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Ultrafine magnetic iron oxide particles smaller than 500 nanometers are prevalent in air air pollution on the London Underground, based on a research printed in Scientific Reviews. The authors suggest that improved air air pollution monitoring—which measures the magnetic properties of particles— and efforts to additional scale back air air pollution ranges could also be wanted on the London Underground. Earlier research have recognized associations between publicity to ultrafine particles and a spread of well being circumstances—together with bronchial asthma and cardiovascular ailments.

The London Underground is a prepare community all through Better London that consists of 270 stations and 11 traces. 45% of the community is positioned underground. Hassan Sheikh and colleagues analyzed the construction, dimension, form, chemical composition and magnetic properties of particles from 39 London Underground mud samples. Samples had been collected in 2019 and 2021 from platforms, ticket halls, and prepare operator cabins on the Piccadilly, Northern, Central, Bakerloo, Victoria, Northern, District and Jubilee traces. The sampling included main stations similar to King’s Cross St Pancras, Paddington, and Oxford Circus.

Earlier research have reported that fifty% of the air air pollution particles within the London Underground are magnetic iron-bearing particles. The authors report that the iron-bearing particles of their samples primarily consisted of an iron oxide generally known as maghemite, which ranged in diameter from 5 to 500 nanometers and had a mean diameter of 10 nanometers. Some particles had been organized into bigger clusters with diameters between 100 and a couple of,000 nanometers. The authors counsel that magnetic monitoring approaches—just like these used on this research to characterize air air pollution particles—might complement conventional air air pollution displays, which can underestimate the variety of ultrafine airborne particles within the London Underground as a consequence of their low weight.

Earlier analysis has instructed that iron-containing particles are produced by contact between prepare wheels and brakes with prepare tracks and that carrying increased masses and touring at increased speeds can produce finer particles. The authors suggest that the abundance of ultrafine maghemite in London Underground mud samples could possibly be brought on by iron-containing compounds from wheels, brakes, and tracks being uncovered to air for longer intervals of time as a consequence of poor air flow after which resuspended within the air when trains arrive at platforms. They counsel that quantity of resuspended mud could possibly be decreased by washing the tracks and tunnel partitions, utilizing magnetic filters in air flow methods or putting display doorways between platforms and trains.

Extra data:
Hassan Sheikh, Magnetic and microscopic investigation of airborne iron oxide nanoparticles within the London Underground, Scientific Reviews (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24679-4. www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24679-4

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Ultrafine particles prevalent in London Underground air air pollution (2022, December 15)
retrieved 15 December 2022
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