Danger in the air: Subway stations near rivers have poorest air quality, study finds

Submitted by bkind2yourmind t3_10j0dfy in nyc

"Our findings help explain why some underground subway stations are more polluted than others,” said David Luglio, an NYU doctoral student and the study’s lead author. “Those subway stations closest to rivers clearly must be prioritized during cleaning efforts.”

The station with the highest level of particulate matter in its air was 7th Avenue on the B/Q line in Brooklyn, with a concerning 317.2 parts-per-million of PM2.5. That station, the Q’s third stop in Brooklyn, was an outlier in the top 10: eight of the top ten stations for PM2.5 concentration were the first stops on their line after coming out of an underwater tunnel.

In Brooklyn, those included High Street on the A/C, York Street on the F, and Borough Hall on the 4/5, all in Downtown Brooklyn. In Manhattan, they include Bowling Green on the 4/5, Fulton Street on the A/C, Lexington Avenue-59th Street on the R, Lexington Avenue-53rd Street on the E, and Christopher Street on the PATH. The air in all those stations, each the first stop out of the river on their lines, contains more than 200 ppm of PM2.5.

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Nonetheless, as has been found in previous research, the average particulate concentration throughout the system is substantially in excess of what scientists deem hazardous to human health. 50 of the 55 stations observed had particulate concentrations higher than 35 ppm, which the Environmental Protection Agency deems the limit of daily exposure before it can cause adverse health effects."

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Via: https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-stations-rivers-poorest-air-quality/ also covered on local news channels.

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nycdataviz t1_j5imr6n wrote

Simple solution: wear an N95 when outdoors or in the subway. Don't wait for the city to clean up the air quality, it's not going to happen.

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analphabetic t1_j5j7y67 wrote

Genuine question: if you're going to go through the trouble why not use a better rated one? e.g. P95, R99, N100, or such.

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nycdataviz t1_j5jlh69 wrote

Because those make you look like one of the evil characters in a sci-fi TV show. An n95 will only get you heckled a little bit.

But for real, there are construction workers who throw around hazardous waste that cover their mouths with handkerchiefs. I think an n95 is good enough for a short window of civilian pollution exposure, and it’s better than nothing at all.

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numba1cyberwarrior t1_j5kgfgu wrote

>But for real, there are construction workers who throw around hazardous waste that cover their mouths with handkerchiefs.

That doesnt mean its safe lol

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nycdataviz t1_j5lestm wrote

Public health efforts are all about what’s reasonable and pragmatic for large numbers of people to do to improve their lifespan and wellness, it’s not striving for perfection.

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tuberosum t1_j5k8ek2 wrote

P and R are oil proof and oil resistant respectively. Unless you need that level of protection from oil it's a waste of money.

Additionally, there's something to be said about accessibility. The disposable market is saturated primarily with N95 and the reusable market is saturated primarily with P100. Other filters (N99, N100, P95, P99, R95, R99 and R100) do exist, of course, but they represent a relatively minor part of the market and might require ordering from specialized vendors. They're not really something you're going to be able to get reliably at a local Walgreens or Home Depot.

EDIT: That's not even mentioning that for 100 (be they N, R or P) level filters you should really have a fit test in order to ensure that you're actually getting a good seal, otherwise you've really wasted money for higher protection that won't even happen.

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coyote_snap t1_j5jo5tl wrote

honestly i still wear a mask mainly due to how nasty some of the platforms are. just legitimately awful air that cant be good for me.

if the cabin is empty ill take it off.

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Dont_mute_me_bro t1_j5o79im wrote

The deeper the station, the less air flow from the surface and platform. Add a tunnel to that and voila. High Street stinks. It always has.

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jagenigma t1_j5j96me wrote

Is this also why it could be a bit hard to breathe in 168th on the 1 train? The air ais so dense and there was a pretty bad haze in that station th last time I was there.

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someliskguy t1_j5kru1e wrote

I've carried a pm2.5 meter on the 6 train before-- those stations tend to be very close to the surface and well ventilated-- the pm2.5 was below 10 for the entire trip.

Ventilation makes all the difference in these cases but it's important to figure out WHAT is in the particulates as well. You can boil water in your kitchen and hit a 300+ pm2.5 reading but the steam probably isn't killing you.

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bkind2yourmind OP t1_j5ktj6r wrote

"After taking samples last year at 54 subway and PATH stations, researchers found toxins like iron and carbon get trapped as the trains pass under the river. They are thrown to the walls and since there is no air exchange, they remain in the stations.

The toxins have been linked to serious health problems. including asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease, according to the state Department of Health."

Via https://pix11.com/news/morning/nyc-subway-stations-near-rivers-have-the-worst-air-quality-study-shows/

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Jim-20 t1_j5ogat3 wrote

Can confirm 7th avenue is a shithole.

Couple that with the homeless with 2 dozen bags pissing on the floor talking to herself on the subway and I'm pretty sure my lifespan just took a sizable hit.

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