Air quality in enclosed railway stations

Abstract

In 2012, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified diesel engine exhaust and related ambient air pollution to be carcinogenic and associated with increased mortality from lung cancer. This could have critical consequences for both public and occupational health in enclosed railway stations where ventilation is often inadequate. Recent policies encouraging a shift to public transport, along with increasing passenger and train numbers, have led to a variety of co-benefits, including improved health and well-being from increased walking and cycling. This paper considers the unintended consequences of a reduction of air quality in crowded enclosed railway stations and concludes with a number of possible interventions to ensure that public health is not affected, especially by air pollution from stationary diesel trains. Pollution from electric trains can also lead to poor air quality due to the production of metal-rich ultrafine particles from brake linings, friction between wheel and rail, and from overhead pantographs. Current occupational health standards are not suitable for enclosed railway stations and need to be reconsidered in the light of the IARC findings. More measurements of the levels of particulates and nitrogen dioxide in enclosed railway stations need to be undertaken and published.

Particulate matter pollution capture by leaves of seventeen living wall species with special reference to rail-traffic at a metropolitan station

“…Carbon and Oxygen were present, mainly due to the organic materials of leaves. However, since the hourly level of black carbon has been reported as being up to 29 μg m -3 in Birmingham New Street Station (Zulkifli, 2015 cited in Thornes et al, 2016) a considerable portion of carbon can probably be attributed to diesel exhaust from trains. In addition to diesel exhaust, hydrocarbons from lubrication oils, wooden sleepers, and wheel flanges could also be sources of these C and O levels (Burkhardt et al, 2008).…”

“…The railway network is one of the main sources of air pollution in the UK due to diesel and electric train emissions (Thornes et al, 2016). In addition to particles generated via rail traffic exhaust, particles can also be generated due to wheel friction, friction with overhead cables and when applying brakes; the particles generated in these circumstances fall mainly within the ultrafine range (Thornes et al, 2016).…”

Background levels of micro-organisms in the busy urban environment of transport hubs

“…; Thornes et al . ), only a limited number of studies internationally have investigated background microbial levels and diversity in passenger transport hubs representing busy urban environments. One study focused on methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination in surfaces in Portuguese city buses, and found 36% to be contaminated (Conceição et al .…”

Monitoring the Indoor Air Quality and Microclimate for Improving Passenger Health and Comfort Level in Bucharest Subway Platforms

“…According to recent studies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], the comfort level, indoor air quality and security in underground transportation are a major environmental problem anywhere in the world. It is noticed that often the subway air has higher levels of air pollution than in trams or walking in the street.…”