Subway/Metro Environments Intermediate

Reading Guide

The air quality in the subway metro indoor microenvironment has been of particular public concern. With specific reference to the growing demand of green transportation and sustainable development, subway metro systems have been rapidly developed worldwide in last decades. The number of metro commuters has continuously increased over recent years in metropolitan cities. In some cities, metro system has become the primary public transportation mode. Although commuters typically spend only 30–40 min in metros, the air pollutants emitted from various interior components of metro system as well as air pollutants carried by ventilation supply air are significant sources of harmful air pollutants that could lead to unhealthy human exposure. Commuters' exposure to various air pollutants in metro carriages may cause perceivable health risk as reported by many environmental health studies.

A review paper (Xu and Hao 2017), which is included as a PDF file, summarizes significant findings in the literature on air quality inside metro indoor environment, including pollutant concentration levels, chemical species, related sources and health risk assessment. More than 160 relevant studies performed across over 20 countries were carefully reviewed. These comprised more than 2000 individual measurement trips. Particulate matters, aromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and airborne bacteria have been identified as the primary air pollutants inside metro system. On this basis, future work could focus on investigating the chronic health risks of exposure to various air pollutants other than PM, and/or further developing advanced air purification unit to improve metro in-station air quality.

Other related studies are also included below as pdf files.

Material

• Xu, B., Hao, J. Air quality inside subway metro indoor environment worldwide: A review. Environment International, 2017, 107: 33-46.
• Gong, Y., Zhou, T., Zhao, Y., Xu, B. Characterization and Risk Assessment of Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds in Metro Carriage in Shanghai, China. Atmosphere, 2019, 10: 302-311.
• Gong, Y., Wei, Y., Cheng, J., Jiang, T., Chen, L., Xu, B. Health risk assessment and personal exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in metro carriages-A case study in Shanghai, China. Science of the Total Environment, 2017, 574: 1432–1438.
• Xu, B., Yu, X., Gu, H., Miao, B., Wang, M., Huang, H. Commuters’ exposure to PM2.5 and CO2 in metro carriages of Shanghai metro system. Transportation Research Part D: Transportation and Environment, 2016, 47: 162-170.
• Xu, B., Cui, P., Xu, H., Chen, H., Lin, Y. Commuter exposure to particle matter and carbon dioxide inside high-speed rail carriages. Transportation Research Part D: Transportation and Environment, 2013, 20: 1-6.

Guide prepared by B. Xu (1/2021). For corrections or expansions please contact us.