{"id":28170,"date":"2016-02-10T15:05:26","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T21:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=28170"},"modified":"2016-02-11T09:59:45","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T15:59:45","slug":"union-station-faces-air-pollution-issue-epa-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/union-station-faces-air-pollution-issue-epa-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Union Station faces air pollution issue, EPA says"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Danielle Prieur<\/strong><\/p>\n

Passengers on trains at Chicago\u2019s Union Station are being exposed to high levels of air pollution on Metra and Amtrak trains, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n

Over a two-week period in July 2015, EPA researchers used portable aerosol monitors to measure microscopic particles in the air around the train platforms and streets surrounding the station, said John Mooney, an air quality expert at the EPA in Chicago.<\/p>\n

The particles, known as PM2.5<\/sub>, or particulate matter about 2.5 micrometers in diameter, are composed of liquid droplets and acids, metals, or other pollutants in the environment. PM2.5<\/sub> are a byproduct of diesel-burning engines used in older trains such as the ones at \u00a0Union Station., 225 S. Canal St.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expected average levels to be lower. They were higher than we like to see,\u201d Mooney said.<\/div>\n

What EPA researchers found, especially at the south platform of \u00a0Union Station, surprised them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expected average levels to be lower. They were higher than we like to see,\u201d Mooney said.<\/p>\n

Average Levels of PM2.5<\/sub> at Street Level, North Platform and South Platform<\/h2>\n
\"Pollution
Pollution levels were highest on the south platform of Union Station. Graph from EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When passengers are waiting on the platform for their trains, they inhale these PM2.5<\/sub> particles. If the microscopic \u00a0particles they inhale are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, they can easily travel from the nose or mouth where they\u2019re inhaled to the lungs according to Dr. Samuel Dorevitch of the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Union Station isn\u2019t just an ordinary [station]. It also has diesel emissions and those Metra trains run on diesel emissions. Along with being plain old bad, the PM2.5<\/sub> \u00a0[are] a known human carcinogen,” he said.<\/p>\n

He added that people who work as train mechanics or in mining\u00a0 situations and who are breathing these fine particles face an increased risk of developing cancer.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s not just commuters who are at risk of long-term health problems, but anyone who works around Chicago\u2019s Union Station, he said.<\/p>\n

Once the particles pass through the bronchial sacs into the lung cells and into the bloodstream, they can trigger an inflammatory response, which can cause cancer, he said.<\/p>\n

EPA researchers measured not only the train platforms, but also the surrounding area using TSI SidePak Personal Aerosol Monitors. The monitors measure air quality by, \u201cpulling air in and running a laser across the sample of air,\u201d Mooney said. Particulate matter such as PM2.5<\/sub> diffracts light in the laser beam. The more diffraction that occurs, the higher the levels of PM2.5<\/sub> air pollution read by the meter.<\/p>\n

Particulate matter such as PM2.5<\/sub> diffracts light in the laser beam. The more diffraction that occurs, the higher the levels of PM2.5<\/sub> air pollution read by the meter.<\/p>\n

The monitors measured air quality from morning rush hour at 7 a.m. to evening rush hour at 5 p.m. in both one-minute and hour-long intervals at the station\u2019s north and south platforms along with the street below.<\/p>\n

Average Hourly PM2.5<\/sub> levels on Train Platforms at Union Station<\/h2>\n
\"Pollution
Pollution levels were highest during rush hour. Graph from EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PM2.5<\/sub> levels were 23 to 96 percent higher on platforms in Union Station than on roads near the station. What\u2019s worse, the highest levels were found on the south platform of \u00a0Union Station during both morning and evening rush hours.<\/p>\n

After finding these elevated PM2.5<\/sub> levels on the south platform, the EPA began to work with Amtrak and Metra to minimize the effects of PM2.5<\/sub> on commuters, \u00a0Mooney said.<\/p>\n

\u201cExposure to PM2.5<\/sub> is something we try to minimize. We have a situation that needs attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During the past six months since the EPA published<\/a>\u00a0the survey, Mooney said his organization has worked with Amtrak and Metra, along with building owners around \u00a0Union Station, to find \u201cshort-term solutions.\u201d Most of these solutions address the research that PM2.5<\/sub> levels were highest closest to the engines of Amtrak and Metra trains.<\/p>\n

Some \u00a0solutions \u00a0have included: changing the direction trains enter platforms, \u00a0making sure trains don\u2019t idle on the platforms \u00a0and maintaining a safe distance between passengers waiting on the platforms and the train engines.<\/p>\n

Mooney said the best solution to the air pollution problem at \u00a0the station would be long-term solutions such as changing out diesel-burning engines for cleaner, more efficient fuel-burning engines. This requires more time and more money and it hasn’t happened yet, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know the long-term solution is to move to cleaner engines. And there are cleaner technologies out there now, the technology has improved considerably. That solution [new engines] is going to take time,\u201d Mooney said.<\/p>\n

Instead, he said the EPA, Amtrak and Metra have \u201cmade the most progress\u201d when they have worked with local building owners to determine whether the ventilation system can be improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working closely with building owners to see if the [ventilation systems] can run longer, can run harder,\u201d Mooney said.<\/p>\n

Marc Magliari, spokesman for Amtrak, said \u00a0his corporation’s main efforts are being put into updating ventilation systems and viaduct systems surrounding \u00a0Union Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ventilation is an important issue and it\u2019s going to be addressed through an ongoing process through the city\u2019s master plan. We are working with the city on the Canal Street [ventilation system] that covers all the tracks,\u201d \u00a0he said.<\/p>\n

Metra echoed this focus in a statement: \u201c[We] are pleased to partner with the city of Chicago and the CTA on a long-term solution to address the air quality issues which could be solved through the master plan to reconfigure and redevelop Union Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mooney said it isn\u2019t clear whether \u00a0progress has actually been made as another air quality study has not been performed.<\/p>\n

Amtrak trains entering the Chicago loop. Photo courtesy of Flickr<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Danielle Prieur Passengers on trains at Chicago\u2019s Union Station are being exposed to high levels of air pollution on Metra and Amtrak trains, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over a two-week period in July 2015, EPA researchers used portable aerosol monitors to measure microscopic particles in the air around the train platforms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":28181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[585],"tags":[1165,353,1168,1166,1167,1169,192],"class_list":["post-28170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2016","tag-air-pollution","tag-amtrak","tag-chicagos-union-station","tag-epa","tag-metra","tag-pm2-5","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"\nUnion Station faces air pollution issue, EPA says - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/union-station-faces-air-pollution-issue-epa-says\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Union Station faces air pollution issue, EPA says - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Danielle Prieur Passengers on trains at Chicago\u2019s Union Station are being exposed to high levels of air pollution on Metra and Amtrak trains, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 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