Changes in air quality in-taxis and in working conditions of taxi drivers pre- and post-lockdown, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Paris area.
Indoor Air
; 32(1): e12967, 2022 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1553741
ABSTRACT
We evaluated the impact of the lockdown restriction measures in the Paris area on the variation of in-vehicle ultrafine particle (UFP) and black carbon (BC) concentrations between the pre- and post-lockdown period and professional drivers' working conditions and practices. The study was conducted with 33 taxi drivers. UFP and BC were measured inside their vehicles with DiSCmini® and microAeth® , respectively, on two typical working days pre- and post-lockdown. Job characteristics were self-reported. Our results showed that post-lockdown, both the number of clients and journey duration significantly decreased. Taxi drivers opened their windows significantly more and reduced the use of air recirculation. UFP decreased significantly by 32% and BC by 31% post-lockdown, with a weaker positive correlation compared to pre-lockdown. The reduction of in-vehicle UFP was due mainly to the reduction of traffic flow and ventilation settings, though the latter probably varied according to traffic conditions. The variation of in-vehicle BC also tended to be related to the decrease in traffic flow post-lockdown. We emphasize the role of traffic emissions on in-vehicle air pollution and that preventive measures such ventilation settings would help to minimize the exposure of professional drivers and passengers to air pollutants.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Air Pollution, Indoor
/
Air Pollutants
/
Air Pollution
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Indoor Air
Journal subject:
Environmental Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ina.12967
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