School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 12;19(8):4636. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084636.
The link between air pollution and health burden in urban areas has been well researched. This has led to a plethora of effective policy-induced monitoring and interventions in the global south. However, the implication of pollutant species like PM in low middle income countries (LMIC) still remains a concern. By adopting a positivist philosophy and deductive reasoning, this research addresses the question, to what extent can we deliver effective interventions to improve air quality at a building structure located at a busy road node in a LMIC? This study assessed the temporal variability of pollutants around the university environment to provide a novel comparative evaluation of occupational shift patterns and the use of facemasks as risk control interventions. The findings indicate that the concentration of PM, which can be as high as 300% compared to the WHO reference, was exacerbated by episodic events. With a notable decay period of approximately one-week, adequate protection and/or avoidance of hotspots are required for at-risk individuals within a busy road node. The use of masks with 80% efficiency provides sufficient mitigation against exposure risks to elevated PM concentrations without occupational shift, and 50% efficiency with at least ', ' occupational shift scenario.
城市地区的空气污染与健康负担之间的联系已经得到了充分的研究。这导致了在全球南方实施了大量有效的政策诱导监测和干预措施。然而，像 PM 这样的污染物在中低收入国家（LMIC）的影响仍然是一个关注点。本研究采用实证主义哲学和演绎推理，旨在探讨在中低收入国家（LMIC）的繁忙道路节点处的建筑物结构中，我们在多大程度上可以采取有效的干预措施来改善空气质量。本研究评估了大学环境周围污染物的时间变化，为职业轮班模式和使用面罩作为风险控制干预措施的比较评估提供了新的视角。研究结果表明，PM 的浓度比世界卫生组织（WHO）的参考值高出 300%，这是由间歇性事件导致的。大约一周的显著衰减期，在繁忙的道路节点处，对于处于高风险的个体，需要进行适当的保护和/或避免热点区域。使用效率为 80%的口罩可以在不改变职业轮班的情况下，充分减轻暴露于高浓度 PM 环境的风险，而使用效率为 50%的口罩则至少需要进行职业轮班。
