2013-01-03 10:53:30
In its 2007 report on air quality in covered car parks, the Agency considered that the health risks might not “be considered negligible in view of the concentrations of pollutants measured in the four parks investigated and the knowledge of their acute and chronic toxic effects”, particularly for professionals working in vehicle traffic areas. One of the recommendations thus aimed to “better characterize the exposed populations (workers and users) as well as their methods of exposure, in particular the duration”.
As a continuation of this work, the Agency was contacted in April 2008 by the ministry in charge of labor. Considering the results of the previous expertise on covered parking lots, the regulatory context, the diversity of professions attached to covered parking lots and the expected increase in the number of operators involved in these works, the General Directorate of Labor wishes to particular have:
- characterization of the professional activities concerned : identification, durations and frequencies of work, prevalence within the covered parks and number of workers;
- health risk assessment associated with professional activities in covered car parks, and in particular to identify the riskiest professional activities and the most problematic pollutants, with a view to proposing prevention recommendations.
Results and recommendations
The result of this work was published in July 2010. On the basis of its analysis, the Agency concludes in particular that workers working regularly in covered car parks are exposed to health risks linked to the pollution levels of the air of the parks. The risks linked to acute (short-term) exposure are due in particular to carbon monoxide (effects linked to a reduction in oxygen available in the blood) and to nitrogen dioxide (effects on the respiratory system, particularly in older people). sensitive, especially asthmatics). The risks associated with chronic (long-term) exposure are mainly due to benzene (category 1 carcinogen) and nitrogen dioxide, and to a lesser extent to fine particles (PM10) (effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems) and with formaldehyde (eye and nasal irritation).
Among the activities studied, fleet operation (reception, surveillance, maintenance) and vehicle cleaning appear to be the most exposed. These two activities generally have the longest working hours, and therefore exposure, in the park.
These results lead ANSES to issue the following recommendations:
- improve and evaluate the air quality in indoor car parks, in particular by implementing the recommendations made in the opinion of 20 April 2007, and in particular by setting proposed limit values for the pollution indicator atmospheric NO (nitrogen monoxide);
- not authorize activities not essential to the operation of parks and involving the presence of workers in spaces that do not offer sufficient air quality (underground levels, levels not having large openings to the outside, or even premises underground spaces equipped with independent mechanical ventilation);
- reduce as much as possible the exposure of workers essential to the operation of the parks (reception, surveillance, maintenance of installations);
- revise, as a priority, the occupational exposure limit values (OELs) of pollutants of interest for covered car parks (benzene, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide);
- strengthen the monitoring and supervision of professional activities in covered parking lots.
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