On the occasion of the Public Transport Day which took place on Saturday and the National Air Quality Day scheduled for September 20, the RATP unions wished to recall that the Paris metro is polluted with fine particles and that working there, or even frequenting it on a daily basis, presents health risks.
In the underground railway enclosures at rush hour, the air is more polluted there than on the Paris ring road. The counter set up by the RATP can indicate a particle rate of 300 micrograms per m3 while outside, the alert threshold is triggered from a concentration of 80 micrograms per m3.
This underground pollution is due to the confined space but also to the metro trains themselves: the friction of the wheels on the rails and the repeated braking at each station gives rise to the release of particles into the air.
“You blow your nose several times during the service, your handkerchief is black” underlines an agent of the RATP, interviewed by France Info.
This fine particle pollution is not without consequences for health. According to a study by the ex-Invs (now Public Health France) it increases the risk of short-term death in people suffering from respiratory problems or cardiovascular diseases.
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