Air quality in Ramat Gan

What is the current level of air pollution in Ramat Gan?

Ramat Gan is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. According to a census commissioned in 2019, Ramat Gan had an estimated population of approximately 163,500 people.

Towards the end of 2021, Ramat Gan was going through a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 57. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most commonly occurring air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. All six pollutants were recorded in Ramat Gan which were; PM2.5 - 14.9 µg/m³, PM10 - 0 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 5.6 µg/m³, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 103.6 µg/m³, sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 5.8 µg/m³ and carbon monoxide (CO) - 916 µg/m³.

This PM2.5 level can be seen to be slightly higher than the suggested level of 10 µg/m³. This level has been determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level of air pollution, although no level is to be considered as being safe.

When the level of pollution is in the “Moderate” category, the given advice would be to remain indoors as much as possible, closing all windows and doors to prevent more dirty air from entering the building. Those of a more sensitive disposition should not venture outside if possible until the air quality has improved. If it is unavoidable, then a good quality mask should be worn at all times.

There is a mobile app available from AirVisual.com for most operating systems. This free app informs you of the state of the air in real-time and thus will help you decide what to do or where to go.

Does the level of pollution stay the same throughout the year in Ramat Gan?

Air quality is very volatile as it is subject to many external influencing factors such as meteorological and atmospheric changes.

Looking at the figures for 2020 which were published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that the air quality remained in the “Moderate” bracket for the full twelve months. The figures recorded were between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The month with the best air quality was January with a 14.1 µg/m³ reading. The worst month was September with a 23.1 µg/m³ figure.

Records have been kept since 2017 when the recorded figure was 21.0 µg/m³. An improvement the following year of 19.3 µg/m³, but then a decline in 2019 with a 22.6 µg/m³ reading. The 2020 figure was 18.8 µg/m³ but this reading may have been affected by the COVID-19 situation as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Ramat Gan?

As the number of people increases, the needs of the population increase: more food, more clothes, more houses, more means of transportation and more cultural and entertainment products. To produce all these and transport them requires a lot of energy which we produce through combustion of fuels. During combustion, many gases are emitted and accumulate in the atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide has risen, thus creating the greenhouse effect and this is the reason behind global warming.

Many substances are emitted into the air from various sources. Some react with other substances or descend back to Earth. Some of the substances are harmful to living things on our planet. The air, even if it looks clear and transparent, carries pollutants with it. When the wind blows it moves the air and the pollutants emitted into it. Thus, air pollution migrates and affects even places far from where it is created.

Vehicles today consume only 20 per cent of fuel in Israel and cause almost 90 per cent of environmental pollution. In other words, vehicles are actually the most polluting factor in the environment in Israel and in the world in all areas and in all respects.

What can be done to reduce air pollution in Ramat Gan?

Every year about 40,000 electric bicycles are imported into Israel, mainly targeting teenagers and young adults. Traffic jams are a real problem in the large cities as many residents complain of waiting at least 30 minutes in queues every day. The government are committed to paving more cycle tracks and generally making cycling a safer experience.

For polluting vehicles, the tax on them will increase, and vehicles which are less polluting, the tax on them will decrease and they will receive tax benefits.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air?

The consequences of air pollution are clear, and first and foremost, health: more than 2,000 people die each year in Israel as a result of diseases related to exposure to air pollution. Recent studies around the world have found that death rates from air pollution are higher than previously thought by humans. But even according to the low estimate, air pollution in Israel is responsible for the deaths of more people than the victims of road accidents, hostilities and murders combined.

Air pollutants cause various health and environmental effects depending on the specific pollutant, its concentration, duration of exposure, interaction with other pollutants and the physical condition exposure, interaction with other pollutants and the physical condition and sensitivity of the exposed person. Exposure is mainly respiratory and therefore the respiratory system is the main victim.

In general, diseases associated with air pollution are more harmful to patients, the elderly and children. In these, the immune system is weaker. Children are also more likely to develop health and respiratory infections than adults because of the large volume of air they breathe and their presence in the open air for longer hours.