Subway riders and transit workers in major cities are being exposed to levels of air pollution that could increase the risk of heart and lung problems, according to a new study from New York University.
Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine said air quality readings, in particular on the PATH rail system linking New York and New Jersey and New York City s subway system, raise serious health concerns and warrant further investigation.
The research, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at the air quality of transit systems across the Northeast, including subways in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, during morning and evening rush hours. It found that air quality was lowest on platforms and improved somewhat on air-conditioned trains.
People traveling on subway systems in major US cities are being exposed to unsafe amounts of air pollution, with commuters in New York and New Jersey subjected to the highest levels of pollution, research has found. Tiny airborne particles, probably thrown up by train brakes or the friction between train wheels and rails, are rife in the 71 underground stations sampled by researchers during morning and evening rush hours in Boston, New York.
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Commuters now have yet another reason to avoid packing themselves into subway stations. New York City s transit system exposes riders to more inhaled pollutants than any other metropolitan subway system in the Northeastern United States, a new study finds. Yet even its cleaner neighbors struggle with enough toxins to give health-conscious travelers pause.
Led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine researchers, the study measured air quality samples in 71 stations at morning and evening rush hours in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Among the 13 underground stations tested in New York, the investigators found concentrations of hazardous metals and organic particles that ranged anywhere from two to seven times that of outdoor air samples.
All of the major subway systems on the East Coast trap polluted air in their stations, according to a new study. But the air inside New York City s transit system is the most heavily polluted.
/PRNewswire/ Commuters now have yet another reason to avoid packing themselves into subway stations. New York City s transit system exposes riders to more.