AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Exposure to Ultrafine Particles and Black Carbon in Diesel-powered Commuter Trains
CHEOL H. JEONG, Alison Traub, Greg J. Evans, SOCAAR, University of Toronto
Abstract Number: 447 Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract Concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP), lung deposited surface area (LDSA), and black carbon (BC) were measured using portable monitors (i.e., DiscMini, Testo AG, MicroAeth, AethLabs) during 43 morning and evening trips inside commuter trains from July 6 to August 21, 2015. Walking measurements were taken on sidewalks of busy streets in downtown Toronto immediately before or after the in-train measurement.
Elevated concentrations of UFP, BC, and LDSA were observed on diesel-powered passenger trains under some conditions. When the passenger coaches were pulled by a locomotive (pull-train), UFP, LDSA, and BC were 18, 10, and 6 times higher than the exposure levels when the locomotive pushed the coaches (push-train), respectively. These concentrations in pull-trains were 5, 3, and 4 times the UFP, LDSA, and BC concentrations measured while walking on city sidewalks, respectively. Exposure to these pollutants was most elevated in the coach located closest to the locomotive: geometric means were 126,000 # cm-3 for UFP, 249 μm2 cm-3 for LDSA, and 17,800 ng m-3 of BC. In addition, these UFP, LDSA, and BC exposure levels in pull-trains were substantially higher than those for other commuter options reported in the literature. Additional measurements of gaseous pollutants, particulate matter, and trace metals were also conducted in inter-city trains and during winter to better understand this exposure. Steps to reduce this exposure are already being evaluated and implemented. One follow-up study of the effectiveness of higher efficiency filters within the ventilation systems will be described.