Air quality in Turpan

What are the air pollution levels like in Turpan

Turpan is a city located in the east of Xinjiang, a province that lies in the northwestern region of China, in close proximity to central Asia. As per a census conducted in 2015, Turpan had some 600,000 inhabitants living there, a number that will have grown considerably since then. Due to this rapid growth, seen in many cities across China, along with large scale industrialization and the implementation of infrastructure and everything else that comes along with a growing city, it is subject to some rather poor levels of air quality, placing it highly amongst the worlds most polluted cities.

As of early May in 2021, Turpan was seen with a US AQI reading of 240, a very high number that would classify it as being ‘very unhealthy’ on the particular day and time in which this reading was taken. This indicates that the air would be permeated with smoke churned out from factories and industrial areas, as well as numerous other sources, along with haze, smog and hazardous clouds of particulate matter, both of the fine (PM2.5) and coarse, or larger (PM10) variety, with the smaller PM2.5 being more of a danger to human health.

As well as having an highly elevated reading of 240, observing the readings of US AQI collected over the course of both April and early May, one can see that Turpan was subject to some extremes of air pollution, with readings that would be severely damaging to the health of its citizens, along with the environment, with ecosystems and even vegetation being at high risk. Running counter to this, on a slightly positive note, it can also be seen that Turpan had many days in which the US AQI count was of a moderate disposition, coming in with readings as low as 65 and going up to 95, all of which would sit in the ‘moderate’ pollution bracket, indicating no immediate danger for those within the city.

However, these more appreciable days were offset with readings that skyrocketed out of nowhere, with US AQI numbers of 721, 787 and a 1466 being recorded. These are all days that would be classed as ‘hazardous’ as per the air pollution ratings, meaning that everyone would be at risk in regards to developing health issues, both long and short term. During days such as these, the avoidance of outdoor activity would be highly recommended, as well as utilizing other protective measures such as the wearing of fine particle filtering masks.

This data can be tracked using the air quality map present at the top of this page, as well as via the AirVisual app. Individuals who should take particular care include the elderly and infirm, young children and babies, pregnant mothers, as well as those with a hypersensitivity towards chemicals or pre-existing health conditions.

In closing, Turpan is a city that sees moderate levels of pollution for many days, before being subject to extreme spikes of US AQI, as well as the myriad of other pollutants that are found in the air (which are included in the calculation of the overall US AQI number, which itself is a composite measurement, made up of pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10 and ozone (O₃) to name a few).

What causes Turpan to have polluted air?

Turpan sees much of its pollution stem from industrial boilers, which are found in factories, certain businesses, power plants and other similar industrials sites. These boilers can go through huge amounts of coal, as well as other fossil fuels such as diesel or natural gas. The combustion of these materials leads to high amounts of chemical compounds and particulate matter being released into the air, and although the country as a whole is making many steps towards reducing the amount of pollution it produces, it still stands to reason that the volume currently released is still excessive.

Other leading causes of pollution include vehicular emissions, both from cars and other larger freight vehicles such as lorries or trucks, which can also run on diesel fuel, as well as giving off many tons of finely ground rubber particles from their tire treads. Construction sites, the open burning of material, as well as road repairs or any earth disturbing activity (which releases large amounts of dust) are all contributing factors to the air pollution levels in Turpan.

At what time of the year is Turpan at its most polluted?

Observing the data over 2020 for a concise measure of air pollution in Turpan, it can be seen that the city came in with a PM2.5 reading of 49.5 μg/m³. This placed it within the ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups bracket’, with the groups mentioned earlier being counted as those affected.

This group rating requires a PM2.5 reading between 35.5 to 55.4 μg/m³ to be classified as such. It placed Turpan in 47^th place out of all cities ranked in China over 2020, as well as 105^th place out of all cities ranked worldwide, a considerably high placing that could be improved upon in years to come.

Looking at the months recorded over 2020 as well, it can be seen that January through to March, as well as November and December were the most polluted out of the entire year, all falling within the ‘unhealthy’ ratings category, with January being the highest at 83.7 μg/m³.

At what time of the year is Turpan’s air at its cleanest?

The months between July and October are when Turpan sees the best air quality, with all of these months falling into the ‘moderate’ pollution category (12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ required). July and August had the best readings, both coming in at 15.9 μg/m³ and 18.2 μg/m³ respectively.

What are some of the health issues associated with breathing air pollution in Turpan?

Some health issues that would arise during heightened bouts of pollution would be ones such as dry coughs, chest pain, respiratory infections as well as skin or mucous membrane irritation. Heart conditions may manifest, with ischemic heart disease as well as an increased rate of heart attacks all being possible. Pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma would also be on the rise, along with increased risk of cancer, damage to the blood vessels, liver, kidneys and reproductive system.