Trends in atmospheric particulate matter in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the vicinity (original) (raw)
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Journal of Health Research
Purpose In order to reduce the health impacts of air pollution effectively, developing strategies that involves individual or community level is crucial. The purpose of this paper is to assess people’s protective practices for inhalable particulate matter and its significant determinants such as general characteristics, knowledge and attitude among residents of an urban residential area, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study was conducted by systematic random sampling. A total of 424 people, who lived in that area for not less than two years before the survey, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. χ2 and Fisher’s exact test were used to analyze the data. Findings Only a small proportion of respondents had high practice level. In addition, a little more than half has high level of knowledge about inhalable particulate matter, its adverse health effects and protective practices and almost 70 percent had high level of attitude toward air...
Status of Air Quality and Survey of Particulate Matter Pollution in Pabna City, Bangladesh
Particulate matter (PM) is the most significant air pollutant associated with death and disease compared to other measured criteria pollutants. In this paper, the study have been performed to know about the particulate pollution and its effect in human life in Pabna, a city of Bangladesh. This particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) concentrations in the air of Pabna city have been investigated at five selected locations in Pabna city. Investigation was done by " Handheld Laser Particle Counter " device. From this study it is found that in Pabna the air pollution problem is severe and it crosses the AQI standard. This paper also recommends the possible ways to improve the air pollution problem in Pabna, Bangladesh.
Characterization of Inhalable Ground-Level Ambient Particulate Matter in Dhaka City, Bangladesh
Journal of Scientific Research, 2020
The capital Dhaka of Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and air polluted cities in the world. This study is aimed to assess the trend of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from 2013 to 2018 in relation to meteorological parameters. PM data were collected from the Continuous Air Monitoring Station (CAMS) at Darus Salam point in Dhaka city. CAMS gather air samples through beta gauge instrument which measures the volume of gas extracted through the stack/duct and calculates mass concentration. In the present study, PM2.5 was 54 % of that of PM10 which is fine particulate matter. PM2.5 and PM10 had the lowest concentration in the month of July due to the highest rainfall rate whereas it was highest in the months of January and December. In addition, annual average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 is observed to be 5-6 times higher than Bangladesh National Ambient Air Quality Standard (BNAAQS) while higher PM concentrations were observed in winter seasons. This study found s...
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2017
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor for pneumonia; ventilation may be protective. We tested behavioral and structural ventilation interventions on indoor PM2.5 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We recruited 59 good ventilation (window or door in ≥ 3 walls) and 29 poor ventilation (no window, one door) homes. We monitored baseline indoor and outdoor PM2.5 for 48 hours. We asked all participants to increase ventilation behavior, including opening windows and doors, and operating fans. Where permitted, we installed windows in nine poor ventilation homes, then repeated PM2.5 monitoring. We estimated effects using linear mixed-effects models and conducted qualitative interviews regarding motivators and barriers to ventilation. Compared with poor ventilation homes, good ventilation homes were larger, their residents wealthier and less likely to use biomass fuel. In multivariable linear mixed-effects models, ventilation structures and opening a door or window were inversely associated wit...
Environmental Research, 2013
Indoor exposure to particulate matter (PM) increases the risk of acute lower respiratory tract infections, which are the leading cause of death in young children in Bangladesh. Few studies, however, have measured children's exposures to indoor PM over time. The World Health Organization recommends that daily indoor concentrations of PM less than 2.5 mm in diameter (PM 2.5 ) not exceed 25 mg/m 3 . This study aimed to describe the seasonal variation and determinants of concentrations of indoor PM 2.5 in a low-income community in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. PM 2.5 was measured in homes monthly during May 2009 to April 2010. We calculated the time-weighted average, 90th percentile PM 2.5 concentrations and the daily hours PM 2.5 exceeded 100 mg/m 3 . Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between fuel use, ventilation, indoor smoking, and season to each metric describing indoor PM 2.5 concentrations. Time-weighted average PM 2.5 concentrations were 190 mg/m 3 (95% CI 170-210). Sixteen percent of 258 households primarily used biomass fuels for cooking and PM 2.5 concentrations in these homes had average concentrations 75 mg/m 3 (95% CI 56-124) greater than other homes. PM 2.5 concentrations were also associated with burning both biomass and kerosene, indoor smoking, and ventilation, and were more than twice as high during winter than during other seasons. Young children in this community are exposed to indoor PM 2.5 concentrations 7 times greater than those recommended by World Health Organization guidelines. Interventions to reduce biomass burning could result in a daily reduction of 75 mg/m 3 (40%) in time-weighted average PM 2.5 concentrations.
Airborne Particulate Pollution Measured in Bangladesh from 2014 to 2017
Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 2019
Recently, the World Health Organization ranked Narayanganj, Chittagong, and Dhaka among the top 25, 40, and 45 cities, respectively, for high ambient PM 2.5 concentrations. Bangladesh has instituted an air quality monitoring system operated by the Department of Environment. PM 2.5 and PM 10 were measured hourly from January 2014 through December 2017 in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Barisal. All sites registered concentrations for both pollutants that exceeded the 24-h Bangladesh National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The particulate matter (PM) concentrations varied significantly seasonally and with different diel patterns from city to city. The highest concentrations were observed during the winter, typically when wind speeds and mixed layer heights are low and pollutant concentrations are increased by transport from the northwest. The PM 2.5 concentrations from the 1 st quarters of 2014 and 2015 were compared to assess whether political unrest that appeared to reduce vehicular moment to very low levels affected the observed values. However, the PM 2.5 concentrations were statistically similar at the Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Sylhet sites and different for the Gazipur, Chittagong, and Barisal locations. Thus, the PM 2.5 concentrations during the political unrest in the 1 st quarter of 2015 were not consistently lower across the measurement sites. These results indicate that vehicular emission contributions to PM 2.5 concentrations are smaller than in the past, which agrees with recent source apportionment studies showing that brick kilns have become the dominant source of PM.
Air Pollutants and their Possible Health Effects at Different Locations in Dhaka City
Journal of Current Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2018
Air pollution is a major environmental risk. For many decades, air pollutants have increased dramatically in the city of Dhaka. Study of air pollutants in Dhaka, as well as other urban areas, is significantly important for the sustainable environment. The present research is focused on air pollutants and their possible health effects in the areas of Dhaka city. Different pollutants such as, volatile organic compounds (VOC, s), carbon monoxide (CO), relative humidity (RH), nitrogen oxide (NOx), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), carbon dioxide (CO 2), oxygen (O 2), sulfur dioxide(SO 2), particulate matter (PM 10), particulate matter (PM 2.5), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and lead (Pb) were found to be at hazardous levels in this study area. The VOC was found to have a statistically positive correlation with CO, RH, NOx, H 2 S, CO 2 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 , SPM, and Pb (p<0.01; 0.01<p≤0.05; 0.05<p≤0.1). Similarly, a positive correlation was found between each of CO 2 , CO, SO 2 , NOx, H 2 S, SPM, PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and Pb. These air pollutants have significantly increased from June 2016 to July 2017 at different locations in Dhaka. According to public perception and health physicians, air pollutants contribute to health concerns such as, eye irritation, headaches, damage to kidneys and central nervous system, skin cancer, cardio vascular diseases, nausea, asthma, and anemia. Regular monitoring of air quality parameters can be effective to protect inhabitants from various illnesses as well as significant help in providing a guideline for the development of a sustainable environment in the city dwellers of Dhaka.
PERCEIVED ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER AMONG RESIDENTS OF PORT HARCOURT
Background: In recent years, there has been a public outcry in Port Harcourt over the presence of black particulate matter (PM) on surfaces, and in the nostrils, prompting health concerns. The study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of the adverse effects of exposure to PM among residents in Port Harcourt metropolis. Method: The study was carried out using a cross-sectional design technique, while data was collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire, administered to respondents residing in Port Harcourt during the period of public outcry, 2016 to 2020. Results: The questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents, 260 (65.0%) of whom are females. Most (96.0%) of the respondents were below the age of 50 years, of the Christian faith (96.0%), and had a tertiary education 270(67.5%). Finding from this study showed that the majority of the respondents (54.8%) have only fair knowledge of the adverse health effects of exposure to particulate matter, while 75.5% had poor attitude towards preventing the adverse health effects of exposure to PM. Most of the respondents (92.3%) in this study have poor perception towards the adverse effect of exposure to particulate matter. Conclusion: The fair knowledge of knowledge of the adverse health effects of PM among the respondent translated to poor attitude and perception towards its adverse health effects. Hence, an intense sensitization is required to boost the knowledge of the populace om the adverse effect of exposure to soot so as increase their attitude towards preventive measures and perception of the adverse effect of the menace.
Building and Environment, 2009
Indoor air pollution from the combustion of traditional biomass fuels (wood, cow dung, and crop wastes) is a significant public health problem predominantly for poor populations in many developing countries. It is particularly problematic for the women who are normally responsible for food preparation and cooking, and for infants/young children who spend time around their mothers near the cooking area. Airborne particulate matter (PM) samples were collected from cooking and living areas in homes in a rural area of Bangladesh to investigate the impact of fuel use, kitchen configurations, and ventilation on indoor air quality and to apportion the source contributions of the measured trace metals and BC concentrations. Lower PM concentrations were observed when liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was used for cooking. PM concentrations varied significantly depending on the position of kitchen, fuel use and ventilation rates. From reconstructed mass (RCM) calculations, it was found that the major constituent of the PM was carbonaceous matter. Soil and smoke were identified as components from elemental composition data. It was also found that some kitchen configurations have lower PM concentrations than others even with the use of low-grade biomass fuels. Adoption of these kitchen configurations would be a cost-effective approach in reducing exposures from cooking in these rural areas.
Air Pollution in the Capital City of Bangladesh: Its Causes and Impacts on Human Health
Pollution, 2020
Air is one of the precious natural resources that are essential for animal including the human being. It is also the most important gift of nature without which human cannot survive. Pollution in the urban areas like Cairo, Delhi, Mexico and Dhaka far surpasses the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Urban air pollution in the South Asian region is approximated to cause more than 300,000 deaths and billions of cases of respiratory disease per year. In Bangladesh, about 200000 people die each year due to the air pollution as the WHO estimates in 2018. The air in Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh, has become worsen to a level that the city has been identified as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Taking the problem with utmost importance into consideration as it is related with the public health, air pollution is being treated as one of the priority issues. The level of pollution at roadside environment is deeply connected with the density of motor vehicles plying on the roads. This situation is expected to worsen further in the upcoming days due to the increasing number of motor vehicles resulted from rapid economic growth and industrialization. This paper aims to provide the present statues of the air pollution in Dhaka city and some specific recommendations for making the city as a better living place through reducing its air pollution.