What kind of air do NYC subway passengers breathe?

Light complaints about the public transport system New York City is the order of the day. And this time, to the series of complaints from passengers, from delay, suspend service and neglected stations, now added to the poor air quality suffered by New Yorkers who rely on the subway to get around the Big Apple.

This is what he revealed study on with it NYU Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, which warns that there are very high levels of so-called pollution mainly on platforms and train cars PM2.5: micro particles that reach the respiratory tract directly, reaching the lungs.

And although the more than 5 million passengers which moves every day between 472 stations Subway users are exposed to polluted air, the report found that Latinos and blacks, as well as low-income communities, are the most affected by the highest level of toxic pollution .

The report says that the Hispanic New Yorkers Asians and whites suffer 35% higher levels of exposure to PM2.5 particles, mainly because they rely more on public transport and take longer journeys to get to work . The 181st Street, 168th Street, Bowling Green and Broadway-Lafayette stations are the most polluted and Washington Heights has the highest level of pollution per capita..

This is how ee explained Masoud Ghadehari, researcher and professor at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University (NYU), after warning that the health status of low-income New Yorkers is also associated with greater adverse effects from pollution .

“People who travel longer distances are more vulnerable because they are exposed to particulate matter for longer periods of time.. “A person at a higher economic level may not have a less severe response to poor air quality because their baseline health is already better than that of a person at a lower economic level,” the researcher said. It’s a problem because the concentrations are very high, especially among people with underlying health problems.”

The expert said that most of the particles are contaminated Metal ions within that have been linked to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders and other health conditions.

Latino commuters from Upper Manhattan and the Bronx are the most affected by polluted air. Photo by Edwin Martinez.

“We noticed that when a train arrives at the station, the density in the air increases and, around between 15 and 20 seconds later As soon as it comes out, the density decreases slowly. This means that it is what is at the bottom of the tunnel that moves and shrinks the air,” said the NYU professor.

“At that size, these particles enter the lungs, and fine particles have been shown to cause problems with cardiovascular, respiratory and brain diseases. We have 5 million passengers a day. “Let’s think about the human impact that a person can have in one day on the New York City subway system,” the expert warned.

The researchers also found that the average concentrations of PM2.5 pollution on train platforms and cars They were 10 and 7 times higher, respectively, as established by the World Health Organization. Likewise, they said the average subway platform was four times higher than the limit for exposure to PM2.5 particulate pollution given by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Travelers like it Atehortua plant, who said that she uses the subway six times a week from Upper Manhattan to Wall Street, where she works in a financial office, that the data she got from the study did not surprise her, because she said she feels the effects of pollution particles every day. .

“Those of us who travel on the subway every day know that the air is not only unhealthy but also very harmful.. There are certain points during the journey where one begins to cough more or feel a sudden clearing of the throat, and at the station I always practice, from the moment you enter you feel the heaviness of the air, as well as the stench there. yes,” said the Dominican. “One would like to say that they should solve that problem, but to do that they would have to change the whole system because the rails are very old. and I don’t think they will start doing that. “Additional measures must be taken.”

Silvia Lopez, who also use the New York subway often raise serious complaints and even directly blame the transportation authorities for the decline in health.

“I am a sick woman, I have asthma since birth, but recently every time I get on the subway I get a burning sensation in my eyes, I start to ‘ sneeze and my throat burns.. My health has worsened and it is because of the train,” said the 47-year-old mother of the family. “For this reason, although we are no longer in danger of Covid, I I wear my mask when I get on the train. This bad air is the new threat. There are many places where it feels worse and when the sun’s rays come in you can even see the particles you swallow.”

Lizardo Ismaelwho travel on the subway mostly between Queens and Manhattan, also say they have felt the ravages of poor air quality in the transportation system and want ventilation systems to be improved or invest resources in projects that help to decontaminate the underground atmosphere.

“Not only the subway, The air is polluted and they should do something to fix that problem.. I wish they would specifically check the air in Queensboro Plaza, because every time the train goes by there I start coughing and coughing and my throat gets sore dry And I see many who feel the same way,” said the Colombian.

And as for the origin of the pollutants that subway passengers breathe, the NYU study found that they come from the scraping of brakes, rails and wheels, which generate iron content​​​​ very high, as seen in the grains collected and analyzed in the study. Particles in the air are so small that they cannot be seen and when inhaled in suspension, they enter the lungs and even the bloodstream, generating short-term health effects is long term.

Train cars and platforms record the most pollution. Photo by Edwin Martinez

Lose The researchers who conducted the study concluded by asking not to reject or turn a deaf ear to the findings they revealed. and they insisted that harmful air in the subway is not a fiction, and steps must be taken to deal with this problem, they said, which is already affecting the health of New Yorkers.

“I think the responsibility for making sure that the environment is safe for people to use is on the agency because the mission of the metro is to make things easier for people,” said Ghandehar.The goal here is to improve people’s lives and I would be more than happy to work with the MTAbecause we have information about the location of stations on certain lines, where the group can prioritize their work.”

Despite the call, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) rejected the findings, and although he did not specifically mention the real risks that poor air quality poses to millions of passengers, according to the report, he assured that the data is not reliable, as it was taken a year ago or two.

“This ‘recycled’ study is based on ‘data’ from a year long since deleted.”an MTA spokesperson said. “Every serious person knows that public transportation is the anti-climate change, the only reason New York is the greenest city and an engine of equity for people in every community who need an affordable way to travel and safe. “opportunities of all kinds.”

They say that the air in the subway is very polluted. Photo by Edwin Martinez

Data

• Pollutant particles PM2.5 are present at high levels in the metro system
• There are 5 million passengers who move every day on the open subway
• 472 stations make up the metro
• Latinos are 35% more exposed to polluting grains compared to Asians and whites
• The most polluted stations are 181st Street, 168th Street, Bowling Green and Broadway-Lafayette.
• Washington Heights has the highest per capita exposure to metro pollution
• 15 and 20 seconds after a train departs, the pollution concentration shifts
• Air pollution levels in the subway are 10 times higher than those established by the World Health Organization.
• PM2.5 are microparticles that enter the lungs and bloodstream
• Irritated eyes, discomfort in the nose and throat, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath are some of the symptoms.