Parking structures! Hivelike, crowded, suffocating. . . literally?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
If you feel suffocated in over-crowded parking structures, there could be a reason. We know that cars contribute to air pollution. And parking garages have lots of cars. So, it’s no wonder they have higher levels of pollution.
But could parking structures actually help to reduce this suffocating problem?
Dr. Bert Blocken at Eindhoven University of Technology has an answer. He looked at air pollution levels in, and around, urban parking garages. Using computer simulations, Blocken tested how well air purifiers work to lower pollution levels.
Running one-hundred purifiers in a parking garage can lead to cleaner air right outside. But six-hundred purifiers could potentially lower the pollution by 10% up to one kilometer away. Huzzah! Parking garages absorbing air pollution and spewing out clean air.
So, breathe easy when you can’t find a parking spot. There’s one to your right. No, your other right! Annnd it’s gone! Darn!