Elevated Particulate Matter and Noise Exposure for Spectators at Outdoor Motorsport Events

Abstract

Since the first recorded steam carriage race in Manchester England, in 1867, motorsport racing has been a globally popular and commercially successful leisure activity. Enthusiasts enjoy a wide range of events, including Formula, stock car, motocross, drag, and many other styles. Despite the many environmental health hazards present at racing events, there have been no published exposure assessment studies for event spectators. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted noise and particulate matter exposure assessment at a series of auto and motocross racing events. Sampling was conducted from May to October, 2017 in designated spectator seating areas at two dirt auto racing tracks, a paved auto racing track, and a dirt motocross track in the St. Louis metro-east region, Illinois, USA, and in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. Using a TSI Instruments SidePak AM520 personal aerosol monitor, arithmetic mean PM2.5 concentration ranged from 51 to 86 µg m-3 across eight race events. Using a Digi-Sense portable sound meter, arithmetic mean noise levels ranged from 75 to 92 dB, and maximum noise levels ranged from 85 to 105 dB across nine race events. PM2.5 at individual race events was combined with 24 hr average concentration data from Illinois EPA’s Granite City, IL ambient air monitoring sites to obtain time weighted average estimated 24 hour PM2.5 exposure for race spectators. Based on these calculations, 24 hour PM2.5 for race spectators would be 1.8 to 3.5 times local background exposure. These values corresponded to EPA Air Quality Index levels of 63 to 92, falling in the Moderate category, which presents potential respiratory symptoms to highly sensitive individuals. Planned future data collection includes gravimetric sampling, and particle composition analyses. Our results suggest that despite the short duration of these activities, there are possible respiratory hazards from airborne particulate matter exposure for spectators with preexisting vulnerability.