AIR POLLUTION – MONITORING MODELLING AND HEALTH

Air Pollution in Mega Cities: A Case Study of Istanbul 101
Fig. 10. Temporal variation of annual average PM 10 , SO 2 and NO 2 concentrations (µg/m3) in
Istanbul.
In a recent study, Unal et al., (2011) assessed the PM 10 data in ten monitoring stations
considering the EU PM 10 standards, and to identify air-monitoring sites with similar
pollutant behavior characteristics by means of hierarchical cluster analysis and to explore
possible pollutant sources in such clusters. PM 10 concentration averages over the monitoring
sites under the influence of urban traffic and residential heating greatly exceeded the EU’s
daily ambient air quality standard. As an example, PM 10 data for the monitoring stations of
the metropolitan air quality monitoring network show that about 32% of the total days in 6
years (2005-2010) daily PM 10 concentrations exceed the limit value of 50 µg/m3 within the
city. Istanbul yields an urban average PM 10 of 58 µg/m3. The monthly means for all stations
vary in between 32-68 µg/m3 in summer and 43-87 µg/m3 in winter. Unal et al., (2011)
indicated that Kartal (Asian site) Esenler and Alibeykoy (European sites) (Fig.4), where
urban areas with high traffic and industrial activity, were seriously polluted by PM 10 . Many
people who live in the Kartal region might be exposed to a much higher PM 10 level than the
rest of the population. Topography or the barriers in the city environment of the Kartal
might support the accumulation of the concentrations. These results indicate that higher the
PM 10 concentration, the greater the risk of premature mortality from heart and lung disease
to the residents living in these locations. Celebi et al. (2010) found similar PM 10 results for
these locations (Fig.11).