Concentration of Particulate Matter and Its Impact on Public Health in Different Cities in Pakistan-A Review

Abstract

Pakistan is a developing country and its population is growing rapidly. The trend towards economic growth and satisfying the needs of the growing population is increasing daily. For this purpose, industrial activities, vehicle emissions, and household-related activities pollute the atmospheric environment and release different types of toxic gases. Particulate matter assessments (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) were reviewed in different cities of Pakistan. Respectively, the PM_2.5 evaluation was carried out in 15 cities, while the PM₁₀ concentration was in 18 cities in Pakistan. According to the review, the highest concentrations of PM_2.5 were 302, 211.97, 88, 163.63, 113.09, 110.81, 110.81, 139.43, 126.97, 107.68, 109.81, 172, 150, 66, 354, 43.9, 2305 µg/m³ in Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi, Gujranwala, Multan, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Okara, Pakpattan, Jehlum, Sargodha, Peshawar Quetta, Islamabad, Haripur, Mingora, and Mardan (Jalala). Specifically, the highest concentration of PM₁₀ were 301, 568, 638, 160.5, 200, 384.15, 301.38, 311.61, 700 µg/m³ in Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Charsada, Karachi, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Quetta. Only, these cities are the most polluted in the whole country and the concentration of PM_2.5 was above the normal range those prescribed by the National Environmental Quality Standred (NEQS). Commonly, the main problem is the suspended particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) in the atmosphere. The increasing level of pollution leads to different types of problems such as respiratory problems, eye irritation, throat infections, asthma, and cancer, and it also increases the level of death ratio in the country. The main reason for PM is the burning of solid waste near cities; industrial emission, vehicular emission, lack of proper green belt and solid waste management are the main reasons for atmospheric pollution. Given the existing state of the air, urgent action is required to address the low air quality.

Keywords:

• Air pollution
• particulate matter
• health impact
• cities
• Pakistan

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.