VEHICULAR EMISSIONS AND AMBIENT AIR QUALITY ALONG ROAD SIDE IN RAHIM YAR KHAN, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The present study aimed to monitor the ambient air quality along the main road to
assess risk factors to which various living and non-living things are exposed in Rahim Yar Khan, an
industrial town of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.LaMotte air sampling pump was used to monitor SO2,
NO2 and total oxidants concentration. GasAlert™Extreme Single-Gas Detectors were used to
monitorpersonal exposure of CO, O2 and Cl2, whereas, Mini-Vol SPM sampler was used to sample
PM10. Monitoring was done three times a day to assess the short-term exposure and five times a year to
analyze the effect of seasonal shifts. Highest concentration of CO, SO2, NO2, total oxidants and PM10
was observed in summer season. Lowest pollution level was observed in winter season. Bus station
and residential areas were the most polluted sites, whereas vegetative area was found to be the least
polluted.The results indicated that vehicular movement played an important role in a gradual increase
of air pollutants from morning to evening.