NEW YORK (WPIX) – The air quality on New York City’s underground subway platforms may be as bad, if not worse, than the smoke expected in the region from Canadian wildfires, according to a researcher.
“If one was to use the AQI (air-quality index) for the subway air quality, it would be very poor,” said Dr. Terry Gordon, a professor of environmental science at NYU and the co-senior study author.
“Almost any of the underground subway stations is going to have worse air quality than what we’re experience on a day like today,” said Gordon. “Would it be as bad as when the wildfire smoke came through, and … might be coming through in the next couple days? Probably about equivalent.”
Gordon said New York’s subways have the worst air pollution of any transit system on the planet. He said the pollution is mainly on the platforms, and air quality significantly improves once you’re inside a train car.
The good news is that exposure to air pollution underground is limited, and much easier to avoid than wildfire smoke.
“You don’t go for a walk in the subway stations,” said Gordon. “You don’t go for a run, you don’t take your baby in a stroller.”
New Yorkers were not that fazed to learn about the air quality underground.
“It doesn’t surprise me because it’s nasty down there,” said subway rider Melissa Lusk. “I don’t really know what comes in from the subway tunnels, but it smells bad.”
“It’s always humid and stuffy,” said rider James McAndie.
When asked about the MTA’s ventilation system, Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren responded to Nexstar’s WPIX with a statement.
“The MTA has been the national leader in ensuring that air quality across trains and buses in the transportation network is protected by a multi-layered filtration system that meets or exceeds American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) standards,” Warren said. “In support of the State Department of Emergency Management efforts to advise the public regarding state-wide air quality issues, we are helping to distribute N95 masks to the public.”