Spatial distribution and health implications of particulate matter concentrations across diverse land use types in Dinajpur District, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study investigates the concentrations of particulate matter (PM₁, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) across various land use types in Dinajpur District, Bangladesh, highlighting significant spatial variations in PM concentrations in sensitive, residential, mixed, commercial, road intersection, industrial, and village areas. Along with this, examines the health consequences linked to increased levels of particulate matter (PM).The investigation was carried out in sites within the area of Dinajpur district town, utilising a portable Air Quality Monitor, Portable Air Quality Detector (Model: DM106) and Garmin ETrex 10. To examine and illustrate the differences in pollutant concentrations among various locations, whisker box plots and descriptive statistics were used. Likewise, ArcGIS software was used for spatial analysis, and a dendrogram plot was created to classify and interpret data clusters, providing a deeper understanding of the spatial distribution of pollutants. PM_2.5 levels in worst affected sensitive area, Dinajpur General Hospital (77.00 µg/m³), exceeded the Bangladesh National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) level (65 µg/m³) by 1.18 times and WHO standards (25 µg/m³) by 3.08 times. Besides, residential areas like Gabgash Residential (78.50 µg/m³) showed PM_2.5 concentrations 1.20 and 3.14 times higher than NAAQS and WHO standards respectively. Moreover, commercial zones, particularly around AB Bank, exhibited the highest pollution levels with PM_2.5and PM₁₀ concentrations 2.44 and 1.28 times higher than NAAQS norms, respectively. However, road intersections such as Bahadur Mor (113.25 µg/m³) recorded PM_2.5 concentrations 1.74 times higher than NAAQS while industrial areas like Sonali Brick Field showed PM_2.5 levels exceeding NAAQS by 1.46 times.

Finally, the study calculated an Attributable Mortality value of 892 owing to PM_2.5, highlighting the significant impact of particle pollution on human health in Dinajpur Sadar. These findings contribute to the understanding of local air quality patterns, emphasizing the critical need for targeted interventions to protect public health and reduce exposure to harmful particulate matter in Dinajpur District.