A team of University of Toronto researchers, led by Professor Greg Evans (ISTEP, ChemE) and Keith Van Ryswyk (ChemE PhD 2T3), is working to better understand the sources of air pollution in the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system — an important first step towards improving its indoor air quality.
A team of University of Toronto researchers, led by Professor Greg Evans (ISTEP, ChemE) and Keith Van Ryswyk (ChemE PhD 2T3), is working to better understand the sources of air pollution in the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system — an important first step towards improving its indoor air quality.
The new study, published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, and executed in collaboration with Health Canada, is a continuation of research published in 2021. The earlier study identified that the concentration of particulate matter in 2018 had increased in the TTC’s Line 2 along Bloor-Danforth; while Line 1 along Yonge-University saw a drop in emissions.
“In this new paper, we looked at what could be done to improve this situation,” says Evans. “But to do that, we first needed to understand where the particulate matter is coming from.”
Particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, are fine particles of airborne solids or liquids that are smaller than 2.5 micrometres per cubic metre of air. To identify the sources in the subway, the researchers measured the chemical composition of the particulate matter and then coupled this with modelling. This revealed that most of the particulate pollution was coming from the wheels and rails when brakes were applied.
Read more at University of Toronto
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