. L. 2020. Update: the investigation and management of follicular lymphoma. DOI: 10.1111/bjh.16872
MOBILISTER, G. 2021. Eco-labels on fuel dispensers: Swedish fuel dispensers now get mandatory eco-labels.https://gronamobilister.se/in-english/we-want-to-know/eco-labels-on-fuel-dispensers/1-10-2021-swedish-fuel-dispensers-now-get-mandatory-eco-labels. MUKETHA, G. M., KIRONGO, A., HUKA, G. S. & BUNDI, D. G. 2019. Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 24, Issue 6, Ser. 7. https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/pages/24(6)Series-6.html. NASUTION, A. D. & ZAHRAH, W. 2012. Public open space privatization and quality of life, case study Merdeka Square Medan. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 36, 466-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.051 ORGANIZATION, W. H. 2010. Toolkit for developing a multisectoral action plan for noncommunicable diseases: Overview. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289002134. ORGANIZATION, W. H. 2021. WHO global air quality guidelines. National Library of Medicin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574594/. ORGANIZATION, W. H. 2024. Ambient (outdoor) air pollution.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health. POPESCU, S. M., MANSOOR, S., WANI, O. A., KUMAR, S. S., SHARMA, V., SHARMA, A., ARYA, V. M., KIRKHAM, M., HOU, D. & BOLAN, N. 2024. Artificial intelligence and IoT driven technologies for environmental pollution monitoring and management. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12, 1336088. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1336088 SAEEDI, M., MALEKMOHAMMADI, B. & TAJALLI, S. 2024. Interaction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene with human’s body: Insights into characteristics, sources and health risks. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 16, 100459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2024.100459 TRIGG, D. 2017. Place and non-place: a phenomenological perspective. Place, space and hermeneutics, 127-139.doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52214-2_10 ÜNGUR, E. 2019. Contradiction and ambiguity in non-place: Non-place as a transitional spatial concept. Academia. edu. | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 75 PDF Download: 74 |
||
