Air quality in Rostov-na-Donu

What is the air quality index of Rostov-on-Don?

Rostov-on-Don or Rostov-na-Donu is a port city in the south-eastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River. A census conducted in 2018 estimated the population was around 1.1 million people.

It was one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament.

At the beginning of 2021, Rostov-on-Don was experiencing a period of “Moderate” quality air with a US AQI reading of 72. The recorded concentration of PM2.5 was 22.1 µg/m³. This classification is in accordance with recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

How is the air quality in Rostov-on-Don?

According to the monitoring of atmospheric air pollution, over the past five years, there has been a tendency towards some improvement in the situation: the number of cities in the Rostov region with a very high level of air pollution has decreased; in none of the cities where the levels of high and extremely high air pollution observed for any of the determined impurities.

However, in 2020, a record number of cases of high and extremely high periods of air pollution were recorded.

After the spring lockdown in most regions, the growth in the number of recorded pollution accelerated: the number of toxic emissions into the atmosphere for nine months from the beginning of the year exceeded the maximum ten years ago by a third and compared to 2019, the amount of pollution jumped three times.

Only 29 per cent of Rostov-on-Don residents are satisfied with the air quality in the city, the Greenpeace Russia press centre announced.

“At the same time, 86.6 per cent of the respondents are sure that the main source of air pollution is motor transport, 12.3 per cent assess the measures of the city authorities to improve the transport situation as satisfactory," it was reported.

What is the main source of air pollution in Rostov-on-Don?

The main sources of pollution remain road transport [nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO)], enterprises of the fuel and energy and machine-building complexes (sulphur and hydrogen sulphide dioxides, hydrogen fluoride), and construction industry enterprises.

The main harmful impurities, the concentrations of which cause an increase in the level of pollution in the cities of the Rostov region, are formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, dust and benz(o) pyrene. Attention is drawn to the increase in dust concentration at all observation points.

What can be done to improve the air quality in Rostov-on-Don?

Proposed measures to improve ambient air quality include mass landscaping; development and implementation in industry of the best available technologies aimed at reducing air emissions; use of waste-free production technologies; ensuring timely street cleaning, repair and reconstruction of highways, taking measures for the rational organisation of traffic, excluding the formation of traffic jams; prevention of burning of fallen leaves, household waste, garbage, burning of dry vegetation and fires at waste disposal sites.

The department measures the quality of atmospheric air through a system of stationary and mobile observation points. These points are set taking into account the location of objects that can harm the environment. The owners of enterprises that can cause significant harm to the environment are required to install monitoring systems at production facilities and report their data regularly.

Greenpeace Russia will oversee the installation of 500 “Palms” tubes, which will help determine the level of air pollution. These small glass tubes can be affixed to any sturdy structure where they absorb carbon dioxide gradually. After an agreed period of time, they are collected and the data which they have recorded is extracted and analysed. Anyone can take part in the research by filling out a questionnaire on the Greenpeace website.

It is noted that cars are the main source of air pollution in megacities. Measurements will help determine the extent of the problem in each city. It can be used as an indication as to what could be done in the future to reduce pollution in the city centre.

Is air quality getting better or worse in Rostov-on-Don?

In Rostov-on-Don, over the past five years, environmentalists have noted an increase in the level of air pollution with soot, hydrogen fluoride, phenol and formaldehyde. But the levels of pollution with sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen sulphide and benz (o) pyrene, on the contrary, are decreasing.

An increased level of air pollution with suspended substances was noted in the centre of the Don capital and near motorways. The Don Ministry of Ecology noted that the main sources of air pollution are road and rail transport. In second place are enterprises of fuel and energy and machine-building complexes, as well as agricultural holdings and enterprises of the construction industry. According to the ministry, the main contribution to emissions from stationary sources is made by factories and utilities.

The number of cars in the city is constantly growing. In the absence of a convenient alternative for public transport, all these cars are actively used and pollute the atmosphere on a daily basis. Traffic jams are the bane of our city. Traffic jams are stealing our time. Moreover, vehicles that are standing or moving in stop/start traffic jams emit significantly more pollutants into the air. And the engine running time on the way increases.

From 1^st March 2021, new hygienic standards have been in effect in Russia, including the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of pollutants in the air. For the first time in recent years, the permissible values for 10 pollutants have been reduced, half of them are carcinogens that possibly cause cancer.

What are the effects of breathing Rostov-on-Don’s poor quality air?

Outdoor air pollution is one of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide. Its health consequences range from an increase in hospital admissions and admissions to emergency departments to an increased risk of premature death.

It is estimated that around 4.2 million premature deaths are associated with air pollution worldwide, mainly from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections in children.

Worldwide figures show just what air pollution is responsible for:

• 29% of all cases of illness and death from lung cancer
• 17% of all cases of illness and death from acute lower respiratory tract infections
• 24% of all deaths from stroke
• 25% of all cases of illness and death from coronary heart disease
• 43% of all cases of illness and death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The pollutants with the strongest evidence of negative health effects include particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂).