Abstract:
Air pollution is grasping a great deal of attention now a days, with specific focus on particulate matter pollution owing to its widespread incidences and damaging health impacts. Particulate matter concentration is increasing due to increased industrialization and rapid urbanization resulting in numerous undesirable health impacts. The current study was conducted to monitor the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at five different selected sites around Waris Khan, Rawalpindi using a low-volume air sampler. The results indicated high PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations around Waris Khan Area. Highest mean PM2.5 was found at site 5 (Maharaja Hotel) whereas highest mean PM10 was found at site 2 (Potohar Hotel). Overall, when compared with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) national environmental quality standards for ambient air (NEQSAA), PM2.5 and PM10 was found higher than the permissible limit (25 μg/m3 and 150 μg/m3). Particulate matter was also analyzed qualitatively for heavy metals Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb) and Nickel (Ni) through inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Heavy metal assessment at all selected sites revealed thetrend for PM2.5 and PM10 to be: Pb < Cd < Cr < Ni concentrations of all heavy metals were found to be above the permissible limits given by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Heavy traffic, congested living patterns, fossil fuel combustion, mechanical operations and vehicular emissions were deduced as the main sources of these PM-associated heavy metals. Health survey was conducted through self-structured questionnaire which revealed common occurrences of respiratory diseases among residents of Waris khan and lack of awareness related to particulate matter. From the results it could be concluded that the ambient air of Waris khan had high particulate matter concentration which also played a significant role in deteriorating the health of the residents. Therefore, continuous monitoring of ambient air is recommended for improvement of air quality and betterment of resident’s health.
