Sattar Syed A, Wright Kathryn E, Zargar Bahram, Rubino Joseph R, Ijaz M Khalid
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 8M5.
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 8M5; CREM Co, 3403 American Drive, Mississauga, ON, Canada L4V 1T4.
J Environ Public Health. 2016;2016:1548326. doi: 10.1155/2016/1548326. Epub 2016 Nov 30.
The world total of passenger cars is expected to go from the current one billion to >2.5 billion by 2050. Cars for domestic use account for ~74% of the world's yearly production of motorized vehicles. In North America, ~80% of the commuters use their own car with another 5.6% travelling as passengers. With the current life-expectancy of 78.6 years, the average North American spends 4.3 years driving a car! This equates to driving 101 minutes/day with a lifetime driving distance of nearly 1.3 million km inside the confined and often shared space of the car with exposure to a mix of potentially harmful pathogens, allergens, endotoxins, particulates, and volatile organics. Such risks may increase in proportion to the unprecedented upsurge in the numbers of family cars globally. Though new technologies may reduce the levels of air pollution from car exhausts and other sources, they are unlikely to impact our in-car exposure to pathogens. Can commercial in-car air decontamination devices reduce the risk from airborne infections and other pollutants? We lack scientifically rigorous protocols to verify the claims of such devices. Here we discuss the essentials of a customized aerobiology facility and test protocols to assess such devices under field-relevant conditions.
预计到2050年，全球乘用车总数将从目前的10亿辆增至25亿辆以上。家用汽车约占全球机动车年产量的74%。在北美，约80%的通勤者使用自己的汽车，另有5.6%的人作为乘客出行。以目前78.6岁的预期寿命计算，北美人均开车时长为4.3年！这相当于每天开车101分钟，一生的驾车里程近130万公里，且是在封闭且通常拥挤的车内空间，接触各种潜在有害的病原体、过敏原、内毒素、颗粒物和挥发性有机物。随着全球家用汽车数量空前激增，此类风险可能会相应增加。尽管新技术可能会降低汽车尾气和其他来源的空气污染水平，但它们不太可能影响我们在车内接触病原体的情况。商用车内空气净化设备能否降低空气传播感染及其他污染物带来的风险？我们缺乏科学严谨的方案来验证此类设备的宣称效果。在此，我们讨论定制空气生物学设施的要点以及在与实际环境相关的条件下评估此类设备的测试方案。
