Scientists at Villanova University have determined in a subway station pollution study that the air quality at Philadelphia’s 15^th Street subway station is lacking, writes Alan Yu for WHYY.

The report found that the air exposes people to microscopic air pollutants that are well above the standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The university researchers measured the air quality in 2022 and have recently published their results.

They measured different pollutants, including PM2.5, a particular smaller than specks of dust that can get deep into lung tissue and the bloodstream.

The levels in the underground parts of 15^th Street station are more than 10 times the EPA standard of exposure, said Kabindra Shakya, an environmental scientist at Villanova.

“I don’t want to scare the commuters to not … use the subway,” he said. “Subways are still helping to improve the air pollution in the outdoor air. We should still keep using the subways, but we should also protect the commuters and clean it.”

The subway air can be cleaned, filtered and ventilated, he said.

The next phase of their research will look at the health impact of being exposed to the subway air, said Aimee Eggler, a Villanova biochemist and a co-author of the paper.

Read more about this Villanova research project at WHYY.