Dubai air quality map

What causes higher air pollution map readings in Dubai?

Like many cities and countries throughout the region, Dubai can see higher rates of air pollution showing up on its air quality maps from several different sources. Whilst there are a variety of polluting sources, they largely remain the same across each city, with the same offending causes cropping up time and time again. The use of the air quality map for those living or even traveling to Dubai can be of great help in keeping their exposure levels to a minimum, as well as helping users to make informed decisions regarding what actions to take during days of higher air pollution levels.

As with many cities across the region, Dubai is still seeing growth in its infrastructure as well as increases in tourism, despite the events of 2020 putting a large halt to tourist movement due to lockdowns imposed by Covid-19. With increased growth comes further construction sites, which can give off large amounts of air pollution in the form of both hazardous particulate matter as well as many different gases that are released as a byproduct from construction processes as well as given off by many heavy-duty machines used on construction sites. This is also not to mention a large amount of vehicular movement that would be required to transport material from one location to the next, which is also a large part of all industries which require mass transits. Vehicles and construction sites therefore can all give off larger amounts of pollution and contaminating particles, all of which will show up on the air pollution maps as seen above.

To compound the particle pollution situation further, it should be noted that due to the arid climate and large amounts of sand and finely ground materials surrounding Dubai, there will naturally be higher amounts of microscopic particles in the air, particularly during bouts of higher wind speed, whereby larger amounts of sand may be blown into certain parts of the city where it can accumulate. Whilst these particles are larger and less damaging to the lungs and other parts of the body such as the skin or eyes, they may still cause respiratory irritation. The air quality maps shown above can alert users as to when US AQI levels are higher in many areas across Dubai. Other prominent causes of air pollution in Dubai include, as was previously mentioned, the myriad of chemical compounds, gases and fine particles that are given off from vehicle usage, along with heavy machinery, construction sites, and any other areas that have a form of fuel combustion taking place. Other causes of higher air pollution readings on the map for Dubai can be caused on occasion by meteorological events, coupled with other factors coming together to form higher readings. Certain pollutants and gases that are given off by vehicles and other combustion sources can turn into dangerous forms of pollution such as ozone, or smog as it is commonly referred to. High concentrations of sunlight can force a chemical reaction to take place, and with large buildings in city centers preventing these buildups from being blown away (depending on weather conditions), certain pollutants may build up to even higher levels, causing the air quality map to show higher US AQI readings.

Who can benefit the most from reviewing air quality map readings in Dubai?

Whilst much of the population will benefit from using the air pollution map and city pages for reference in Dubai, there are certain groups of more vulnerable or at-risk people that should go to greater lengths to ensure that pollution within the air does not bring them even more harm.

These groups include people such as young children and babies, along with the elderly, all of whom are susceptible to the negative changes brought about on a physiological level by air pollution exposure. Other groups include pregnant women, those with pre-existing health conditions, as well as those with ailing or compromised immune systems.

What are some readings shown on the air quality map in Dubai?

Observing the air quality map for Dubai in late 2022, to use strictly as an example (because air quality readings can change rapidly and many times over the year, or even over a single month), some of the readings shown, in the form of US AQI, were high figures of 78, 99 and 95. These are being referred to as high, despite actually being some of the lower readings taken throughout Dubai in mid-November of 2022. These readings fall into the 'moderate' air quality rating bracket, which will show up as yellow on the air quality map, and require a US AQI reading of 51 to 100 to be classified as such. This signifies that the readings taken were all on the higher end of this 'moderate' air pollution rating bracket, which can cause many members of the general public to potentially experience mild respiratory irritation, this being particularly prominent amongst more vulnerable members of the population who are already suffering from health issues.

Other readings taken include ones such as 110, 149 and 141, going up even higher into the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' bracket, requiring a US AQI reading of 101 to 150 for classification. As the name suggests, at-risk groups will start to experience noticeable discomfort, which may require preventative measures such as staying indoors or wearing fine particle filtering masks. Some final readings taken were 162 and 167, both of which were even higher up in the 'unhealthy' rating bracket, which is shown as a red disc on the air quality map for Dubai, and will start to cause adverse effects amongst all members of the population in Dubai. Caution and preventative measures are advised for people living within or traveling through such areas.

Can higher readings on the air pollution maps in Dubai cause health issues?

When air quality readings are high on the air pollution map for Dubai, several unpleasant side effects and health issues may start to appear amongst the population. Furthermore, those who already have pre-existing health conditions may see them start to worsen, with simple respiratory conditions progressing into potentially life-threating conditions. These can include ones such as emphysema, pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma. Whilst there is not a guaranteed correlation between the two, it is also very likely that staying within an area on the air quality map that has excessively high air pollution readings in the form of US AQI will cause some form of distress to those within the vicinity.