Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Dec 2023)
Report on Air Quality Due to a Dust Storm in the Eastern Parts of Mazandaran Province in September 2023
Abstract
Background and purpose: According to the World Bank report, air pollution is the fourth leading risk factor for death in the world, and one in ten deaths is attributed to air pollution. Sand and dust storms tend to occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and this phenomenon affects human health, agricultural land, industry, infrastructure and the transportation sector. In this report, the situation of air pollution caused by dust storms was studied storm in the city of Sari in September 2023 Materials and methods: In a descriptive cross -sectional study, the concentration of airborne particles in the city of Sari was measured at7 different points in the city using the Dust Monitor device. The concentration of total suspended particles (TSP), particulate matter less than 10 micrometers (PM10), particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and particulate matter less than 1 micrometers (PM1) were measured. Results: The results of this study showed that the highest concentrations of TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 were measured at the Baghban clinic station (Tuba) which was equal to 179, 88 and 55 µg/m3 respectively. Also, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Sari city was 149 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) on September 11. Conclusion: The phenomenon of sand and dust storms (SDS) rarely occurs in the northern provinces of Iran, based on reports from abroad and caused by the occurrence of this phenomenon in the Qara-Qom desert in Turkmenistan. Therefore, it is of great importance for Mazandaran province, which is one of the most densely populated regions in the country, to continuously monitor the air quality index and install and equip fixed air pollution monitoring stations.
