Abstract
The study assessed the quality of air in-airconditioned urban buses and recommended interventions on how to improve it. Specifically, the study had accomplished the following:
- Assessed the concentration of air contaminants in air-conditioned urban buses. The air contaminants assessed included both particulate matter (dust and carbon soot) and gases such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxides (SO2) and nitrogen dioxides (NO2)
- Recommended interventions on how to reduce the concentration of contaminants to acceptable level.
The analyses of the concentration of chemical contaminants found in the bus based on Canadian indoor air quality standards yielded the following:
- CO and CO2 concentrations were at acceptable levels.
- NO2, SO2 and benzene concentration exceeded the acceptable level.
- There was no trace of toluene in all samples collected.
- There was a decrease in the density of particulate matter found in the bus upon installation of a filter pad in the evaporator section of the air-conditioning system of the bus.
- There was a decrease in the level of concentration of chemical contaminants found in the bus upon installation of the activated-carbon filter in the evaporator section of the air-conditioning system of the bus.
Based on the above findings, the following conclusions are drawn:
- Mechanical intervention such as filtration which was used in the study had reduced the concentration of air contaminants found in the bus.
- The level of concentration of air contaminants found in the bus was higher than that of the outside environment.
|
