The air in the New York subway is many times dirtier than in other cities: why is it dangerous

The researchers found that the air at New York subway stations operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) is the most polluted of any rail system in the northeastern United States. Details told the publication Gothamist.

Researchers at New York University found large amounts of toxins in the form of particulate matter less than 2,5 microns (PM 2,5) in the New York and New Jersey subways. These air pollutants are tiny enough to penetrate deeply into a person's respiratory system or bloodstream. PM 2,5 is a pollutant often associated with asthma, lung and heart problems.

Scientists collected 300 air samples in the subways of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Boston, as well as along the PATH lines and Long Island Rail Road at 71 stops. PATH has the highest PM concentrations of 2,5, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, followed by New York MTA subway stations, followed by Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia.

"In New York City as a whole, air pollution at subway stations is sometimes twice as high as in other cities," said senior study author Terry Gordon, professor of environmental medicine at New York University in Langon.

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PATH Christopher Street was rated the worst for PM 2,5 - 1 PM / micrograms, 499 times the highest MTA imagery. Gordon said that researcher, Ph.D. David Luglio had to collect and test samples at the station several times to confirm the data, because the numbers were extremely unexpected.

“These levels were shocking,” Gordon said.

Subway levels of PM 2,5 in all northeastern US cities were two to seven times what is considered healthy by EPA standards.

The risk to passengers is mitigated by the fact that they are not on the platform for a long time and - during the COVID-19 pandemic - most people wear masks.

“It really helps, even if it's a sheet face mask,” Gordon said.

Workers should be most worried, Gordon said, as they have been in subway stations for a long time. Researchers at New York University are looking forward to working with transportation authorities to address this issue.

The MTA said it will study the results of the study, but according to the agency, previous air quality tests did not reveal any health risks to employees or passengers from pollutants.