Indoor Air Quality in Four Types of Vehicles in China

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in vehicles was connected with the health and comfort of drivers and passengers. With the velocity of vehicles increased, good air tightness of the coaches was needed in high-speed vehicles. Therefore, IAQ were the important influential factors of indoor environment in airtight vehicles. A series of field studies on IAQ of vehicles has been carried out in some typical vehicles, such as long-haul passenger cars, buses, taxis and aircraft. Indoor environmental parameters and indoor air pollutants were measured. The indoor air pollutants included PM10 (Particulate matter with 10 aerodynamic diameters less than 10 urn), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The results showed that IAQ in aircraft was batter than the other vehicles. The concentrations of PM10 in aircraft could be 0.003 mg/m(3) or less. CO2 was very high in air conditioned buses (window closed). The concentration of CO2 in aircraft, air conditioned buses and long-haul train was often higher than the Chinese standard. The maximum value could near 2000 ppm. Most of the measured indoor concentrations of PM10 in window-opened buses were higher than the Chinese standard of 150ug/m(3) with a few exceptions. Compared with other type vehicles, the concentration of CO in buses and taxis was very high. It could be above the 10 mg/m3 Chinese standard. The above evidences showed that ventilation rates in some vehicles in china often did not meet the minimum Chinese guidelines, and this might be related to significant increases in symptoms among drivers and passengers in coaches. It was clear that necessary ventilation should be put in place to ensure good indoor air quality in vehicles.