Ambient Air Quality of Faisalabad with Relevance to the Seasonal Variations

Abstract

Ambient air pollution is a constant and immediate threat to human health. The present study estimates the health implications of ambient air pollution in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The level of PM10, CO, NO2 and SO2 was determined in four areas of the city i.e., industrial, commercial, residential and rural, to estimate the ambient air quality of the city during the pre-monsoon and monsoon season. The ambient air monitoring showed higher levels of pollution in the industrial and commercial areas of Faisalabad. Epidemiological data and socioeconomic characteristics of the target population were collected by questionnaire. The results indicated a significant relationship between the level of exposure to air pollution and disease prevalence. The commercial area was most polluted in both seasons, and the rural area was least polluted in both seasons. The results of the air quality index showed that the highest air quality index was achieved in the commercial area during the pre-monsoon season (88.75), and the lowest was achieved in the rural area during the monsoon season (8.3). In all four sites, the pre-monsoon season was comparatively more polluted than the monsoon season. It was observed that people living in polluted areas and weak coping response were more vulnerable.