The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the air pollutants concentration during the lockdown in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In this study, 24-h average concentration of major pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3 and CO in the period 1 January to 30 July 2016 to 2020 were investigated to show how partial lockdown affects the behavior of pollutants' concentrations in an urban region. For this purpose, three sites of Aghdasieh, Setad-e Bohran and Shahr-e-Rey, which are located in various parts of Tehran considered. Results showed that PM10 had maximum reduction especially for Aghdasieh and Setad-e Bohran stations (20–30%) compared to the 5-year monthly average. Furthermore, the highest reduction in the Shahr-e-Rey station was related to NO2 (−17.99%). The trend of AQI decreased considerably in 2020 compared to its pre-lockdown values. The relative reduction of AQI in March compared to February was about −12.8%, −27.6%, and −2.27% for Shahr-e-Rey, Aghdasieh, and Setad-e Bohran, respectively. The concentration of pollutants was expected to fall after the lockdown, but it was noted that compared to their average during the 5-year period, the concentrations of all pollutants especially O3 increased to some extent. A major reason for this trend is the removal of the traffic control plan and the increasing use of private vehicles in an effort to implement social distancing.