Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan
Brick kilns add enormous quantities of organic pollutants to the air that can cause serious health issues, especially in developing countries; poor air quality is associated with community health problems, yet receives no attention in Northern Pakistan. The present study, therefore, assessed the che...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1231 |
| _version_ | 1797411248507191296 |
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| author | Muhammad Subhanullah Siddique Ullah Muhammad Faisal Javed Rafi Ullah Tahir Ali Akbar Waheed Ullah Shams Ali Baig Mubashir Aziz Abdullah Mohamed Raja Umer Sajjad |
| author_facet | Muhammad Subhanullah Siddique Ullah Muhammad Faisal Javed Rafi Ullah Tahir Ali Akbar Waheed Ullah Shams Ali Baig Mubashir Aziz Abdullah Mohamed Raja Umer Sajjad |
| author_sort | Muhammad Subhanullah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Brick kilns add enormous quantities of organic pollutants to the air that can cause serious health issues, especially in developing countries; poor air quality is associated with community health problems, yet receives no attention in Northern Pakistan. The present study, therefore, assessed the chemical composition and investigated the impacts of air pollution from brick kilns on public health. A field-based investigation of air pollutants, i.e., PM<sub>1</sub>, PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, CO, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, and NH<sub>3</sub> using mobile scientific instruments was conducted in selected study area locations. Social surveys were conducted to investigate the impacts of air pollution on community health. The results reveal the highest concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, i.e., 3377, 2305, and 3567.67 µg/m3, respectively, in specific locations. Particulate matter concentrations in sampling points exceeded the permissible limits of the Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standard and, therefore, may risk the local population’s health. The highest mean value of CO<sub>2</sub> was 529 mg/L, and other parameters, such as CO, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, and NH<sub>3</sub> were within the normal range. The social survey’s findings reveal that particulate matter was directly associated with respiratory diseases such as asthma, which was reported in all age groups selected for sampling. The study concluded by implementing air pollution reduction measures in brick kiln industries to protect the environment and community health. In addition, the region’s environmental protection agency needs to play an active role in proper checking and integrated management to improve air quality and protect the community from air hazards. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:42:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c5b26aa016244089908646f2b7d0d2d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:42:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-c5b26aa016244089908646f2b7d0d2d82023-12-03T13:19:25ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-08-01138123110.3390/atmos13081231Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern PakistanMuhammad Subhanullah0Siddique Ullah1Muhammad Faisal Javed2Rafi Ullah3Tahir Ali Akbar4Waheed Ullah5Shams Ali Baig6Mubashir Aziz7Abdullah Mohamed8Raja Umer Sajjad9Department of Environmental Sciences, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, PakistanDepartment of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, PakistanDepartment of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18800, PakistanDepartment of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Tobe Camp University Road, Abbottabad 22060, PakistanDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, PakistanDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaResearch Centre, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, EgyptDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra 21120, PakistanBrick kilns add enormous quantities of organic pollutants to the air that can cause serious health issues, especially in developing countries; poor air quality is associated with community health problems, yet receives no attention in Northern Pakistan. The present study, therefore, assessed the chemical composition and investigated the impacts of air pollution from brick kilns on public health. A field-based investigation of air pollutants, i.e., PM<sub>1</sub>, PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, CO, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, and NH<sub>3</sub> using mobile scientific instruments was conducted in selected study area locations. Social surveys were conducted to investigate the impacts of air pollution on community health. The results reveal the highest concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, i.e., 3377, 2305, and 3567.67 µg/m3, respectively, in specific locations. Particulate matter concentrations in sampling points exceeded the permissible limits of the Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standard and, therefore, may risk the local population’s health. The highest mean value of CO<sub>2</sub> was 529 mg/L, and other parameters, such as CO, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>S, and NH<sub>3</sub> were within the normal range. The social survey’s findings reveal that particulate matter was directly associated with respiratory diseases such as asthma, which was reported in all age groups selected for sampling. The study concluded by implementing air pollution reduction measures in brick kiln industries to protect the environment and community health. In addition, the region’s environmental protection agency needs to play an active role in proper checking and integrated management to improve air quality and protect the community from air hazards.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1231air pollutionbrick kiln industryparticulate matterpublic healthsocial survey |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Subhanullah Siddique Ullah Muhammad Faisal Javed Rafi Ullah Tahir Ali Akbar Waheed Ullah Shams Ali Baig Mubashir Aziz Abdullah Mohamed Raja Umer Sajjad Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan Atmosphere air pollution brick kiln industry particulate matter public health social survey |
| title | Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan |
| title_full | Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan |
| title_fullStr | Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan |
| title_short | Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan |
| title_sort | assessment and impacts of air pollution from brick kilns on public health in northern pakistan |
| topic | air pollution brick kiln industry particulate matter public health social survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/8/1231 |
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