Air quality in Holon

What is the current level of air pollution in Holon?

Holon is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. It is the second largest industrial zone after Haifa covering an area of almost 20,000 acres (dunam). It is six kilometres from Tel Aviv. According to a census conducted in 2018, Holon has an estimated population of approximately 200,000 people.

At the beginning of 2022, Holon was enjoying a period of “Good” air quality with a US AQI reading of just 10. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most prolific 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. There were two main pollutants measured in Holon which were; PM2.5 - 2.5 µg/m³ and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 17.5 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is well within the recommended safe level of 10 µg/m³ as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level. Although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

When the air quality falls into the “Good” bracket, doors and windows can be safely opened to allow clean fresh air to enter the buildings. Also, all types of outdoor activity can be enjoyed without fear of problems caused by polluted air. There is a downloadable app from AirVisual.com which is suitable for all operating systems and gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time.

Does the level of air pollution change much throughout the year in Holon?

Air quality is very volatile as it can easily be affected by many local conditions. Looking at the 2020 figures published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that for the entire twelve months, Holon experienced “Moderate” air quality with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The cleanest month was June which returned a 12.1 µg/m³ reading. The dirtiest was December with a 19.1 µg/m³ figure.

Historically, records for air quality were first held in 2017 when the recorded figure was 19.7 µg/m³. This declined during the following two years with respective readings of 21.4 µg/m³ and 22.1 µg/m³. However, in 2020 the figure showed a marked improvement when it was seen to be 15.9 µg/m³. This low figure was almost to be expected because it will have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic 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, albeit on a temporary basis. Worldwide, cities reported a much better quality of air due to the general lack of traffic pollution in city centres due to the pandemic.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Holon?

Since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18^th century, the use of fosssil fuels has been increasing. The Industrial Revolution increased the capacity of man to produce and so did the increase in the population of the human race.

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 for global warming.

The increase in the world population and the standard of living causes an increase in the number of vehicles moving on the roads. In 2007, about 2,284,000 motor vehicles moved in Israel, including 1,779,000 private vehicles, 108,100 of which were added in one year (since 2006). This is a 5 per cent increase, the highest in recent years. The large amounts of vehicles not only cause traffic jams and road accidents, but also contribute much of the air pollution, especially in city centres.

Can anything be done to improve the air quality in Holon?

Mobile units are deployed at busy road junctions which stop vehicles for inspection. The job of the mobile operators is to stand on the sides of roads and stop vehicles for inspection. The vehicle is joined by a police officer who stops the vehicle and a certified inspector from the Ministry of Transportation, who performs the air pollution test. Out of 1,400 vehicles inspected since the mobile began to operate, about 193 vehicles were found to be defective. It was further clarified: Is not enough. "MLRZ is working with other authorities to establish additional mobility for measuring air pollution from vehicles."

The number of emissions from transportation needs to be reduced, and this requires a different type of propulsion. Holon junction is a well-known area that has traffic jams and a very large amount of public transportation passes through there. The traffic jams created there increase emissions from vehicles and entering Holon is a source of air pollution.

Most of the air pollution in Holon is caused by transportation, Holon is known as a city where many vehicles pass daily. As mentioned, the solution to the problem of air pollution is sharp and smooth - to move to clean public transportation. This means that diesel engines should be eliminated and the use of clean diesel on buses should be encouraged.

Another possibility is that the buses in Holon will run with the help of an electric motor, but at the moment it is problematic to implement throughout the country. In any case, all the relevant solutions have been presented several times.

What are the detrimental effects of breathing polluted air?

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 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.