TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of PM2.5 and black carbon exposure among subway workers
AU - Choi, Sangjun
AU - Park, Ju Hyun
AU - Kim, So Yeon
AU - Kwak, Hyunseok
AU - Kim, Dongwon
AU - Lee, Kyong Hui
AU - Park, Dong Uk
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2019/8/2
Y1 - 2019/8/2
N2 - This study aimed to assess the characteristics of exposure to both PM2.5 and black carbon (BC) among subway workers. A total of 61 subway workers, including 26, 23, and 12 subway station managers, maintenance engineers, and train drivers, respectively, were investigated in 2018. Real-time measurements of airborne PM2.5 and BC were simultaneously conducted around the breathing zones of workers. Maintenance engineers had the highest average levels of exposure to both PM2.5 and BC (PM2.5, 76 µg/m3; BC, 9.3 µg/m3), followed by train drivers (63.2 µg/m3, 5.9 µg/m3) and subway station managers (39.7 µg/m3, 2.2 µg/m3). In terms of the relationship between mass concentrations of PM2.5 and BC, train drivers demonstrated the strongest correlation (R = 0.72), indicating that the proportion of BC contained in PM2.5 is relatively steady. The average proportion of BC in PM2.5 among maintenance engineers (13.0%) was higher than that among train drivers (9.4%) and subway station managers (6.4%). Univariate and mixed effect multiple analyses demonstrated the type of task and worksite to be significant factors affecting exposure levels in maintenance engineers and subway station managers. The use of diesel engine motorcars in tunnel maintenance was found to be a key contributor to PM2.5 and BC exposure levels among subway workers.
AB - This study aimed to assess the characteristics of exposure to both PM2.5 and black carbon (BC) among subway workers. A total of 61 subway workers, including 26, 23, and 12 subway station managers, maintenance engineers, and train drivers, respectively, were investigated in 2018. Real-time measurements of airborne PM2.5 and BC were simultaneously conducted around the breathing zones of workers. Maintenance engineers had the highest average levels of exposure to both PM2.5 and BC (PM2.5, 76 µg/m3; BC, 9.3 µg/m3), followed by train drivers (63.2 µg/m3, 5.9 µg/m3) and subway station managers (39.7 µg/m3, 2.2 µg/m3). In terms of the relationship between mass concentrations of PM2.5 and BC, train drivers demonstrated the strongest correlation (R = 0.72), indicating that the proportion of BC contained in PM2.5 is relatively steady. The average proportion of BC in PM2.5 among maintenance engineers (13.0%) was higher than that among train drivers (9.4%) and subway station managers (6.4%). Univariate and mixed effect multiple analyses demonstrated the type of task and worksite to be significant factors affecting exposure levels in maintenance engineers and subway station managers. The use of diesel engine motorcars in tunnel maintenance was found to be a key contributor to PM2.5 and BC exposure levels among subway workers.
KW - Black carbon
KW - Diesel engine motorcar
KW - PM
KW - Subway
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071281338&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph16162901
DO - 10.3390/ijerph16162901
M3 - Article
C2 - 31412662
AN - SCOPUS:85071281338
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 16
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 16
M1 - 2901
ER -