Evaluation of driver exposure risk on toxins emitted from exhausts engine in traffic congestion simulated conditions

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Division of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Braci Gierymskich 164, 51-640 Wroclaw

Abstract

The increase in the number of vehicles and better availability of car purchase cause that nowadays people tend to spend more time inside cars. In urban traffic conditions, vehicles moves at low speeds. In addition, traffic lights and high traffic flows cause frequent stops of vehicles and often lead to congestions. The consequence is high amount of exhaust emission and high levels of the concentration of pollutants in the air. In such conditions, pollutants including hydrocarbons from the group of volatile organic compound enter the interior of vehicles with air passing into the cabin. It accumulates mainly in the area of the driver and the passengers heads. In this paper the results of the research of volatile organic compounds concentration inside two different passenger cars in simulated traffic congestion conditions are presented. The study involved vehicles of various ages: new (2011) and old (1999). On the basis of the study the driver exposure inside these vehicles to the impact of volatile organic compounds has been evaluated.