This chapter summarizes the key health information on ubiquitous outdoor air pollutants that can cause adverse health effects at current or historical ambient levels in the United States. The Clean Air Act (CAA) of the United States requires that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identify such pollutants (called criteria pollutants) and set standards (National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)) to protect sensitive subpopulations from the adverse effects of these compounds. The criteria pollutants are ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and lead. The subsequent sections of this chapter focus on the individual criteria pollutants.

Background: Air pollution with its gaseous and particulate material is important factor in induction and aggravation of different illnesses especially pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the gases which is produced mainly from combustion of motor vehicles. It has high affinity for hemoglobin, causing acute and chronic toxicities and deleterious cardio-pulmonary effects. Material and methods: We measured CO concentration (ppm) with Compur Monitox Plus CO, GmbH in the streets of Tabriz at different times of the day (working/ holiday) and also in different seasons. For each target point, 4 measurements and overall 1536 measurements were taken. Results: The mean concentration of CO was 15.6±0.87ppm with 25.34ppm in the summer and 7.89ppm in the fall. (p<0.001). In holidays the mean value of CO was 10.8 ppm compared with on 16.66ppm working days. (p=0.002).The highest concentration at different times during a fortnight was 20.72ppm in the afternoon and the lowest was 11.12 ppm at midnight. (p<0.001). The highest recorded value was 105 ppm in the Bazaar area next to the central bus station. Conclusion: Drivers and people walking or working in crowded areas of Tabriz are exposed to high concentration of CO. This may cause acute and chronic CO poisoning with its related health hazards. This may be very important in patients with

Critical health issues of criteria air pollutants

Citations

Study of carbon monoxide (co) level in ambient air of tabriz streets

Related Papers (5)

Health Risks of Air Pollution in Europe HRAPIE Project

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Principles for setting air quality guidelines to protect human health in Australia.

Time to harmonize national ambient air quality standards.

The state of ambient air quality in Pakistan—a review