An Overview of Studies and Monitoring Programs
Yousef Rashidi (PhD), Managing Director
Air Quality Control Company (http://air.Tehran.ir)
Urban air pollution program University of California, Irvine, CA
September 3, 2013
Outline
• Laws and regulations • An overview of international study • Air quality standards and related issues • Air quality monitoring system • Transboundary air quality episodes • Asbestos and heavy metals • Fuel quality analysis • Vehicle emission standards • Noise monitoring & meteorological observations • Challenges
Air Pollution in Tehran
Air Quality Control Company (AQCC) (http://air.Tehran.ir)
Air & Noise Pollution
Measurements
Ambient
Vehicle
Industrial
Mathematical Modeling (Airviro, Predictor, SoundPlan)
Tehran Characteristics
Area : 780 km2 Population: 0.7 million in 1941 to 12 million in 2011 Petrol Consumption: 10 ~ 13 Million liters per day
Framework of Air Quality Laws and Regulations in Iran
• Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran • Article 50: Protection of the Environment:
“The protection of the environment, in which the present as well as the future generations have a right to flourishing social existence, is regarded as a public duty in the Islamic Republic. Economic and other activities that inevitably involve pollution of the environment or cause irreparable damage to it are therefore forbidden.”
• Act to prevent air pollution (1995)
• Second, Third, fourth and fifth development plan laws (1995-2016)
The government should take into account actions in order to meet WHO Guidelines in big cities in Iran
• Governmental action plans(2000,2012)
Annual Air Pollution Damage Cost in Iran
• World Bank Report(2005): 1810 Million US$ (due to PM-10)
Report No. 32043-IR
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN COST ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
June 30, 2005,
Rural Development, Water and Environment Department
Middle East and North Africa Region, The World Bank
International Projects
• Tehran Transport Emission Reduction Project (1997, GEF, Swedish joint venture and AQCC)
(http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1998/06/731705/iran-Tehran-transport-emissions-reduction-project)
• An Integrated Master Plan in Air pollution Control in GTA (1997, JICA, JWA , UNICO and AQCC)
• Strengthening and Improvement of Air Pollution Management in Tehran (2004, JICA and DOE)
Air Quality Standards in Iran • US-EPA Air Quality Index for daily public awareness
• WHO Guideline as National Air Quality Standards(2009)
CO
1 hr 35 ppm
8 hr 9
SO2 daily 37 ppb (140)
yearly 7 (30)
NO2 yearly 21 ppb (53)
PM10 daily 50 µg/m3 (150)
yearly 20
PM2.5 daily 25 µg/m3 (35)
Yealy 10 (15)
O3 8 hr 50 ppb (75)
Air Quality Monitoring Network
Air Quality Monitoring Stations
Air Quality Analyzer Spec. Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)
Principle: Pulsed UV fluorescent
Ability: Microprocessor controlled analyzer with automatic calibration using an external gas dilution calibrator and calibration gas standards.
Comply with USEPA Automated Reference/Equivalent Method Designation.
Specifications:
Ranges: Auto-ranging 0-1.0 ppm, resolution 0.001 ppm or 0.1% reading
Noise (at zero): Less than 0.25 ppb or 1% reading whichever is less
Lower Detectable Limit: Less than 0.50 ppb or 0.2% of concentration reading
Total Interference Equivalent: Less than 12 ppb
Zero Drift: Less than 1 ppb/7 days and Less than 1 ppb/24 hours
Span Drift: Less than 0.5%/24 hours
Lag Time: Less than 10 sec
Rise Time: Less than 60 sec to 95%
Fall Time: Less than 120 sec to 95%
Precision: 1 ppb or 1% reading
Sample Flow Rate: 0.5 lpm (nominal)
Temperature Range: 5 to 45 deg C
Digital Outputs: DB50 status and multi-drop RS-232 ports.
Power: 220 VAC 50 HZ
Chassis: Rack mounted, 19 inch.
Trend of Air Quality Index
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
HAZARDOUS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
VERY UNHEALTHY 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 1 0
UNHEALTHY 162 158 108 92 69 15 66 37 77 207 146 85
MEDIUM 192 195 242 250 268 317 290 299 261 154 216 150
GOOD 10 10 16 23 41 33 9 26 26 2 2 4
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
HAZARDOUS
VERY UNHEALTHY
UNHEALTHY
MEDIUM
GOOD
PM2.5
Annual Average of Particulates in Tehran
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
PM-10 PM-2.5
Transboundary Air Pollution Episode in Tehran 2009
0.0
100.0
200.0
300.0
400.0
500.0
600.0
700.0
800.0
900.0
1000.0
Co
nce
ntr
ati
on
Trajectory of Particulates over Iran
NASA Picture July 4 2009
Asbestos Measurements
Average concentrations of asbestos
(fib/ml)
2010 0.0057
2011 0.0056
2012 0.005
YEAR
Heavy Metals
Elements Concentration 2010 (ng/m3) Concentration 1999 (ng/m3)
Arsenic 1.36
Vanadium 5.17
Manganese 7.96
lead 45.52 670
Cadmium 0.56 41.61
Nickel 8.02 16.07
Mercury 0.3
Vehicle Emissions (CO+HC+NOx)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Peykan ECE15.04 Euro1 Euro2 Euro3 Euro4 Euro5
62.35
21.59
3.69 2.7 2.65 1.18 1.16
Emission (gr/Km)
2003 2000 2005
Sulfur Content in Gas Oil (before 2012)
7000
500
5000
2000
500 500 50 15 10
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
(pp
m)
Diesel fuel Quality (1-30-2012)
Diesel fuel Quality (refineries development 04-06-2013)
Diesel fuel Quality (refineries development 04-06-2013)
PM-2.5: role of atmospheric chemical reactions
Chow, et al. (1992) PM10 source apportionment in California's San Joaquin Valley,
Atmos. Environ. 26A, 3335-3354.
Noise pollution monitoring in Tehran
تابلو و ایستگاه سنجش گر صدا
Example of noise pollution data
6263646566676869707172737475767778
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Leq
(dB
)
Noise Monitoring Department 28 AQCC
Air Quality meteorological masts
Field experiments Location of met. towers
Field experiments Technical description of met. sensors
Wind Rose
Mean wind speed in each direction
Tehransar Resalat
Diurnal variation of Temprature difference
Pasquill-Gifford Stability Classes A
1% B
15%
C
15%
D
43%
E
9%
F
17%
A
6%
B
22%
C
8%
D
20%
E
5%
F
39%
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
A B C D E F
Resalat Tehransar
Tehransar Resalat
Conclusion: Air Quality Progresses in Iran
• Lead phase out from 2003
• Development of refineries to produce petrol and gas oil according to EURO IV and EURO V (70% progress)
• Public Transportation Development (BRT, Subway) • Subway: 6 lines, 88 stations and 152 km • BRT: 7 lines, 114 Km
• Implementation of vehicle emission standards
• Scrappage of 2 million old vehicles
• Scrappage of all 2-stroke motorcycles
Conclusion: Air Quality Challenges in Iran • Lack of reliable local and national emission database
(Department of Environment)
• Inconsistency between AQI and approved ambient standards (Department of Environment, Ministry of Health)
• Lack of certified and reference air quality monitoring laboratory in Iran (Department of Environment, Iran Standard organization)
• Difficulty to prepare spare parts, calibration gas, … due to sanctions
Acknowledgement
Sharif University of Technology
American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS)
The National Academy of Sciences
World Learning
International Visitor Leadership Program
