Particulate Matter Exposure in a Police Station Located near a Highway

Yu-Cheng Chen, Chin-Kai Hsu, Chia C. Wang, Perng-Jy Tsai, Chun-Yuan Wang, Mei-Ru Chen and Ming-Yeng Lin
Additional contact information
Yu-Cheng Chen: National Environmental Health Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan Town, Miaoli 350, Taiwan
Chin-Kai Hsu: Department of Industrial and Information Management, College of Management, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Chia C. Wang: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
Perng-Jy Tsai: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Chun-Yuan Wang: Department of Administration Police, College of Justice Administration, Central Police University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
Mei-Ru Chen: Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Medicine and Life Science, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan 717, Taiwan
Ming-Yeng Lin: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: People living or working near roadways have experienced an increase in cardiovascular or respiratory diseases due to vehicle emissions. Very few studies have focused on the PM exposure of highway police officers, particularly for the number concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles (UFP). This study evaluated exposure concentrations of particulate matter (PM) in the Sinying police station near a highway located in Tainan, Taiwan, under different traffic volumes, traffic types, and shift times. We focused on periods when the wind blew from the highway toward the police station and when the wind speed was greater than or equal to 0.5 m/s. PM2.5, UFP, and PM-PAHs concentrations in the police station and an upwind reference station were measured. Results indicate that PM2.5, UFP, and PM-PAHs concentrations in the police station can be on average 1.13, 2.17, and 5.81 times more than the upwind reference station concentrations, respectively. The highest exposure level for PM2.5 and UFP was observed during the 12:00 PM–4:00 PM shift while the highest PAHs concentration was found in the 4:00 AM–8:00 AM shift. Thus, special attention needs to be given to protect police officers from exposure to high PM concentration.

Keywords: particulate matter; ultrafine particles; police station; highway (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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