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Air pollution and Health Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia. NAGNIIN SAIJAA, Prof, Director of Environmental health and Human Ecology Center, PHI, Mongolia ISES-ISEE 2010 28 Aug-1 September COEX Convention Center, Seoul, Korea. Air pollution and Health Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia. Background
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Air pollution and Health Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia NAGNIIN SAIJAA, Prof, Director of Environmental health and Human Ecology Center, PHI, Mongolia ISES-ISEE 2010 28 Aug-1 September COEX Convention Center, Seoul, Korea
Air pollution and Health Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia • Background • Over a million people permanently reside in Ulaanbaatar, although it covers only 0.3 percent of the country’s total territory.
THE MAIN SOURCES OF ULAANBAATAR AIR POLLUTION • Heat-and-Power Plants 2, 3, 4 (3) • Low-pressure, small and middle-scale steam stoves and boilers (nearly 1,200) • Ger and household heating stoves (over 160,000) • Automobiles, vehicles, street loudspeakers and some industries that produce noise and electromagnetic waves as well as communication technology antennae .
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ULAANBAATAR’S AIR POLLUION • The main factor contributing to Ulaanbaatar’s air pollution is inefficient and poor city planning for the geographic location of housing, industry, trade services and Ger areas. • The city of Ulaanbaatar is surrounded by high mountains from its four sides. • During the wintertime, inverse cyclone flows come to Mongolia from Central Asia, causing a temperature inversion to form in Ulaanbaatar’s atmosphere, and due to this temperature inversion, dispersion of air pollutants and substances is slowed-down.
THE MAIN SOURCES OF ULAANBAATAR AIR POLLUTION • An air pollution assessment of emissions from linear and mobile sources, and focally-stationed, concentrated pollution in Ger areas, estimates that the city’s “P” index is at P=3.78 using the formula (P=√∑K2), or at “mild level” pollution.
SURVEY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES • The goals of the survey are to define Ulaanbaatar city’s air pollution level, determine the correlation between air pollution and morbidity & mortality rates from respiratory diseases among the population, and develop recommendations for air pollution-related disease control and prevention, and air pollution reduction. • The main objectives to reach the survey goals are as follows: • To define, study and assess Ulaanbaatar city’s air pollution level over the past 5 years. • To review and analyze the previous studies and surveys done on health impact assessment of air pollution. • Determine the correlation between morbidity and mortality from respiratory diseases among the population of Ulaanbaatar city and air pollution. • Develop recommendations for air pollution-related disease control and prevention, and air pollution reduction
SURVEY METHODOLOGY • Assessment and conclusions will be developed on the basis of data processing and analysis of 2004-2008 statistical data on morbidity and mortality from respiratory diseases among the population of Ulaanbaatar city and data on the most common air pollutants; sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter of different sizes, and data on meteorological measurements using appropriate methodology.
SURVEY RESULTS • Ulaanbaatar air pollution trends (for the past 5 years): • As Ulaanbaatar population numbers increase, the city’s air pollution and morbidity among the population increase respectively in recent years. • According to the measuring results of 4 air quality monitoring stations in Ulaanbaatar, the concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) increased by 1.39 μg/м3±10.9 or 9.9 percent and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), by 4.49 μg/м3±6.9 or by 13.46 percent.
Average concentration of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere
Monthly mean concentration of particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, 2007-2008.
Annual average concentration of sulfur dioxide and the morbidity rate of respiratory diseases per 10,000 population
Results • A direct, modest correlation between the morbidity of respiratory diseases and sulfur dioxide (R=0.39, p=0.002), or 15.6 percent association, has been determined by using multi-parameter linear regression. • Likewise, a direct, modest relationship between the morbidity of respiratory diseases and nitrogen dioxide (R=0.32, p=0.001) or 10.8 percent association, has been determined by using multi-parameter linear regression
CONCLUSIONS • Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar city has increased every year for the past 5 years and showed a significant increase (1.39 μg/м3 - 4.49 μg/м3) from 2004 to 2008. • The present survey shows that the air pollution level of Ulaanbaatar city is “severely polluted” with the “P” index of Р=10.78, when the “P” index is estimated for the city as a whole rather than for individual districts.
CONCLUSIONS • In Ulaanbaatar, the concentration of sulfur dioxide in ambient air increases during the winter exceeding the MNS 4585:2007 standard requirement by 3.29±4.12 – 21.37±4.01 μg/м3, and although the concentration of nitrogen dioxide also increases in winter and spring months, it still meets the standard requirements MNS 4585:2007. • The mortality rate of respiratory diseases increases when the concentration of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter in ambient air increases. • Between 2004 and 2008, the morbidity rate of respiratory diseases increased by 44.9 percent. There is a direct correlation between the common air pollutants and the morbidity rate of respiratory diseases among the population. (Rxy=0.73, p<0.001)
RECOMMENDATIONS • Improve city planning, management, and construction that meets sanitation and ecological standard requirements, and the implementation of existing mandates • Establish 8 or 9 small-scale factories for producing improved, semi-coke coal in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar Ger areas (the project has been developed and requires Tgs 8 billion worth of funding)
RECOMMENDATIONS • Introduce and utilize dispersion systems and devices as well as high-technology meteorological equipment (including sun concentrator) in the wintertime, when opposite cyclone and temperature inversions are formed in Ulaanbaatar and involve professional organizations and specialists.