Air quality in Tel Aviv-Yafo

Is Tel Aviv Yafo polluted?

Tel Aviv Yafo, otherwise known as Tel Aviv, is a city located in Israel, facing the Mediterranean coastline. It is the economic and technological heart of the country, with a population of some 460 thousand inhabitants living there.

In regards to its pollution levels, Tel Aviv came in with a PM2.5 reading of 21.8 μg/m³ as a yearly average over 2019. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, roughly 3% the width of a human hair and thus extremely detrimental when inhaled. Due to this, it is used a major component in calculating the overall air quality of any given area.

With a PM2.5 reading of 21.8 μg/m³, Tel Aviv was placed into the ‘moderate’ ratings bracket, which requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such. This is indictive that Tel Aviv was on the somewhat higher side of the moderate rating, which would mean that the air quality may be harmful for its population, particularly during times of the year when these readings rise higher, as well as having possible adverse effects on vulnerable portions of the population such as the elderly, young and those with preexisting health conditions.

The 2019 average of 21.8 μg/m³ was enough to place Tel Aviv into 784^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide, as well as 6^th place out of all cities ranked in Israel.

What are the main causes of pollution in Tel Aviv Yafo?

The main causes of pollution in Tel Aviv are several different sources combined together, with some having more prominence than others. The one that typically stands out amongst most cities around the world, and the same can be said for Tel Aviv, is that of automobile emissions, with large amounts of personal vehicles such as cars, motorbikes, heavy duty vehicles such as trucks, lorries and buses all populating the roads and adding to the ambient year-round readings.

The amount of pollution that the automobile sector contributes to Tel Aviv became very apparent during the year of 2020, due to the outbreak of covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns imposed on people, prohibiting movement. During times that saw considerably less vehicle usage, the amount of pollution in the air dropped drastically, with pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) falling to lower percentiles in the air.

Besides the most prominent aspect of vehicular pollution, other causes are ones such as factory emissions, with many of these industrial areas relying on coal to provide energy, as well as the byproducts of whatever is being manufactured also leaking out into the atmosphere. Lastly, the burning of organic materials such as wood for cooking and heating also contributes to the overall pollution levels in Tel Aviv.

When is it least polluted in Tel Aviv Yafo?

Observing the data collected over 2019, the months that came in with the cleanest levels of PM2.5 in the air were, unlike many cities around the world, very sporadic in nature. This could be due to the climate of Tel Aviv, as well as other meteorological conditions causing the random nature of the pollution readings.

Typically, most cities will have noticeable periods of lowered pollution levels, before they rise back up again. In Tel Aviv, whilst there was no pattern available pertaining to the cleanest times of the year, and the months that came in with the best readings of PM2.5 were March and September, which presented with readings of 17.6 μg/m³ and 18.8 μg/m³.

Other months that came in with slightly lower pollution readings were December, October and July, with readings of 20.4 μg/m³, 20.6 μg/m³ and 20.7 μg/m³ respectively.

The months that came in with the poorest levels of PM2.5 were January at 23.9 μg/m³, and November at 27.1 μg/m³, making November the most polluted month out of the year, as well as March having the cleanest reading. As mentioned before, there seems to be little pattern to the pollution levels, with random ebbs and changes occurring in the PM2.5 readings throughout the year.

What are some of the main pollutants found in the air in Tel Aviv Yafo?

Looking at the sources of pollution, the main contaminants in the air would be ones such as the aforementioned nitrogen dioxide, being particularly salient in areas that see high amounts of traffic, so much so that high NO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere often correlate directly with a high volume of traffic, and can be used to calculate how much pollution is actually being caused by vehicles. Other pollutants released from cars would include sulfur dioxide (SO₂) as well as soot and black carbon, fine particulate matters that are created from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as diesel (as well as the burning of organic matter like wood or dead leaves).

Other noteworthy pollutants would be ones such as ozone (O₃), often created as a secondary pollutant when oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are released into the air. From here, under the effects of the sun, the creation of ozone can take place, and whilst it is very necessary when high up in the stratosphere, when it collects on ground level due to man made processes, it can have a high number of adverse health effects.

Is the air in Tel Aviv Yafo unhealthy?

With readings as high as 27.1 μg/m³ being present, whilst the air quality in Tel Aviv does not see the same disastrous readings as cities such as Dhaka in Bangladesh (with highs of 181.8 μg/m³ being taken in January), these numbers are still enough to cause some health issues, with any readings above the World Health Organizations target of 0 to 10 μg/m³ having possible adverse effects on people’s wellbeing.

Some of these issues would include ones such as asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema, all respiratory related conditions that can be triggered off or worsened from the inhalation of gases such as nitrogen dioxide or fine particulate matter such as black carbon or silica dust. Other issues include damage to the liver, kidneys, reproductive system, as well as the nervous system and heart, showing the deadly side effects that pollution can have on health, with those who are subject to over exposure being most at risk.