Air quality in Tokat

What is the current level of air pollution in Tokat?

Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey in the central Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is located at the confluence of the Tokat River and the Yeşilırmak. According to a census conducted in 2018, the city had an estimated population of roughly 155,000 inhabitants.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2021, Tokat was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 86. This reading can be used as a benchmark when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. Data is collected with regards to the six most prolific air pollutants commonly found and this figure is calculated from there. If information is not available for all six, then a figure can be deduced using the information that is available. For Tokat, only the two sizes of the PM pollutant were measured. The PM2.5 figure was 29 µg/m³, whilst the PM10 reading was 46.4 µg/m³. These are both quoted in microns per cubic metre. The PM2.5 figure is almost three times over the recommended target figure as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 µg/m³. However, no amount of air pollution is safe but 10 µg/m³ is regarded as being acceptable.

With levels such as these, the advice would be to stay indoors and close the doors and windows so as to prevent the ingress of more polluted air from entering the rooms. Those who are sensitive to poor air quality should take extra care and limit their exposure when outside. There is an app available from AirVisual.com which can be found in any app store and is suitable for most mobile devices. This will tell you of the latest levels of pollution which might help decide whether or not it is safe to go outside.

Does the level of air pollution vary throughout the year in Tokat?

Air quality is very volatile because it can be affected by many variables. The figures released for 2020 by IQAir.com show that the worst air quality was during December with a classification of “Unhealthy”. Figures between 55.5 and 150.4 µg/m³ qualify as such. January was not much better with a classification of being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” and a figure of 37.5 µg/m³. The rest of the year was split into several segments, February and March, July and September, October and November all returned “Moderate” air quality with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. August returned a reading of 11.4 µg/m³ which is classed as being “Good”. The remaining three months of April, May and June achieved the target figure from the World Health Organisation (WHO) of being 10 µg/m³ or less.

Records about air quality were first kept in 2019 when the recorded figure was 27.9 µg/m³. The following year of 2020 showed an improvement with a figure of 23.9 µg/m³, but this might not be a true indication as to the real state of the air because of the situation brought about because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many office workers were encouraged to work from home and therefore were not required to commute to the office every day. This kept many cars off the road and improved air quality was seen in many cities all over the world because of it.

What is the source of air pollution in Tokat?

In the inner parts of the region, such as Çorum, Tokat, Kastamonu and Düzce, the winter sulphur dioxide concentrations seem to be higher. Especially in Çorum and Tokat, long-term averages of cold periods were above the long-term limit value.

It would seem that most of the pollution comes from winter heating which is the source of the fine particulate matter PM2.5 and sulphur dioxide.

In the province, air pollution can be experienced especially in winter due to reasons such as dense settlement, increase in the number of motor vehicles, irregular industrialisation, poor quality fuel use, topographic and meteorological conditions.

What can be done to improve the air quality in Tokat?

With the Covid-19 pandemic, it is seen that the pollution caused by traffic in urban centres decreases temporarily, while the pollution caused by heating decreases seasonally, as it does every year. However, this is temporary. When the reports which have been published on air quality since 2014 are examined, it can be seen that the air quality in almost all the cities is getting worse every year and polluted air has been inhaled in all cities for the last few years.

Explaining the measures that can be taken to improve the air quality in Tokat, it was pointed out that increasing the use of natural gas, not allowing illegal fuel to enter the city and checking whether the exhaust emissions comply with the standards in vehicle inspections are important issues in terms of preventing air pollution.

There is a lot of construction in the city and new buildings are being built every day. It should be ensured that green areas that absorb air pollution are widespread in the city, and the obligation to leave green areas for newly constructed buildings should be implemented.

The number of vehicles in the province of Tokat is increasing rapidly day by day. As a result, air pollution caused by vehicles, which has a large share in the pollution of the province, is also increasing. According to this, it should be checked with routine inspections whether the institutions that are authorized to measure the exhaust make the exhaust measurements in accordance with the standards. Exhaust emissions increase when vehicles stop and start. In order to reduce the pollution caused by the traffic, the green wave system should be applied to ensure a smoother traffic flow.

What are the detrimental effects breathing polluted air has on the human body?

Polluted air contains particles and various gases, and this definition also includes solids formed as a result of chemical sulphate, nitrate, ammonia, sodium chloride and mineral powders combining with water and becoming particles. Small particles make up the most dangerous group, as they can get into the air sacs inside the lungs.

High air pollution levels can cause immediate health problems such as aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness. It can also add stress to the heart and lungs, which must work harder to supply the body with oxygen.