Abstract
Diesel exhaust (DE) emissions from a parking garage located in the basement of a school were characterized during spring and winter using direct reading devices and integrated sampling methods. Concentrations of CO and NO2 were evaluated using electrochemical sensors and passive colorimetric tubes, respectively. Elemental and total carbon concentrations were measured using the NIOSH 5040 method. Particle number concentrations (PNCs), respirable particulate matter (PMresp) mass concentrations, and size distributions were evaluated using direct reading devices. Indoor concentrations of elemental carbon, PNC, CO, and NO2 showed significant seasonal variation; concentrations were much higher during winter (p < 0.01). Concentrations of the PMresp and total carbon did not show significant seasonal variation. Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.9 (p < 0.01) and 0.94 (p < 0.01) between the parking garage and ground floor average daily PNCs, and between the parking garage and first floor average daily PNCs, respectively. Since DE is the main identified source of fine and ultrafine particles in the school, these results suggest that DE emissions migrate from the parking garage into the school. Our results highlight the relevance of direct reading instruments in identifying migration of contaminants and suggest that monitoring PNC is a more specific way of assessing exposure to DE than monitoring the common PMresp fraction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ACGIH (2016) TLVs® and BEIs® based on the documentation of the threshold limit values for chemical substances and physical agents & biological exposure indices. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati
ANSI/ASHRAE (2007) Standard 62.1–2007: ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. American National Standards Institute & American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Atlanta
Attfield MD, Schleiff PL, Lubin JH et al (2012) The diesel exhaust in miners study: a cohort mortality study with emphasis on lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 104:869–883
Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) Exposure Standards Committee (2013) Position paper: diesel particulate matter & occupational health issues. Tullamarine, Australia
Bémer D, Subra I, Depay J, Lauzier F (2010) Diesel emission: performances of particle filters for off-road engines. Hygiène et sécurité du travail. INRS, Paris
Brown JS, Gordon T, Price O, Asgharian B (2013) Thoracic and respirable particle definitions for human health risk assessment. Particle and fibre toxicology 10(1):1
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) (2015) Diesel exhaust: hazardous to your health. Government of Canada. http://www.ccohs.ca/newsletters/hsreport/issues/2012/06/ezine.html
Carex Canada (2015) Diesel Engine Exhaust. http://www.carexcanada.ca/en/diesel_engine_exhaust/
Debia M, Neesham-Grenon E, Mudaheranwa O, Ragettli M (2016) Diesel Exhaust Exposures in Port Workers. J Occup Environ Hyg 13(7):549–557
European Committee for Standardization (CEN) (1993) Workplace atmospheres-size fraction definitions for measurement of airborne particles. Brussels, Belgium
French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) (2013) Indoor Air Quality Guidelines: ANSES proposes two values for nitrogen dioxide. Paris, France
Garshick E, Laden F, Hart J et al (2012) Lung cancer and elemental carbon exposure in trucking industry workers. Environ Health Perspect 120(9):1301–1306
Gouvernement du Québec (2016a) Regulation respecting occupational health and safety in mines. Chapter S-2.1, r. 14. Éditeur officiel du Québec, Quebec City
Gouvernement du Québec (2016b) Regulation respecting occupational health and safety. Chapter S-2.1, r. 13. Éditeur officiel du Québec, Quebec City
Government of Ontario (2016) Regulation 854: mines and mining plants. Queen’s Printer of Ontario, Toronto
Grenier M, Gangal M, Goyer N et al (2001) Sampling for diesel particulate matter in mines. Diesel Emissions Evaluation Program (DEEP), Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa
Guo H, Morawska L, He C et al (2010) Characterization of particle number concentrations and PM2. 5 in a school: influence of outdoor air pollution on indoor air. Environ Sci Pollut Res 17(6):1268–1278
Helsel DR (2005) Nondetects and data analysis — statistics for censored environmental data. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (2012) Diesel and gasoline engine exhaust and some nitroarenes. In: IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, vol 105, Lyon, France
Laumbach RJ, Kipen HM, Ko S et al (2014) A controlled trial of acute effects of human exposure to traffic particles on pulmonary oxidative stress and heart rate variability. Part Fibre Toxicol 11(1):1
Lavoué J (2013) Dealing with non-detects in industrial hygiene datasets: some historical perspective and a new and simple Web tool. Exposure (The Official Magazine of the British Occupational Hygiene Society), No. 6, pp. 13–16
Lutz EA, Reed RJ, Lee VS, Burgess JL (2015) Occupational exposures to emissions from combustion of diesel and alternative fuels in underground mining—a simulated pilot study. J Occup Environ Hyg 12(3):18–25
Maricq MM (2007) Chemical characterization of particulate emissions from diesel engines: a review. J Aerosol Sci 38(11):1079–1118
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (2003) Method 5040: diesel particulate matter (as elemental carbon) In: NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods, 4th Ed., Atlanta, USA
Noll JD, Bugarski AD, Patts LD et al (2007) Relationship between elemental carbon, total carbon, and diesel particulate matter in several underground metal/non-metal mines. Environmental science & technology 41(3):710–716
Ruzer LS, Harley NH (2012) Aerosols handbook: measurement, dosimetry, and health effects. CRC press, Boca Raton
Sauvain JJ, Duc TV, Guillemin M (2003) Exposure to carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds and health risk assessment for diesel-exhaust exposed workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 76(6):443–455
Silverman DT, Samanic CM, Lubin JH et al. (2012) The diesel exhaust in miners study: a nested case–control study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust. J Natl Cancer Inst 104(11):855–856
Steenland K, Deddens J, Stayner L (1998) Diesel exhaust and lung cancer in the trucking industry: exposure-response analyses and risk assessment. Am J Ind Med 34(3):220–228
Suva (2015) Occupational exposure limit values. Lucerne, Switzerland
The Swedish Work Environment Authority (SWEA) (2011) Occupational exposure limit values, AFS 2011:18. Stockholm, Sweden
United States Government (2016) Code of Federal Regulations, title 30, part 57.5060. Office of the Federal Register, Washington
Vermeulen R, Silverman D, Garshick E et al (2014) Exposure-response estimates for diesel engine exhaust and lung cancer mortality based on data from three occupational cohorts. Environ Health Perspect 122(2):172
Wargo J, Brown D, Cullen MR et al (2002) Children’s exposure to diesel exhaust on school buses. Environment & Human Health, Inc., North Haven
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the employees of the school for their collaboration.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Debia, M., Trachy-Bourget, MC., Beaudry, C. et al. Characterization of indoor diesel exhaust emissions from the parking garage of a school. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 4655–4665 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8129-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8129-4