Air quality in Yeghegnavan

How badly polluted is Yeghegnavan?

Yeghegnavan has some high levels of air pollution present in recent times, presenting with a US AQI reading of 72 in June of 2021. This is a reading that would put Yeghegnavan into the 'moderate' ratings bracket for air pollution for the day and time in which it was taken. Whilst this is not an overtly high reading, it could still cause irritation amongst vulnerable individuals of the population, although the general public as a whole may remain unaffected.

These vulnerable members of the population would be ones such as young children and the elderly, both of whom may be subject to some unpleasant respiratory irritation if pollution exposure is prolonged. Children are particularly vulnerable due to them undergoing their more vital formative years, and as such any alterations to their nervous system (which can be caused by many different pollutants), along with damage to their lungs and other organ systems may result in stunted growth, cognitive impairment along with other issues such as asthma, skin rashes and the like. For the elderly, mild respiratory infections can potentially turn into more deadly conditions, hence the need for them to protect themselves from higher levels of pollution.

Other groups that may be considered at risk are ones such as pregnant mothers, those with pre-existing health conditions (particularly of the respiratory or cardiac variety), along with those who have a heightened sensitivity towards chemical pollutants or compromised immune systems (which often goes hand in hand with pre-existing health conditions, some of which can lower the body’s natural defense systems).

Referring back to pollution levels in Yeghegnavan, other US AQI readings that came in over the same period of time in mid-2021 were ones such as 86 taken in May. This still sat in the 'moderate' pollution ratings bracket (which requires a US AQI reading of 51 to 100 and is color coded as yellow), albeit on the higher end. As per the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any reading between 0 to 150 is deemed as acceptable, although with higher readings on this spectrum presenting themselves as respiratory aggravation and other related symptoms. As such, Yeghegnavan is subject to levels of pollution that sit between 'moderate' pollution ratings, all the way up to ones considerably higher, as were shown by readings taken in past years, with pollution readings from 2020 being used in the following questions as reference.

US AQI is a number that is aggregated from the calculation of several main pollutants that are found in the air, with Yeghegnavan’s reading being based off of the volume of these chemical pollutants. They include ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) as well as the two types of particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5.

Out of both of these fine particles, PM2.5 is the far more dangerous one, and is also used as a prominent measure of air pollution in its own right. It will be used as a unit of measurement for displaying pollution levels from 2020 and prior years, often being cited as a yearly average.

In closing, Yeghegnavan is a city that has some cleaner quality of air during certain times, but may rapidly spike up to more dangerous levels. As such, the use of preventative measures such as wearing fine particle filtering masks, as well as avoiding outdoor activity may become all the more necessary, particularly for those who wish to keep their pollution exposure to a minimum.

What are some health issues related to breathing polluted air in Yeghegnavan?

Over the course of 2020, Yeghegnavan came in with a PM2.5 yearly average of 26.6 μg/m³, placing it once again into the 'moderate' pollution ratings bracket (with PM2.5 measures being taken in micrograms per cubic meter), which requires a PM2.5 reading of 12.1 to 34.5 μg/m³ to be classified as such.

This placed Yeghegnavan in 500^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide over the course of 2020, with several months that came in with even higher PM2.5 readings than the yearly average. In order to attain such a high ranking amongst all cities globally, as well as having certain months with 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' readings of PM2.5, there would be numerous sources of air pollution present.

A large majority of pollution would come from vehicles, which can give off large amounts of noxious fumes, microscopic soot and rubber particles, as well as leaking oil vapors, particularly from the older and more defunct models. Other sources include power plants and factories, which can go through large amounts of fossil fuels such as coal and diesel to provide energy for businesses and the general population.

What pollutants can be found in the atmosphere in Yeghegnavan?

Other pollutants found in the air in Yeghegnavan besides the ones in the US AQI collective would be finely ground silica particles, as well as black carbon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Both of these can be released from the combustion of both organic material as well as fossil fuels.

Some examples of VOCs include chemicals such as styrene, toluene and methylene chloride. Other pollutants that may be found amongst industrial areas in Yeghegnavan include dioxins, furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, along with heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium.

When does Yeghegnavan experience its worst air quality levels?

As per the data collected over 2020, it can be seen that the months at the very beginning and end of the year had the highest readings of pollution, with January, November and December all coming in with readings of 46.8 μg/m³, 38.4 μg/m³ and 50.3 μg/m³ respectively.

This placed all of these months into the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' bracket, the only months of the year to do so, with December being the most highly polluted with its reading of 50.3 μg/m³.

When does Yeghegnavan experience its cleanest air quality levels?

After pollution levels reached their peak, the months following January of 2020 showed a quick decline in PM2.5 levels. These levels hit a low between April and May, coming in with PM2.5 readings of 9.5 μg/m³ and 11.6 μg/m³ respectively. This made April the only month of the year to achieve the world health organization's (WHO's) target goal of 10 μg/m³ or less, for the best quality of air, as well as May having achieved a ‘good’ air quality rating, coming in between 10 to 12 μg/m³.