Ambient air monitoring and health risk assessment of traffic wardens at selected roads of Lahore, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v10i4.294Keywords:
Air Quality, Chronic Daily Intake, Hazard Quotient, Hazard Index, Lifetime Average Daily Dose, Traffic Personnel.Abstract
Air pollution is a significant environmental and public health concern worldwide. This study investigated the day and night-time concentrations of seven air pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and total suspended particulate matter (TSP) along five urban roads in Lahore, Pakistan. A human health risk assessment was also conducted for traffic police personnel regulating traffic at busy road intersections, by using the parameters of Chronic Daily Intake (CDI), Hazard Quotient (HQ), and Hazard Index (HI) to evaluate potential health risks associated with individual and cumulative exposure to the air pollutants. Day-time concentrations of all the contaminants were significantly higher than the night-time concentrations, reflecting the impact of vehicular emissions on ambient air quality. The highest CDI was detected for CO (8.46 mg/kg/day) for the most traffic-dense road (R5) with the lowest vegetation cover and an equally high day and night-time average HI (21.06) and pronounced health effects were observed for the traffic wardens stationed at this road. The findings underscore the role of vehicular emissions as a significant source of air pollution and health hazards for the exposed individuals. The study also highlights the need for extensive urban air quality management and stricter vehicular regulations, especially in developing countries, to protect the health of exposed individuals.
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