Reduction of Particulate Matters Levels in Railway Cabins in Korea

초록

Objectives: High concentrations of airborne particulate matters (PM) can affect the health of passengers using public transportation. The objectives of this research were to develop a PM control system for a railway cabin and to evaluate the performance of the device under conditions of an actual journey. Methods: This study measured the concentrations of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) simultaneously in a reference cabin and a cabin with the PM control device. Results: The average PM_(10) concentration in the reference cabin was 100 μg/m^3, and the PM10 concentration in the cabin with the control device was 79 μg/m^3. While the overall control efficiency of the control device was 15.4%, reduction was more effective for peak PM_(10) concentration. However, PM_(2.5) levels did not differ greatly between the reference cabin and the cabin with the control device. The ratio of PM_(2.5) to PM_(10) was 0.37. PM_(10)concentrations in cabins were not associated with ambient concentrations, indicating that the main sources of PM_(10) were present in cabins. Additionally, average CO_2 concentration in the cabins was 1,359 ppm, less than the maximum of 2,000 ppm set out by the Korean Ministry of Environment’s guideline. The CO_2 concentration in cabins was significantly associated with the number of passengers: the in-cabin concentration = 23.4 × N + 460.2,where N is the number of passengers. Conclusions: Application of the PM control device can improve PM10 concentration, especially at peak levels but not PM_(2.5) concentration.

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