Dust Storm Effects on Air Quality and Particulate Matter Pollution in Babylon Governorate, Iraq

Abstract

Dust, a major pollutant in urban air, is a recent weather phenomenon in specific areas. Dust particles with diameters ranging from 100 to 1000 microns can injure crops and clog streams, polluting them with heavy metals and other pollutants. The province of Babylon, located in central Iraq, was the focus of this study. Three stations (A1, A2, A3) were selected within a governorate to measure the concentration of pollutants during dust storms. 26 samples were collected for three months during the summer of 2022. Our finding revealed that the average of CO2, SO2, and NO2, compared with National Ambiment Air Quality and World Health Organization, show that these averages were lower than the limits at the study area. The mean Partuclate Matter, PM 2.5 concentration in the study region was 85.14µg/m3, which was contrasted with National Ambiment Air Quality and the findings showed that the PM concentrations were above the limit. The existence of several petrol stations, in addition to stations for producing power, in addition to the plastics industrial facilities along with other industries and car maintenance shops, is the cause for this increase, particularly in station A3. The Air Quality Index for the study region in three stations occurred within the Yellow color range, indicating that there are few or none impact on the general population's health.