Building Demolitions Impact Public's Air
Quality
By Kenna Brigham School of Public
Health
Building implosions can have a severe but short-lived
impact on air quality, according to researchers from the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health and the
School
of Medicine. A study of a Baltimore building demolition
found that airborne dust concentrations were especially
high in the immediate vicinity and downwind of the
demolition. Spectators, therefore, should be discouraged
from attending such events, or if they must attend, they
should position themselves at an upwind, distant location.
In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers
have filled a research gap and responded to community
concerns about the impact of such events on community air
quality. "The Impact of a Building Implosion on Airborne
Particulate Matter in an Urban Community" is published in
the October issue of the Journal of the Air and Waste
Management Association.
Lead investigator Tim Buckley, associate professor in
the School of Public Health's
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, said,
"Building implosions have become common within the urban
environment, yet we know little of the hazard posed to
surrounding communities or spectators. With this study, we
can begin to answer some of the fundamental questions asked
by communities about the impact of such events on air
quality."
The researchers studied the quality of air within a
four-block radius immediately after the Aug. 19, 2000,
implosion of a 22-story building in East Baltimore. Samples
were taken at seven indoor locations and four outdoor
sites. The researchers found that immediately after the
implosion, concentrations of airborne dust particles were
as much as 3,000 times higher than they had been prior to
the demolition. As expected, sites nearest to the implosion
had a more dramatic and earlier peak when compared to sites
farther away. Even at the farthest site, seven and one-half
blocks from the implosion, there was a 20-fold increase in
particulate matter. The good news, according to the
researchers, is that the peaks were very short-lived,
lasting only 15 to 20 minutes. No measurable effect was
found upwind of the implosion, nor in the indoor sample
sites.
Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Ambient Air Quality Standard for particulate
matter was not exceeded, the study still found that
particle levels were elevated and were a risk to public
health. The dust particles can irritate or damage tissues
deep within the lungs, especially for the very young, the
elderly and those with weakened immune systems or
underlying heart or lung disease.
Buckley said, "The spectator hazard can be avoided
easily and completely by simply staying at home and
watching the event on television. The fix is not so easy
for the surrounding community. Our results suggest that
staying indoors with the doors and windows closed will
offer some protection."
Co-authors of the study were Christopher M. Beck,
senior research technician, Alison Geyh, assistant
professor, and Patrick Breysse, professor, all of the
School of Public Health's Department of Environmental
Health Sciences; and Arjun Srinivasan, postdoctoral fellow,
and Peyton A. Eggleston, professor, both of the School of
Medicine.
GO TO OCTOBER 6, 2003
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