Study of commuter personal exposure concentrations in various modes of road transportation

Abstract

Any chemical, physical, or biological interference that pollutes the indoor or outdoor environment and alters the natural characteristics of the atmosphere is referred to as air pollution. People with heart and lung diseases, the aged, and children are more vulnerable to air pollution. Air pollution does not only occur outside; it can also exist inside buildings or vehicles, posing a health risk. PM, CO2, CO, NO2, and SO2 are the most common gaseous pollutants produced by manufacturing industries and motorized transportation. newlineThe air moving inside the automobile cabin may contain pollutants from three different sources: the outside air, the vehicle itself, and the people. In-vehicle air pollutants are often greater when compared to outdoor pollution. According to recent studies, indoor car pollution is more than 15 times higher than outdoor pollution. These contaminants have the potential to cause serious health concerns. Throat irritation, headaches, and dizziness are among the health issues. newlinePrivate vehicles are the most common means of transportation in Salem, India, but there is no information on commuters personal exposure to air pollution. In this study, the critical IAQ pollutants of PM2.5, PM10 and CO2 were examined in six private transportation modes: motorcycle, auto rickshaw, hatchback car, sedan car, SUV car, and MUV van. Furthermore, the pollutants were assessed in car and van transports under various ventilation settings, such as windows closed/open, AC ON/OFF, and FAS/RC mode. In addition, the thermal comfort parameters of air temperature and relative humidity were assessed in each of the six vehicles. The inhalation dose per trip and the inhalation dose per kilometre were calculated from the commuter exposure to PM pollution for all the vehicles. newline