Diesel Emissions Profile for Railyards in Portland, Oregon
Abstract
Diesel particulate matter (DPM) has been identified as a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. DPM is also associated with cardiovascular and respiratory issues. Since diesel engines are used in a wide variety of machines such as locomotives, construction vehicles, trucks, cars, and marine vessels, diesel emissions are ubiquitous in the urban environment. However, the emissions from of many of these sources are poorly characterized and quantified leading to inaccurate source apportionment and health risk information to inform policymakers. Here we report on our work to assess emissions from a large (110 acres) train yard and freight transfer center ( 1000 containers) near the center of Portland, OR. Our approach is to simultaneously measure a suite of particle and gas phase pollutants, including particulate matter size distribution (10 nm -10 μm), 7 wavelength aetholometry, particle-PAH, O3, CO, CO2, SO2, and NOx, along meteorological data and video footage. Plumes of CO2 are located within data, then wind direction and video footage are used to confirm the source. The relative increases of each of the pollutants are quantified to create a chemical and physical signature and emission factor associated with rail engine type. Our results show that there are distinct characteristics that are associated with different types of engines. Further, emission factors appear to vary by engine type. These analyses will be used, along with railyard activity, with dispersion modeling to better characterize the impact of the railyard on the exposure of surrounding residences to diesel particulate matter.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMED13E0793G
- Keywords:
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- 0810 Post-secondary education;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0850 Geoscience education research;
- EDUCATIONDE: 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION