Reduction of Particulate Matters Levels in Railway Cabins in Korea

Objectives: High concentrations of airborne particulate matters (PM) can affect the health of passengers using public transportation. The objectives of this research were to develop a PM control system for a railway cabin and to evaluate the performance of the device under conditions of an actual journey. Methods: This study measured the concentrations of $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ simultaneously in a reference cabin and a cabin with the PM control device. Results: The average $PM_{10}$ concentration in the reference cabin was 100 ${\mu}g/m^3$, and the $PM_{10}$ concentration in the cabin with the control device was 79 ${\mu}g/m^3$. While the overall control efficiency of the control device was 15.4%, reduction was more effective for peak $PM_{10}$ concentration. However, $PM_{2.5}$ levels did not differ greatly between the reference cabin and the cabin with the control device. The ratio of $PM_{2.5}$ to $PM_{10}$ was 0.37. $PM_{10}$ concentrations in cabins were not associated with ambient concentrations, indicating that the main sources of $PM_{10}$ were present in cabins. Additionally, average $CO_2$ concentration in the cabins was 1,359 ppm, less than the maximum of 2,000 ppm set out by the Korean Ministry of Environment's guideline. The $CO_2$ concentration in cabins was significantly associated with the number of passengers: the in-cabin concentration = $23.4{\times}N+460.2$, where N is the number of passengers. Conclusions: Application of the PM control device can improve $PM_{10}$ concentration, especially at peak levels but not $PM_{2.5}$ concentration.