Ventilation challenges in Costa Rican urban public transport: implications for health and sustainable mobility

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dc.contributor.authorPorras-Salazar, Jose Alien
dc.contributor.authorMishra, Asit Kumaren
dc.contributor.authorFlor, Jan-Frederiken
dc.contributor.funderHorizon 2020en
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-05T10:58:37Z
dc.date.available2025-09-05T10:58:37Z
dc.date.issued2025-08-28en
dc.description.abstractPublic transport is essential for achieving net-zero emissions and sustainable urban growth. Yet, the health implications of indoor air quality (IAQ) in these vehicles are often overlooked, especially as passengers may spend hours in these enclosed spaces each day. We assessed IAQ in air-conditioned buses and trains in the metropolitan region of San Jose, Costa Rica. The tropical climate of San Jose means that high temperatures and humidity drive energy-intensive cooling on buses and trains, which rely on fossil fuels. To conserve energy, vehicle windows remain sealed, and air is mostly recirculated, undermining ventilation requirements. Our measurements revealed CO2 concentrations reaching up to 5000 ppm during a 45 min bus ride. This far exceeds recommended thresholds and highlights significant ventilation deficits. These elevated CO2 levels are indicative of potential health risks, particularly during prolonged travel. Our findings emphasize the urgent need to redesign air circulation strategies in urban public transport, especially in air-conditioned vehicles, to safeguard public health without undermining sustainability goals. Future research should focus on innovative ventilation solutions that reconcile energy efficiency with occupant well-being, supporting the transition to truly sustainable, net-zero urban mobility.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid1013en
dc.identifier.citationPorras-Salazar, J. A., Mishra, A. K. and Flor, J. F. (2025) 'Ventilation challenges in Costa Rican urban public transport: implications for health and sustainable mobility', Atmosphere, 16(9), p.1013 (16pp). https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16091013en
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/atmos16091013en
dc.identifier.endpage16en
dc.identifier.issn2073-4433en
dc.identifier.issued9en
dc.identifier.journaltitleAtmosphereen
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17826
dc.identifier.volume16en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherMDPIen
dc.relation.ispartofAtmosphereen
dc.relation.projectinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020::MSCA-COFUND-FP/101034345/EU/DevelOp interdisciplinaRy apprOaches to healTH crises collaborativelY’/DOROTHYen
dc.rights© 2025, the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectUrban air qualityen
dc.subjectPublic transport systemsen
dc.subjectVentilation efficiencyen
dc.subjectLow-carbon mobilityen
dc.subjectSustainable urban developmenten
dc.subjectRebreathed air volumeen
dc.subjectAirborne transmissionen
dc.subjectSDG 11en
dc.titleVentilation challenges in Costa Rican urban public transport: implications for health and sustainable mobilityen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
dc.typejournal-articleen
oaire.citation.issue9en
oaire.citation.volume16en
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