The Exposure of Workers at a Busy Road Node to PM2.5: Occupational Risk Characterisation and Mitigation Measures
Ejohwomu, Obuks A. and Oladokun, Majeed and Oshodi, Olalekan S. and Bukoye, Oyegoke Teslim and Edwards, D.J. and Emekwuru, Nwabueze and Adenuga, Olumide and Sotunbo, Adegboyega and Uduku, Ola and Balogun, Mobolanle and Alani, Rose (2022) The Exposure of Workers at a Busy Road Node to PM2.5: Occupational Risk Characterisation and Mitigation Measures. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (8). p. 4636. ISSN 1660-4601
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Abstract
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 PM2.5 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 PM2.5, 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 PM2.5 concentrations without occupational shift, and 50% efficiency with at least ‘2 h ON, 2 h OFF’ occupational shift scenario.
| Item Type: | Article | ||||||
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| Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084636 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | episodic event; elevated PM2.5 concentration; low and middle income countries (LMIC); occupational exposure; risk characterisation; control intervention; reference concentration | ||||||
| Subjects: | CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-02 - building CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-04 - planning (urban, rural and regional) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment > School of Engineering and the Built Environment | ||||||
| Depositing User: | David Edwards | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 20 Apr 2022 14:20 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 20 Apr 2022 14:20 | ||||||
| URI: | https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/13165 |
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