Short-term and long-term exposure to particles and their consequences in Poldokhtar City (Iran)

Abstract

In Iran's biggest towns, deaths and hospitalizations from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases have a strong association with PM_2.5 pollution concentrations. The WHO recommends assessing the health impacts using the Air Quality and Health Evaluation approach (Air Q 2.2.3). Data of particulates on both clear, dusty days have been provided by the Meteorology Office for Lorestan. Results indicated that in terms of mean AQI, May (162.46), July (121.7), and April (110.23) are the most polluted months in Poldokhtar city in 2022. May (16 days), July (6 days), March (5 days), and April (4 days) are the most contaminated months of the total number of polluted days. The days having the highest amounts of pollution in terms of the daily mean AQI are May 17th (407), April 10th (402), May 24th (393), July 31st (351), and April 18th (341). The maps extracted from HYSPLIT showed that the origin of the dust entering the city of Poldokhtar is the arid and semi-arid regions of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and Turkey. May shows the maximum amount of pollution in comparison to other months, as shown by the mean AQI of 162.46. Furthermore, with an AQI score of 407 on May 17, it is assumed to be the most polluted day of the year. Hospitalized people who had respiratory diseases were most severely impacted by the short-term adverse effects of fine dust inhalation.