Emission of Particulate Matters from Typical Construction Activities and Materials

Particulate matter (PM) pollution from the construction industry is a serious problem that threatens the environment and people working in the industry. These PMs are mainly emitted from various construction activities and materials. Although several construction controls have been introduced in different standards, these controls still cannot be targeted at specific sources of PM because there is no comprehensive understanding of the emissions from performing different activities with different materials. This study identified 8 studies that focused on the emission of PM from construction activities or materials, extracted the concentration of PM and compared it with the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standard. The results showed that cutting, mixing and drilling were the three most studied activities and the different types of concrete were the most studied materials. All reported PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the WHO standard, with the maximum concentration being more than 900 times the standard. Even if workers were only allowed to cut, mix or drill for one hour a day, and assumed to be in air completely free of PM10 and PM2.5 for the rest of the day, they would still be exposed to air that did not meet the WHO 24-h standard. In addition, the emission ranking of construction activities could be different for different types of PM. This study will help industry and academia to better understand the different risks of typical construction activities and materials, so that refined controls for PM pollution in different scenarios in the construction industry can be promoted.