Exploring Health Risks from Air Pollution: A Focus on Pakistan's Air Quality Health Index

Air pollution seriously threatens human health and the environment, particularly in nations like Pakistan, India, and China. This study aims to develop an Air Quality Health Index specifically for Pakistan by utilizing local health risk estimates from air pollution exposure. This index represents a novel approach tailored to regional data, offering a more accurate assessment of health risks for the population in Pakistan. This study focuses on the impact of three key air pollutants - ozone, fine suspended particles, and nitrogen oxides. This research assessed the health risks associated with air quality in Pakistan using the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and the exceedance factor derived from five years of secondary data (2017-2021). The findings reveal that nitrogen oxides exhibited the highest concentration in 2017 at 122.38 µg/m³, exceeding the permissible limit set by the local Environmental Protection Agency. Fine particulate matter concentration peaked in 2018 at 74.3 µg/m³ and reached a 35 µg/m³ low in 2017, consistently surpassing the standard limit. Ozone levels recorded their highest average concentration in 2019 at 430 µg/m³ and the lowest in 2020 at 41 µg/m³, with values exceeding the 130 µg/m³ limit set by PAK-EPA, except for 2020 and 2017.Through the enrichment factor (EF) approach, the study identified NO2 as having high pollution in 2017, transitioning to low pollution from 2018 to 2021. PM2.5 exhibited high to critical pollution levels across the years, while O3 indicated high pollution in 2018 and 2019 and low in 2020. The AQHI peaked in 2019 at a very high risk and hit its lowest point in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdown measures. This study emphasizes promoting public transportation over private vehicles, establishing green spaces, limiting fossil fuel usage, and enhancing public awareness.