State of gaseous air pollutants and resulting health effects in Karachi, Pakistan
Document Type
Article
Department
Community Health Sciences
Abstract
Karachi, Pakistan, is a priority site for air pollution research due to high emissions of air pollutants from vehicular traffic, industrial activities, and biomass burning, as well as rapid growth in population. The objectives of this study were to investigate the levels of gaseous pollutants (NO, NO2, O3, HNO3, and SO2) in Karachi, to determine temporal and seasonal variations, to compare Karachi's air quality with other urban centers, to identify relationships with meteorological conditions, to identify source characterization, and to perform a backward-in-time trajectory analysis and a health impact assessment. Daily samples of gaseous pollutants were collected for six consecutive weeks in each of the four seasons for a year. Daily maximum concentrations of NO (90 parts per billion by volume (ppbv)), NO2 (28.1 ppbv), O3 (57.8 ppbv), and SO2 (331 ppbv) were recorded in fall, while HNO3 (9129 parts per trillion by volume (pptv)) was recorded in spring. Seasonal average concentrations were high in winter for NO (9.47 ± 7.82 ppbv), NO2 (4.84 ± 3.35 ppbv), and O3 (8.92 ± 7.65 ppbv), while HNO3 (629 ± 1316 pptv) and SO2 (20.2 ± 39.4 ppbv) were high in spring and fall, respectively. The observed SO2 seasonal average concentration in fall (20.2 ± 39.4) was 5 times higher than that in summer (3.97 ± 2.77) with the fall 24-h average (120 ppbv) exceeding the WHO daily guideline (7.64 ppbv) by a factor of about 15.7. A health impact assessment estimated an increase of 1200 and 569 deaths due to short-term exposure to SO2 in fall and spring, respectively. Chronic daily intake estimated risk per 1000 was 0.99, 0.47, 0.45, and 0.26 for SO2 in fall, NO in winter, O3 in winter, and NO2 in spring, respectively. This study confirms the effect of poor urban air quality on public health and demonstrated the influence of photochemical reactions as well as unfavorable meteorological conditions on the formation of secondary pollutants.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Environmental monitoring and assessment
Recommended Citation
Moyebi, O. D.,
Sannoh, F.,
Fatmi, Z.,
Siddique, A.,
Khan, K.,
Zeb, J.,
Hussain, M. M.,
Carpenter, D. O.,
Khwaja, H. A.
(2023). State of gaseous air pollutants and resulting health effects in Karachi, Pakistan. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 195(266).
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chs/1040
Comments
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