Assessment Of Air Pollution Research Articles

The use of radon as a tracer for air quality assessment: a case study in Bratislava, Slovakia

Air quality in urban areas is mainly controlled by emission sources and dispersion conditions. The mixing layer height (MLH) within which the pollutants are dispersed plays an important role in air pollution assessment. In this study, the MLH was determined based on the daily radon flux obtained from the European radon flux map and outdoor radon concentration measured in Bratislava, Slovakia. The radon-based MLH was compared with the boundary layer height obtained from the ERA-5 reanalysis dataset, showing good agreement. Using the Sturges grouping method and regression analysis, radon-based MLH showed significant correlations with the concentration of various atmospheric pollutants.

Air Pollution Assessment in the Main Roads of Surabaya-Indonesia During Post Covid-19

An increase in population in Surabaya City may have an impact on the activities of industrial, trade and service centres. One of the most important supporting facilities is the transportation sector. The use of fuel in transportation is the main cause of the impact on air quality. This study aims to evaluate the concentration of carbon monoxide on main roads in Surabaya City and to analyse the effect of vehicles on carbon monoxide on the main roads in the city of Surabaya on covid-19 transition. The research was conducted in the field by directly measuring the concentration of carbon monoxide and the number of vehicles on three main roads in Surabaya. The results of carbon monoxide measurements and the number of vehicles were analysed using linear regression. This research reveals that in general, the carbon monoxide concentration has exceeded the air quality standard based on Government Regulation no. 22 of 2021. This result indicates that many people have travelled for various activities in the city after the covid-19 outbreak. In addition, based on the results of the linear regression test, it is known that there is a significant effect of the number of vehicles on the carbon monoxide concentration (?<0.05).

Data to Action: Community-Based Participatory Research to Address Concerns about Metal Air Pollution in Overburdened Neighborhoods near Metal Recycling Facilities in Houston.

Exposures to environmental contaminants can be influenced by social determinants of health. As a result, persons living in socially disadvantaged communities may experience disproportionate health risks from environmental exposures. Mixed methods research can be used to understand community-level and individual-level exposures to chemical and nonchemical stressors contributing to environmental health disparities. Furthermore, community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches can lead to more effective interventions. We applied mixed methods to identify environmental health perceptions and needs among metal recyclers and residents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods near metal recycling facilities in Houston, Texas, in a CBPR study, Metal Air Pollution Partnership Solutions (MAPPS). Informed by what we learned and our previous findings from cancer and noncancer risk assessments of metal air pollution in these neighborhoods, we developed an action plan to lower metal aerosol emissions from metal recycling facilities and enhance community capacity to address environmental health risks. Key informant interviews, focus groups, and community surveys were used to identify environmental health concerns of residents. A diverse group from academia, an environmental justice advocacy group, the community, the metal recycling industry, and the local health department collaborated and translated these findings, along with results from our prior risk assessments, to inform a multifaceted public health action plan. An evidence-based approach was used to develop and implement neighborhood-specific action plans. Plans included a voluntary framework of technical and administrative controls to reduce metal emissions in the metal recycling facilities, direct lines of communication among residents, metal recyclers, and local health department officials, and environmental health leadership training. Using a CBPR approach, health risk assessment findings based on outdoor air monitoring campaigns and community survey results informed a multipronged environmental health action plan to mitigate health risks associated with metal air pollution. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11405.

The Use of Mosses in Biomonitoring of Air Pollution in the Terrestrial Environment: A Review

Abstract Environmental biomonitoring is an excellent supplement to instrumental methods of environmental quality assessment. The use of biological methods has many advantages (relatively low cost, independence from the source of energy in the field etc.). The limitation in the use of bioindication methods is the inability to compare the results with legal environmental pollution standards. Mosses are commonly used in air pollution monitoring. Mosses exhibit most of the characteristics attributed to effective bioindicators. The advantage of mosses over other bioindicators comes from the fact that the result depends only on-air pollution due to the lack of practical contact with the soil. Mosses are used in air pollution biomonitoring in two basic methods: naturally growing or transplanted to the researched area. They are most often used to assess air pollution by metals and other elements, but also by various organic compounds. A prerequisite for successful application of these methods is strict adherence to a recognised methodology and standardisation of all activities, such as random selection of measurement points. The article presents a critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of biomonitoring of air pollutants, along with a final recommendation for their use, provided that appropriate methodological rigor is maintained. An important advantage of mosses in biomonitoring is their relatively practical ease of application and interpretation of results, resulting in their widespread use.

Sentinel satellite data monitoring of air pollutants with interpolation methods in Guayaquil, Ecuador

In Ecuador, there is a limitation on air quality monitoring due to the cost of monitoring networks. Although air quality monitoring stations are instruments for air measurement, they do not cover an entire city due to their scope. Satellite remote sensing is now an effective tool to study atmospheric pollutants and has been applied to continuously assess a region and overcome the limitations of fixed stations. Despite the application of satellite data for air quality monitoring, there are some limitations, such as measurement frequency, cloud cover and wide spatial resolution, which do not allow the assessment of air pollution in cities. Therefore, downscaling, applying interpolation methods, is essential for continuous air quality monitoring at smaller scales. For this research, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) data from the Sentinel-5 satellite percussor was used in the city of Guayaquil for January–December 2020, which is considered before, during and after the COVID-19 quarantine. This mid-size port city does not have a permanent monitoring network, which prevents us from knowing the air quality. Due to the limitation of pixel size, this study used satellite data to apply interpolation techniques and reduce pixels to assess air quality. Two categories of interpolation were selected: deterministic and stochastic. The empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) interpolation obtained a R2 of 0.9546, which was superior to the other methods applied. Therefore, the EBK method had the best accuracy for tropospheric NO2 concentration. Finally, the method used in this research can help monitor air quality in cities lacking continuous monitoring networks, as the reduction of the pixel size gives us a better pattern of pollutants.

A rapid assessment of stubble burning and air pollutants from satellite observations.

For the last several years, the air quality of India's capital Delhi and surrounding region (NCR) has been degrading to a very poor and severe category during the autumn season. In addition to the various sources of air pollutants within the NCR region, the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana states contributes to the poor air quality in this region. The current study employs the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fire products and TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) products on carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations for spatio-temporal assessment of stubble burning and associated emissions. The analysis performed in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform indicated a nearly threefold rise in crop residue burning in November than in October, with 92.58% and 7.42% reported from Punjab and the Haryana states in November, respectively. The study highlights the availability of near-real-time remote sensing observations and the utility of the GEE platform for rapid assessment of stubble burning and emissions thereof, having the potential for developing mitigation strategies.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Air Pollutants in the Province of Ferrara, Northern Italy: An Ecological Study

The etiopathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is still largely unknown, but likely depends on gene-environment interactions. Among the putative sources of environmental exposure are air pollutants and especially heavy metals. We aimed to investigate the relationship between ALS density and the concentration of air pollution heavy metals in Ferrara, northern Italy. An ecological study was designed to correlate the map of ALS distribution and that of air pollutants. All ALS cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2017 (Ferrara University Hospital administrative data) were plotted by residency in 100 sub-areas, and grouped in 4 sectors: urban, rural, northwestern and along the motorway. The concentrations of silver, aluminium, cadmium, chrome, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and selenium in moss and lichens were measured and monitored in 2006 and 2011. Based on 62 ALS patients, a strong and direct correlation of ALS density was observed only with copper concentrations in all sectors and in both sexes (Pearson coefficient (ρ) = 0.758; p = 0.000002). The correlation was higher in the urban sector (ρ = 0.767; p = 0.000128), in women for the overall population (ρ = 0.782, p = 0.000028) and in the urban (ρ = 0.872, p = 0.000047) population, and for the older cohort of diagnosed patients (2000-2009) the assessment correlated with the first assessment of air pollutants in 2006 (ρ = 0.724, p = 0.008). Our data is, in part, consistent with a hypothesis linking copper pollution to ALS.

Human health risk assessment of air pollutants in the largest coal mining area in Brazil.

The Candiota region, located in the extreme south of Brazil, has the largest mineral coal deposit in the country, and this activity is capable of releasing pollutants in which they are associated with the contamination of different matrices (soil, water, and air). The present study aimed to carry out a risk assessment to human health of atmospheric pollutants NO2 and SO2 and PM10-bound metal(loid)s in the municipality of Candiota, in addition to evaluating the correlation of meteorological parameters for the dynamics and potential risk of these pollutants. Pollutants were sampled from stations located almost 4km from coal exploration activities, and the trace elements As, Cd, Se, Pb, and Ni, in addition to NO2 and SO2, were evaluated. Risk assessment was conducted taking into account the risk to adults via the inhalation route. During the sampling period, all pollutants presented values lower than national legislation or internationally accepted values, and Pb was the element that presented the highest values throughout the sampled period. The risk assessment showed no carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, even when considering the sum of the risk of all analyzed pollutants. It can be observed that the highest levels of Pb, As, and Se occurred in the winter season, while the levels of Ni and Cd were higher in the spring, and the meteorological parameters were correlated with the pollutants, even using a temporal lag of 5days. Although the air pollutants evaluated did not present a risk to human health, continuous monitoring of regions with strong mineral exploration activity must be carried out with a view to maintaining the well-being of exposed populations, mainly because there are people living in areas closer to sources of coal pollution than distance to air quality monitoring stations.

Invited Perspective: Still Hazy? Air Pollution and Acute Kidney Injury.

Invited Perspective: Still Hazy? Air Pollution and Acute Kidney Injury.

Air pollution assessment in Seoul, South Korea, using an updated daily air quality index

The variability of daily air quality index DAQx* was analyzed for types of air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) in Seoul, South Korea, from 2018 to 2021. Daily maximum 1-h means of O3 and NO2 and daily 24-h means of PM10 and PM2.5 from 42 AQMSs were used to calculate the DAQx*. The frequencies of DAQx* values in DAQx* classes 3 (satisfactory) and 4 (sufficient) dominated for all station types, followed by DAQx* class 5 (poor). The variability of DAQx* values within station types mostly corresponded approximately to one DAQx* class, with mean frequencies of 82% for roadside, 81% for urban, and 72% for background stations. Lower air pollution levels on weekends than weekdays were shown for roadside stations by frequencies of DAQx* values in classes 3 (11% higher) and 4 (12% lower) during summer. NO2 was the air pollutant that annually most frequently formed DAQx* at roadside (48%) and urban (32%) stations, while O3 was the dominant pollutant (38%) at background stations. In winter, PM10 was the most common contributor to the DAQx* (at least 47%) at all station types. The dominant air pollutants in summer were NO2 at roadside stations (72%) and O3 at urban (63%) and background (68%) stations. Air quality improvement during a stronger social distancing period in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was evidenced by higher frequencies in DAQx* class 3 (up to 26%) but lower frequencies in DAQx* class 4 (up to 24%) than that during the reference period, especially for the roadside stations.

Health effects of air pollutant mixtures (volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, sulfur and nitrogen oxides)- a review of the literature.

The health risks associated with individual air pollutant exposures have been studied and documented, but in real-life, the population is exposed to a multitude of different substances, designated as mixtures. A body of literature on air pollutants indicated that the next step in air pollution research is investigating pollutant mixtures and their potential impacts on health, as a risk assessment of individual air pollutants may actually underestimate the overall risks. This review aims to synthesize the health effects related to air pollutant mixtures containing selected pollutants such as: volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, sulfur and nitrogen oxides. For this review, the PubMed database was used to search for articles published within the last decade, and we included studies assessing the associations between air pollutant mixtures and health effects. The literature search was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A number of 110 studies were included in the review from which data on pollutant mixtures, health effects, methods used, and primary results were extracted. Our review emphasized that there are a relatively small number of studies addressing the health effects of air pollutants as mixtures and there is a gap in knowledge regarding the health effects associated with these mixtures. Studying the health effects of air pollutant mixtures is challenging due to the complexity of components that mixtures may contain, and the possible interactions these different components may have.

Assessment of Air Pollution in Different Areas (Urban, Suburban, and Rural) in Slovenia from 2017 to 2021

Air pollution can have a significant effect on human health. The present work is focused on the investigation of daily, monthly, and annual concentration levels of five typical air pollutants (SO2, NO2, NOX, PM10, and PM2.5) in the Republic of Slovenia (RS) from January 2017 to December 2021. The study was conducted at five different monitoring stations of the following kind: traffic (A), industrial (D), and background (B, C, E). The obtained results showed a decline in the average concentrations for all the studied air pollutants through the years, respectively. The daily average SO2 concentrations were the lowest in the year 2021 at location B, which is classified as background location, while the highest were detected in the year 2018 at location E, which is also classified as background location. The average daily concentrations of NO2 and NOX were the highest at location A in the year 2017, whereas the lowest were detected in the year 2010 and 2021. It is believed that those results are a consequence of measures set by the Slovenian government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PM10 and PM2.5 daily average concentrations were the highest at location A in 2017, while the lowest were observed in the year 2019 at location C. Meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) were studied in addition. In general, the high temperatures in ambient air are responsible for the intense concentrations of air pollutants. It was found in the study results for temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity that no significant difference was shown between studied years.

Assessment of Low-Level Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Incidence in Gdansk, Poland: Time-Series Cross-Sectional Analysis.

(1) Background: More than 1.8 million people in the European Union die every year as a result of CVD, accounting for 36% of all deaths with a large proportion being premature (before the age of 65). There are more than 300 different risk factors of CVD, known and air pollution is one of them. The aim of this study was to investigate whether daily cardiovascular mortality was associated with air pollutants and meteorological conditions in an urban environment with a low level of air pollution. (2) Methods: Data on daily incidence of strokes and myocardial infarctions in the city of Gdansk were obtained from the National Health Fund (NHF) and covered the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018. Data on the level of pollution, i.e., SO2, NO, NO2, NOx, CO, PM10, PM2.5, CO2, O3 and meteorological conditions came from the foundation: Agency of Regional Air Quality Monitoring in the Gdańsk metropolitan area (ARMAG). Using these data, we calculated mean values with standard deviation (SD) and derived the minimum and maximum values and interquartile range (IQR). Time series regression with Poisson distribution was used in statistical analysis. (4) Results: Stroke incidence is significantly affected by an increase in concentrations of NO, NO2 and NOx with RRs equal to 1.019 (95%CI: 1.001-1.036), 1.036 (95%CI: 1.008-1.064) and 1.017 (95%CI: 1.000-1.034) for every increase in IQR by 14.12, 14.62 and 22.62 μg/m3, respectively. Similarly, myocardial infarction incidence is significantly affected by an increase in concentrations of NO, NO2 and NOx with RRs equal to 1.030 (95%CI: 1.011-1.048), 1.053 (95%CI: 1.024-1.082) and 1.027 (95%CI: 1.010-1.045) for every increase in IQR by 14.12, 14.62 and 22.62 μg/m3, respectively. Both PM10 and PM2.5 were positively associated with myocardial infarction incidence. (5) Conclusions: In this time-series cross-sectional study, we found strong evidence that support the hypothesis that transient elevations in ambient PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2 and CO are associated with higher relative risk of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction incidents.

Invited Perspective: Leveraging Air Quality Research Advancements to Assess and Address Exposure Inequities.

Invited Perspective: Leveraging Air Quality Research Advancements to Assess and Address Exposure Inequities.

Impacts on real-world extra cold start emissions: Fuel injection, powertrain, aftertreatment and ambient temperature

Vehicles emit substantial amounts of pollutants during start periods. Engine starts mainly occur in urban areas, causing serious harm to humans. To investigate the impacts on extra cold start emissions (ECSEs), eleven China 6 vehicles with various control technologies (fuel injection, powertrain, and aftertreatment) were monitored with a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) at different temperatures. For conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), the average ECSEs of CO2 increased by 24%, while the average ECSEs of NOx and particle number (PN) decreased by 38% and 39%, respectively, with air conditioning (AC) on. Gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicles had 5% lower CO2 ECSEs, but 261% higher NOx ECSEs and 318% higher PN ECSEs than port fuel injection (PFI) vehicles at 23 °C. The average PN ECSEs were significantly reduced by gasoline particle filters (GPFs). The GPF filtration efficiency was higher in GDI than PFI vehicles due to particle size distribution. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) generated excessive PN extra start emissions (ESEs), resulting in a 518% increase compared to ICEVs. The start times of the GDI-engine HEV accounted for 11% of the whole test time, but the proportion of PN ESEs relative to total emissions were 23%. Linear simulation based on the decrease in ECSEs with increasing temperature underestimated the PN ECSEs from PFI and GDI vehicles by 39% and 21%, respectively. For ICEVs, CO ECSEs varied with temperature in a U shape with a minimum at 27 °C; NOx ECSEs decreased as ambient temperature increased; PFI vehicles generated more PN ECSEs at 32 °C than GDI vehicles, stressing the significance of ECSEs at high temperature. These results are useful for improving emission models and assessing air pollution exposure in urban aeras.

Difference between global and regional aerosol model classifications and associated implications for spaceborne aerosol optical depth retrieval

AbstractAerosol model are generally adopted to describe the physical and optical characteristics of aerosols in different regions, and this is important for climate and environmental studies as well as satellite aerosol retrieval. However, current mainstream aerosol retrieval algorithms still lack differentiated and dynamic descriptions of aerosol models, and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval accuracy is hence largely compromised. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the difference between global and regional aerosol model classifications and the impact of these differences on satellite AOD retrieval. We developed global and regional (for China) aerosol models through the K-means cluster analysis method, and used the 6SV radiative transfer model based on these global and regional aerosol models to simulate air pollution events. The cluster analysis revealed that both global and regional aerosols can be clustered into five main aerosol types with different optical and physical parameters. The aerosol types include strongly absorbing, moderately absorbing, weakly absorbing, dust and coarse-fine mixed aerosols. These two aerosol models exhibited distinct seasonal variations. Comparing the clustering results obtained with the two models at five Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites, we found that the proportion of strongly absorbing aerosols in the global results is low. According to the China clustering results, a higher proportion of strongly absorbing aerosols occurred in autumn, winter, and early spring, and dust aerosols attained an increasing proportion in spring. Comparing the aerosol parameters with observational data, the regional aerosol model performed better than the global aerosol model. Simulations of AOD during a pollution episode and in different seasons at the Beijing-CAMS site with the 6SV radiative transfer model further confirmed that the regional aerosol model achieved a better simulation accuracy than the global model. The findings suggest that regional aerosol models can provide a useful reference for satellite remote sensing algorithm, climate change and air pollution assessment, and that the dynamic description of the aerosol model is a key parameter in satellite AOD retrieval algorithms.

Application of data mining combined with power data in assessment and prevention of regional atmospheric pollution

The continuous development of society has destroyed the living environment of human beings to a large extent. The problem of air pollution is becoming more and more serious, which affects people’s daily life and threatens human health and the natural environment. It is very important to evaluate and prevent air pollution. The existing atmospheric environmental pollution assessment system has problems such as low accuracy of prediction results and incomplete analysis of problems, resulting in untimely prevention and control of regional atmospheric environmental pollution. This paper analyzes the needs of atmospheric environment data mining, monitoring the prevention and control of atmospheric environment pollution, using data mining technology combined with power data to evaluate and prevent air pollution. Through the real-time detection and evaluation of the regional environmental pollution index, it is possible to carry out timely treatment when the atmospheric environmental pollution does not meet the standard. Through the prediction accuracy test, the environmental pollution index test, the atmospheric environment quality score test and the prevention and control effect test in different regions, it is found that the data mining technology is used for prevention and control. The prediction accuracy increased by 4.18%, and the environmental pollution index decreased. It is more conducive to the control of regional atmospheric pollution, the rate of atmospheric environmental quality score has been increased by 2.38%, and the control effect has been optimized by 3.1%. Data mining technology is more conducive to the assessment and prevention of regional air pollution.

A novel FMEA approach for risk assessment of air pollution from ships

Port State Control (PSC) is the inspection mechanism that ensures commercial vessels comply with internationally binding rules and regulations. During the PSC inspections, non-compliances with international maritime conventions may result in deficiencies or even the detention of the vessel. On the other side, deficiencies identified during PSC inspections are significant for the safe, secure, clean seas and sustainable marine environment. In this line, International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce ship-related pollution within the scope of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). Specifically, Annex-VI is the most recently ratified regulation of MARPOL covering air pollution. Although Annex-VI deficiencies pose significant risks to maritime stakeholders and the natural environment, this topic has been broadly neglected by researchers. For this reason, a detailed risk analysis for the MARPOL Annex-VI deficiencies was carried out to demonstrate a prioritization concerning the marine environment and maritime stakeholders in this study. An improved Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach is employed in the computation of risk priority numbers (RPN) by taking O, S, and D inputs from two different expert groups and the Paris MoU database. According to the results, the riskiest MARPOL Annex-VI failure modes are identified as 14615-Fuel change-over procedure (RPN: 235.71), 14608-Incinerator operations and operating manual (RPN: 232.65), and 14601-Technical files and if applicable, monitoring manual (RPN: 219.86). Consequently, the presented risk analysis and findings are intended to be a reference for maritime stakeholders to prevent harmful scenarios involving ship-related air pollution.

Airborne microplastics in a suburban location in the desert southwest: Occurrence and identification challenges

Microplastics are rapidly emerging anthropogenic stressors that pose a potential threat to ecosystems and human health. While the ubiquitous nature of microplastics in water has been well documented, studies on their distribution in the air are limited. Measuring microplastics, as a component of atmospheric particulate matter, is important in assessing air pollution impacts within a breathing zone. Here we investigate and present results for the occurrence of microplastics in suspended particulate matter in Tempe, a suburban location in Arizona. Samples were collected from Oct 28th, 2020, to Nov 1st, 2021, on quartz fiber filters using a high-volume air sampler, and processed with microplastics counted under an optical microscope to obtain quantitative information of their presence and distribution in the atmosphere. Microplastics were present in all collected suspended particulate samples ranging from between 0.02 and 1.1 microplastics/m3 (average concentration of 0.2 microplastics/m3) with the size range of (5–5000) μm. Fibrous microplastics were the most prevalent accounting for a large majority (≥82%) of the microplastics suspended in air in all samples. To characterize the type of microplastics present, micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the chemical composition of microplastics. Chemical characterization results revealed an array of polymers for the airborne microplastics. The most abundant identified polymer was polyvinyl chloride (19%). However, many micro-Raman spectra lacked characteristic peaks, making the chemical identification process more challenging. Laboratory experiments simulating weathering of microplastics were performed to understand how microplastics change under weathering processes; these experiments revealed that Raman spectra of microplastics change over time due to weathering processes.

Assessment of Air Pollution Associated Self-Reported Symptoms on General Population of Rawalpindi and Islamabad

Objectives: To assess the air pollution-associated self-reported symptoms among the general population of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
 Study Design: Analytical cross-sectional study. 
 Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at Pak Emirates Military Hospital & Combined Military Hospital,Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Nov 2021 to Apr 2022.
 Methodology: The data was collected using a pre-formed questionnaire and was distributed among the general population that reported to Pak Emirates Military Hospital and Combined Military Hospital OPD, Rawalpindi Pakistan and the students of varying colleges of Islamabad and Rawalpindi Pakistan. People were thoroughly explained about the content and the purpose of our study. The data was collected after their consent and were told about their right to fill whole or part of the form and that they can withdraw or drop out of the study at any point. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 23.
 Results: Mean age of the population was 29.41±12.41 years. The physical effects were categorized according to their scores as mild 54(21.3%), moderate 122(48.2%) and severe 77(30.4%). About 150(50.8%) participants reported positive behavioral and psychological effects of air pollution. About 160(63.4%) people reported that they’ve been using preventive measures to avoid the air pollution associated health effects. While 174(68.8%) people had sufficient awareness regarding air pollution and its effects (p<0.05).
 Conclusion: The general population of Rawalpindi and Islamabad reported significant physical, and psychological, behavioral effects of air pollution. An association was found between occupation and physical effects of air pollution. Psychological effects like aggressive behavior and anxiety were found to have association with occupation. Facemask was found the most prevalent preventive measure. Participants had sufficient knowledge about air pollution and effects.