State of gaseous air pollutants and resulting health effects in Karachi, Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan, is a priority site for air pollution research due to high emissions of air pollutants from vehicular traffic, industrial activities, and biomass burning, as well as rapid growth in population. The objectives of this study were to investigate the levels of gaseous pollutants (NO, NO₂, O₃, HNO₃, and SO₂) in Karachi, to determine temporal and seasonal variations, to compare Karachi’s air quality with other urban centers, to identify relationships with meteorological conditions, to identify source characterization, and to perform a backward-in-time trajectory analysis and a health impact assessment. Daily samples of gaseous pollutants were collected for six consecutive weeks in each of the four seasons for a year. Daily maximum concentrations of NO (90 parts per billion by volume (ppbv)), NO₂ (28.1 ppbv), O₃ (57.8 ppbv), and SO₂ (331 ppbv) were recorded in fall, while HNO₃ (9129 parts per trillion by volume (pptv)) was recorded in spring. Seasonal average concentrations were high in winter for NO (9.47 ± 7.82 ppbv), NO₂ (4.84 ± 3.35 ppbv), and O₃ (8.92 ± 7.65 ppbv), while HNO₃ (629 ± 1316 pptv) and SO₂ (20.2 ± 39.4 ppbv) were high in spring and fall, respectively. The observed SO₂ seasonal average concentration in fall (20.2 ± 39.4) was 5 times higher than that in summer (3.97 ± 2.77) with the fall 24-h average (120 ppbv) exceeding the WHO daily guideline (7.64 ppbv) by a factor of about 15.7. A health impact assessment estimated an increase of 1200 and 569 deaths due to short-term exposure to SO₂ in fall and spring, respectively. Chronic daily intake estimated risk per 1000 was 0.99, 0.47, 0.45, and 0.26 for SO₂ in fall, NO in winter, O₃ in winter, and NO₂ in spring, respectively. This study confirms the effect of poor urban air quality on public health and demonstrated the influence of photochemical reactions as well as unfavorable meteorological conditions on the formation of secondary pollutants.