Geo-spatial distribution of air pollutants in urban area and its potential health risk analysis solutions

Abstract

Air quality degradation poses significant risks to human health and contributes to climate change. Unplanned urbanization, rapid population growth, reduced vegetation cover, and emissions from industries and vehicles, particularly in urban areas, have led to a considerable increase in air pollutants and emission sources which has greatly increased the prevalence of respiratory disease. For estimating the spatiotemporal burden of criteria air pollutants on community health, we monitored the seasonal variation in ambient air quality of nine administrative divisions in the northeastern regions of Pakistan from June to December 2021 from road sides. HAZ-SCANNER was used for five major air pollutants including Particulate Matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxides (NO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO), and a Mobile Van was used for sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Overall results showed higher concentrations of air pollutants as compared to Punjab Environmental Quality Standards (PEQs). The concentration of PM_2.5 ranged from 282.21 ± 35.19 μg/m³ to 350.38 ± 21.32 μg/m³. PM₁₀ levels varied from 150.8 μg/m³ to 404.5 μg/m³. Additionally, NO₂, SO₂ and CO concentrations ranged from 128.30 ± 14.24 μg/m³ to 254.96 ± 12.86 μg/m³, 259.08 ± 5.44 μg/m³ to 137.02 ± 6.10 μg/m³ and 23.15 ± 3.92 mg/m³ to 15.77 ± 2.17 mg/m³, respectively. The results showed that the concentration of criteria air pollutants varied with the meteorological conditions in the study area. Pearson correlation showed a significant negative correlation with atmospheric temperature and solar radiation indicating that with an increase in temperature and solar radiation, the ambient air pollutants decreased. The PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio was 0.74. Health risk assessment revealed a higher health quotient for PM compared to other pollutants. This research accentuates the urgent need to address air pollution in Lahore and advocates for effective interventions to mitigate the impact on human health and promote sustainable air quality management.