Air quality in indoor go-kart facilities in Germany

Abstract

Indoor go-kart driving and viewing is enjoyed by people of all ages. However, it may pose health hazards, especially for children, pregnant women, cardiovascular patients, and elderly individuals. Depending on the race length, for example, high concentrations of various contaminants may result in severe health problems. Therefore, this project investigated the Indoor Air Quality of eight indoor go-kart facilities. In general, karts that used regular fuel produced the highest concentrations of CO, benzene, TVOC, and BaP, with maximum levels up to 150 mg/m , 170 μg/m , 2690 μg/m , and 8.7 ng/m , respectively. As expected, the maximum CO concentrations at go-kart facilities that used liquid gas and electric karts (20 and <6 mg/m , respectively) were significantly lower than those at other facilities. The highest 95th percentile values for NO (2680 μg/m ) and NO (280 μg/m ) were measured for karts with liquid gas. The alkane, alkene, and cycloalkane groups, as well as benzene and the alkyl benzenes, were the predominant components of the measured TVOCs. Overall, owners of indoor go-kart tracks should ensure that the ventilation with regard to combustion products is optimally adapted in any case to reduce the levels of critical air pollutants.

Human exposure to air contaminants in sports environments

“…Concentrations of CO, NO, and NO 2 in different sports environments. Go‐kart facility I: eight facilities, range of CO, NO, and NO 2 maximum concentrations in the track areas 159 ; go‐kart facility II: one facility, maximum of one minute average CO concentrations during driving 157 ; ice rink: multiple facilities, range of CO and NO 2 concentrations 12,130 . The arrows indicate that the minimum concentration is below the limit of quantitation…”

“…The authors point out that not only motor emissions but also brake and tire debris contribute to air pollution in kart arenas. In parallel measurements, Wolf et al 159 found increased concentrations of carbon monoxide, NO x , C1‐C3‐benzenes, naphthalene, and benzo[a]pyrene dependent on the fuel (regular, special, and liquid gas). The lowest pollutant concentrations were measured for electrically powered karts.…”

Carbon monoxide as an indicator of indoor air quality

“…In a study of 514 US homes, 87 59% of concentrations were less than 6 mg m −3 , but in 21% the concentration was higher than the WHO 8 h guideline value of 10 mg m −3 (see next section). The high concentrations in Ghalyun cafés 88 and in a motorsport arena 89 are also noticeable. In general, elevated CO levels are often observed in sports arenas.…”

Microplastics and their Additives in the Indoor Environment

“…The same applies to indoor motorsport events. There may also be emissions from brake and tire debris [39] …”