Air Pollution Problems and Diseases Caused by Hazardous Gases in Quetta, Pakistan

Nowadays air over major cities throughout the world has become over burdened with gases produced by automobiles. The death rate due to automobiles pollution is increasing rapidly in the metropolitan areas. With passage of time people realized that polluted air had serious effects on their health, climate and economics. Weather and climate have the integrated impact on human activities which are resulting in worldwide concentration of the particulate of environmental pollution viz. chloroflorocarbons (CFCs), carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, lead and several other dust and gaseous particles. The present study is an attempt to exploit air problems and diseases caused by the lead, CO, NH₃,NO₂ and SO₂ of the Quetta city. Data at different locations recorded for the pollutants,.i.e., CO, NH₃,NO₂, Pb and SO₂ for a period of two months have been analyzed by two indices ,.i.e. air pollution control status index (APC-Status index) , urban air quality index (Urban AQ index) and the determination of Pb (lead) emitted from vehicle at roadside in Quetta city was analyzed for two months without any interval at nine different stations. We conclude from our results that blood pressure, ENT (eye, nose and throat), fatigue, gastrointestinal, diseases and cancer were highly correlated with lead distribution. We also conclude that the motor vehicles/ automobiles now constitute the main source of air pollution. The coal burning, kiln backing in furnaces and natural gas burning are the other sources of air pollution.