Air pollution and Health
Ulaanbaatar city of Mongolia
NAGNIIN SAIJAA,
Prof, Director of Environmental health and
Human Ecology Center, PHI, Mongolia
ISES-ISEE 2010
28 Aug-1 September
COEX Convention Center, Seoul, Korea
Air pollution and Health Ulaanbaatar city of
Mongolia
• Background
• Over a million people permanently reside
in Ulaanbaatar, although it covers only 0.
3 percent of the country’s total territory.
THE MAIN SOURCES OF ULAANBAATAR AIR POLLUTION
• Heat-and-Power Plants 2, 3, 4 (3)
• Low-pressure, small and middle-scale stea
m stoves and boilers (nearly 1,200)
• Ger and household heating stoves
(over 160,000)
• Automobiles, vehicles, street loudspeakers
and some industries that produce noise a
nd electromagnetic waves as well as com
munication technology antennae .
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO UL
AANBAATAR’S AIR POLLUION
• The main factor contributing to Ulaanbaatar’s air
pollution is inefficient and poor city planning for
the geographic location of housing, industry, tra
de services and Ger areas.
• The city of Ulaanbaatar is surrounded by high m
ountains from its four sides.
• During the wintertime, inverse cyclone flows co
me to Mongolia from Central Asia, causing a te
mperature inversion to form in Ulaanbaatar’s at
mosphere, and due to this temperature inversion
, dispersion of air pollutants and substances is sl
owed-down.
THE MAIN SOURCES OF ULAANBAATAR AIR P
OLLUTION
• An air pollution assessment of emissions
from linear and mobile sources, and foca
lly-stationed, concentrated pollution in G
er areas, estimates that the city’s “P” inde
x is at P=3.78 using the formula (P=√∑K
2), or at “mild level” pollution.
The Capital City Population Growt
h, years 1956 – 2007
1200000
1000000
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
1956 1963 1969 1979 1989 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
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SURVEY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
• The goals of the survey are to define Ulaanbaatar city’s air polluti
on level, determine the correlation between air pollution and mor
bidity & mortality rates from respiratory diseases among the pop
ulation, and develop recommendations for air pollution-related di
sease control and prevention, and air pollution reduction.
• The main objectives to reach the survey goals are as follows:
• To define, study and assess Ulaanbaatar city’s air pollution level o
ver the past 5 years.
• To review and analyze the previous studies and surveys done on
health impact assessment of air pollution.
• Determine the correlation between morbidity and mortality from r
espiratory diseases among the population of Ulaanbaatar city and
air pollution.
• Develop recommendations for air pollution-related disease contro
l and prevention, and air pollution reduction
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
• Assessment and conclusions will be deve
loped on the basis of data processing an
d analysis of 2004-2008 statistical data o
n morbidity and mortality from respirator
y diseases among the population of Ulaa
nbaatar city and data on the most comm
on air pollutants; sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
dioxide, particulate matter of different siz
es, and data on meteorological measure
ments using appropriate methodology.
SURVEY RESULTS
• Ulaanbaatar air pollution trends (for the past 5 y
ears):
• As Ulaanbaatar population numbers increase, th
e city’s air pollution and morbidity among the p
opulation increase respectively in recent years.
• According to the measuring results of 4 air qual
ity monitoring stations in Ulaanbaatar, the conce
ntration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) increased by 1.39
μg/м3±10.9 or 9.9 percent and nitrogen dioxide
(NO2), by 4.49 μg/м3±6.9 or by 13.46 percent.
•
Average concentration of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dio
xide in the atmosphere
Monthly mean concentration of particulate matter PM1
0 and PM2.5, 2007-2008.
•
Annual average concentration of sulfur dioxide and the
morbidity rate of respiratory diseases per 10,000 populati
on
Results
• A direct, modest correlation between the m
orbidity of respiratory diseases and sulfur di
oxide (R=0.39, p=0.002), or 15.6 percent ass
ociation, has been determined by using mul
ti-parameter linear regression.
• Likewise, a direct, modest relationship betw
een the morbidity of respiratory diseases an
d nitrogen dioxide (R=0.32, p=0.001) or 10.
8 percent association, has been determined
by using multi-parameter linear regression
CONCLUSIONS
• Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar city has incre
ased every year for the past 5 years and
showed a significant increase (1.39 μg/м3
- 4.49 μg/м3) from 2004 to 2008.
• The present survey shows that the air po
llution level of Ulaanbaatar city is “severe
ly polluted” with the “P” index of Р=10.7
8, when the “P” index is estimated for th
e city as a whole rather than for individu
al districts.
CONCLUSIONS
• In Ulaanbaatar, the concentration of sulfur dioxide in ambie
nt air increases during the winter exceeding the MNS 4585:
2007 standard requirement by 3.29±4.12 – 21.37±4.01 μg/м
3, and although the concentration of nitrogen dioxide also i
ncreases in winter and spring months, it still meets the stan
dard requirements MNS 4585:2007.
• The mortality rate of respiratory diseases increases when th
e concentration of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and part
iculate matter in ambient air increases.
• Between 2004 and 2008, the morbidity rate of respiratory di
seases increased by 44.9 percent. There is a direct correlatio
n between the common air pollutants and the morbidity rat
e of respiratory diseases among the population. (Rxy=0.73,
p<0.001)
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Improve city planning, management, and
construction that meets sanitation and e
cological standard requirements, and the
implementation of existing mandates
• Establish 8 or 9 small-scale factories for
producing improved, semi-coke coal in t
he vicinity of Ulaanbaatar Ger areas (the
project has been developed and requires
Tgs 8 billion worth of funding)
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Introduce and utilize dispersion systems
and devices as well as high-technology
meteorological equipment (including sun
concentrator) in the wintertime, when op
posite cyclone and temperature inversion
s are formed in Ulaanbaatar and involve
professional organizations and specialists
.
THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION