Abstract
Indoor air pollution is an increasing health concern, especially in enclosed environments such as underground subway stations because of increased global usage by urban populations. This study measured the indoor air quality of underground platforms at 10 metro stations of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS) in Taiwan, including humidity, temperature, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), ozone (O3), airborne particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), bacteria and fungi. Results showed that the CO2, CO and HCHO levels met the stipulated standards as regulated by Taiwan’s Indoor Air Quality Management Act (TIAQMA). However, elevated PM10 and PM2.5 levels were measured at most stations. TVOCs and bacterial concentrations at some stations measured in summer were higher than the regulated standards stipulated by Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration. Further studies should be conducted to reduce particulate matters, TVOCs and bacteria in the air of subway stations.
Highlights
IntroductionIn the metropolitan Taipei area of Taiwan, millions of people take the advantage of the convenience of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS), which substantially reduces traffic jams on city streets [1]
In the metropolitan Taipei area of Taiwan, millions of people take the advantage of the convenience of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS), which substantially reduces traffic jams on city streets [1].This system consists of five lines and 117 transfer stations with a 131.1-km length in the metro area [2], serving the majority of passengers from 06:00 to 24:00 on weekdays
With the permit obtained from the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC), Taiwan, we identified for this study the 10 stations with the highest ridership among all TRTS stations
Summary
In the metropolitan Taipei area of Taiwan, millions of people take the advantage of the convenience of the Taipei Rapid Transit system (TRTS), which substantially reduces traffic jams on city streets [1]. This system consists of five lines and 117 transfer stations with a 131.1-km length in the metro area [2], serving the majority of passengers from 06:00 to 24:00 on weekdays. There are three daily rush hours, from 7 to 9 a.m., from 5 to 7 p.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m. Most parts of the TRTS are underground, where various types of air pollutants, either generated internally or entering from the outside atmosphere, Int. J. Public Health 2016, 13, 1200; doi:10.3390/ijerph13121200 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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