Air pollution occurs when harmful substances including biological molecules

and particulates are introduced into atmosphere. Any matter in air that can, in
sufficient high concentration, damage humans, plants, animals, and other
resources. Such pollutants might be there as solid particles, liquid droplets, or
gases. It can also affect the quality of air and oxygen content of it by harming
other living organisms such as animals and vegetation.

Air pollution has developed into a major environmental issue in Lahore,

Pakistan. The population of Lahore is 9 million, making it second largest city of
Pakistan. Main causes of air pollution are uncontrolled traffic, rapid
urbanization, unplanned industrialization and economic growth. Lahore has an
area of 1.772 km2 with a population of 9,245,000 (Government of Pakistan,
2017). The numbers of vehicle are 2.7 million along with 1,986 diverse
industrial units in Lahore. The World Bank (2006) approximated an annual
degradation cost of environment about Rs. 365 billion or 6% of GDP for
Pakistan Due to urban particulate matter pollution in the country, estimated
environmental health cost is around Rs. 65 billion causing about 700 deaths
between young children and 22,000 premature deaths amongst adults. (Anjum
Rasheed, 2015)

Ambient air pollution is considered as an imperative issue aimed to be

addressed on urgent basis in perspective of environmental health and
urbanization, locally and globally. There is a strong connection among ambient
air pollution and lung associated problems like asthma, cough, lung irritation
and worse feeling is obvious from distinct studies of air pollution and its effects
on human health. Some latest studies also reveal that there are links between
high application of air pollutants and infant mortality, failing in lung growth of
children. Urban air quality has been largely affected by anthropogenic actions.
(Kaushik C.P., 2006)

Increased vehicular population in cities has become the major source of

deterioration of urban areas especially the air quality. Most of the pollutants
emitted either directly or indirectly occur within the local atmosphere due to
photochemical reactions become the reason of serious health risk to humans.
Five "criteria" pollutants based on AQI regulated under the Clean Air Act:
ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and
sulphur dioxide. In urban regions where traffic density and population are
reasonably high, exposure of humans to hazardous substances is remarkable.
Land transportation, industrial emissions, and open burning sources are some
common anthropogenic sources of air pollutants. Land transportation and
industrial sources are considered among the major factors for the existence of
air pollution. (Losano A., 2009)Vehicles contribute to emission of fine
particulate matter due to two-stroke engines, which are inefficient in burning
fuel. Previous trends showed that two-stroke vehicles had increased growth of
117 percent in 2010 to 11 as compared to the year 2000 to 01 (Government of
Pakistan, 2012). Persistent increase in the number of diesel driven heavy duty
vehicles and two-stroke vehicles contribute to discharge of pollutants into the
atmosphere (ADB and CAI-Asia, 2006; World Bank, 2006). Sulphur content is
0.51% in diesel and is 13.5% in furnace oil resulted in high emissions of
particulate matter and sulphur dioxide (Anjum Rasheed, 2015)

Clean air is the basic right of every resident but in developing countries the air
pollution issue is taken as a challenging situation to be managed in urban areas.
There is a no doubt that industrial sources and vehicular pollution has greater
impacts on environment and destroyed air quality badly. For the production of
energy, burning of fossil fuels has increased and it dramatically leads the
problem of ambient air pollution in urban areas and poses serious health
disorders and diseases. Air pollution is increasingly considered as the main
cause of lung associated diseases such as throat irritation, lung cancer and
asthma; the recent rate of incidences is reported to be increased double as
compared to 30 years ago. (Abrar A., 2014)

Carbon monoxide - CO is a odourless, colorless, toxic yet non-irritating gas. It

is produced as a result of incomplete combustion of fuel such as coal, natural
gas or wood. The major cause of carbon monoxide is a vehicular exhaust. CO
gas when inhaled limits the ability of blood to absorb oxygen and can cause
angina pectoris, impaired vision and poor management in exposed persons.
(Abrar A., 2014) Carbon monoxide is famous to contribute to the green house
effect and depletion of the Earths protective ozone layer. (Sachwela D., 2008)

A nitrogen oxide (NOx), specifically is released from high temperature

combustion, another source of its production is during thunderstorms by electric
discharge. They can be seen as a plume downwind or brown haze dome above
the cities. The chemical formula of nitrogen dioxide is NO2 a chemical
compound. It is one of numerous nitrogen oxides. One of the most well-known
air pollutants, this reddish-brown toxic gas has a sharp characteristic and biting
odor.
Sulphur Dioxide (SOx) - predominantly sulphur dioxide, a chemical compound
whose formula is SO2. Source of SO2 production is various industrial processes
and volcanoes. Sulphur compounds are often found in reserves of coal and
petroleum, and their burning formulated sulphur dioxide. Additional corrosion
of SO2, generally in the presence of a catalyst such as NO2, forms H2SO4, and
thus acid rain.

Sulphur dioxide is released in the air from oil refineries and power stations.
Other source of its dispersal is domestic open fires upsetting the general
concentrations. Sulphur dioxide has a penetrating odor and is a colorless gas.
There are wide array of health and environmental impacts caused by sulphur
oxides, especially to susceptible groups adding people with asthma, the elderly,
and public with lung or heart disease. Large levels of SO2 in ambient air are
repeatedly accountable for causing the short-term breathing difficulty, asthma
attacks and enlarged respiratory symptoms (Abrar A., 2014).This is one of the
reasons for concern over the environmental impact of the use of these fuels as
power sources (SO2)

Hydrocarbons VOCs is a prominent open-air air pollutant. They are branded as

either methane (CH4) or non-methane (NMVOCs). Methane contributes to
increase global warming acting as an exceptionally capable greenhouse gas.
Other hydrocarbon VOCs have also enlisted them as important greenhouse
gases for the reason that their role in creating ozone and extended the life
of methane in the atmosphere. This effect varies in response to local quality of
air. The aromatic NMVOCs benzene, xylene and toluene are alleged
carcinogens and with prolonged exposure may cause leukaemia. 1,3-butadiene
is one more hazardous compound frequently linked with industrial use.

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM), or tiny particles, are fine particles of solid
or liquid suspended in a gas. In contrast, aerosol suggest to combined particles
and gas. Some particulates take place naturally, starting from volcanoes, forest,
dust storm and sea spray, grassland fires, living vegetation. Anthropogenic
activities, such as the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and
different industrial processes also produce large amounts of aerosols. Averaged
wide-reaching, anthropogenic aerosolsthat are an outcome of human
activitiesat present account for about 10 percent of our atmosphere. Health
hazards are also associated with the increasing levels of tiny particles.
Inadequately maintained vehicles become a main reason to more pollution
problems. Both acute and chronic effects on human health are apparent by the
release of these pollutants. CO lowers oxygen transporting ability of blood;
benzene pollutants are carcinogens whereas particulates and SO2 can cause
respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma.(UNEP, 2009).
The use of private cars in place of public transport which is increasing the
international number of cars by a factor of 10 since 1950 and levels of air
pollution are still getting higher. So, vehicular source is considered as the
biggest benefactor of air pollution. Urbanization is also increased by a factor 4
as it affects a large number of populations. (Samoli E., 2011) Current trends of
pollution from road traffic exhaust are referred as the important cause to affect
the urban air quality in regards of troposphere ozone production and human
health. (Abrar A., 2014)The Organ sulphates have been recognized and
quantified in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected in Lahore, Pakistan, in
2007 to 08. Increased diastolic blood pressure has been related with continuing
exposure to NO2 and PM2.5 in those children who used to live at the same place
since birth.

The PM2.5 levels have been beyond the NEQS in four provincial as well as
federal capitals of Pakistan Brick kilns on the outskirts of Lahore are also a
major point source of air pollution. A study of brick kilns in the Wahga and
Batapur areas of Lahore made known that the usual Bulls Trench Brick Kiln
are being used in Lahore, which comprises no control measures to manage the
air pollution. Modern brick manufacturing technologies such as vertical shaft
brick kiln must be introduced to control the air pollution (Rizwan Haider, 2016)
According to a report of WHO (2003) the urban air pollution affects the health
of people living in urban areas, the report regarded Pakistans road traffic as the
significant threat and increasing an average annual rate of 14.1% during the 20-
year period between 1985 to 2005.

Respiratory diseases were regarded as the reason for 60 % of mortalities in

terms of annual Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost. A study
investigated the impact of environmental pollution on the health of nearly 1,000
traffic policemen and the results showed that about 80% of them had chronic
ear-nose throat (ENT) problems and 40% showed signs of development of lung
related problems (EPA, 2006). About 50% of the anthropogenic NOX in
atmosphere comes from vehicular sources, 30% from the power plants and
about 20% is produced by industrial process. (Schwela D., 2005) A number of
studies pointed that children with long term exposure to air pollution have more
chances of developing the respiratory symptoms, decreased lung function and
increase in the incidence of chronic cough, bronchitis and conjunctives.
(Sachwela D., 2008)

Ozone pollution is a common problem during the daylight hours in summers.

High ozone days are likely to be affected by parameters as ground level
temperature, upper air temperature, dew point temperature, wind speed, wind
direction, solar radiation, cloud cover, relative humidity and precipitation. (Ising
H., 2003)The high concentration of O3 was found to have influence on urban air
pollution in summer, indicated by the increased average Ozone exposure
according to research studies conducted by many scientists and found to exceed
the permissible limits in urban areas worldwide. (Abrar A., 2014)

Due to this concern, the dense areas are considered as hot spots for air pollution
problems. Air quality dispersion models serve as a valuable tool for assessing
the air quality against the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
and in decision making regarding the air pollution management. The pollutant
concentration in street mainly depends upon the traffic characteristics (type and
number of vehicles), city geometry, urban background concentration, and
meteorological parameters (wind speed and direction).

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of road traffic on population
in one of the busiest areas in Lahore city i.e. Station Road, was chosen for the
study purpose to estimate the amount of (NOx, SOx, VOC, CO,O3 and heavy
metals ) in the ambient air.