Particulate pollution in an underground car park in Wuhan, China

Particulate matter (PM) pollution in an underground car park in Wuhan was investigated. Mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were obtained using gravimetric method. Selected metal elements, such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, and Cu in PM10 samples, were determined using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). Beta attenuation method was applied to observe the hourly variation of PM10 levels. Results show that average PM10 concentrations at the entrance and at the exit were 101.3 μg/m3 and 234.4 μg/m3, respectively, and average PM2.5 concentrations at the entrance and at the exit were 47.7 μg/m3 and 62.7 μg/m3, respectively. PM pollution was worse at the exit than at the entrance. Hourly PM10 concentration was weakly correlated with traffic flow. Regarding element concentrations, the most enriched element in PM10 samples was Fe. Re-suspension of soil dust at the exit is an important source of PM10.

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► PM pollution in the underground car park is serious.
► PM10 pollution is worse at the exit than at the entrance.
► Re-suspension of soil dust is an important source of PM10.