AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Particulate Air Pollution in Qatar and the Air Quality Index
TERRANCE MURPHY, Syed Abbas Mehdi, Nourhan ElKhatib, Carnegie Mellon University-Qatar
Abstract Number: 675 Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract Due to a growing concern for Qatar’s ambient air quality, this study analyzed particulate matter (PM$_(2.5) and PM$_(10)) concentrations for 379 days from March 2014 until early April 2015. These concentrations were measured hourly by two Met One BAM-1020 instruments and 24-hour averages were determined. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated from these 24-hour averages using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) AQI standards. The results showed that there were 0% Good days, 37% Moderate days, 42% Unhealthy for Sensitive People days, 16% Unhealthy days, and 5% Very Unhealthy or Hazardous days. The annual PM average exceeded annual guidelines of WHO, USEPA, and Qatar’s National Standards.