Abstract
ABSTRACTHealth impact assessments are useful for governmental authorities and decision-makers to determine the need for action and address potential public health problems arising from exposure to air pollution. The present study was conducted to assess the short-term health impacts of ambient air pollution in Tehran using the AirQ 2.2.3 model for March 2013–March 2016. Hourly concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2 and SO2 were acquired from the Department of Environment (DOE) and Tehran Air Quality Control Company (TAQCC). Air pollution data was validated according to the USEPA criteria, and only valid monitoring stations for each of the three years were entered to the AirQ 2.2.3 model. The pollutant concentrations were lower in the March 2015 March 2016 period compared to the previous years. The three-year average (± standard deviation) of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 80.21 (± 34.21) and 39.17 (± 17.26) µg m–3, respectively. The three-year averages (± standard deviation) for ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were 54.88 (± 24.15), 103.97 (± 25.88) and 39.84 (± 11.17) µg m–3, respectively. The total estimated number of deaths attributed to PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2 and SO2 over these three years were 4192, 4336, 1363, 2830, and 1216, respectively. The health impacts attributed to all pollutants except for PM10 were estimated to decrease in 2016, compared to the prior years. However, the air quality in Tehran still poses significant risks to public health. In conclusion, urgent efforts are needed such as mandating the replacing of old and poorly functioning vehicles from the roadways in order to reduce the health burden that air pollution is currently imposing on this city.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2012 about 7 million deaths could be attributed to exposure to air pollution, of which 3.7 million could be the result of exposure to ambient air pollution (WHO, 2014)
Concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2 and SO2 were acquired from the Department of Environment (DOE) and Tehran Air Quality Control Company (TAQCC)
The health impacts attributed to all pollutants except for PM10 have decreased for March 2015–March 2016 compared to the previous year
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2012 about 7 million deaths could be attributed to exposure to air pollution, of which 3.7 million could be the result of exposure to ambient air pollution (WHO, 2014). The World Bank reported that the economic cost of air pollution has increased significantly from 1990 to 2013, in which the total welfare losses due to premature deaths from exposure to air pollution increased by 94 percent. The welfare losses due to air pollution in the Middle East and North Africa in 2013 were reported to be 154 billion USD, an increase of 108% compared to 1990. The costs due to exposure to PM2.5 in the Middle East and North Africa have increased from 62 to 141 billion USD in the same period (World Bank, 2016). Due to the contribution of air pollution to decreased public health and its economic impact on the country, quantification of possible mortality and hospitalizations is useful in assessing the likely damages
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