Air quality in Sivas

What is the current rate of air pollution in Sivas?

Sivas is a city in central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province. A census conducted in 2012 estimated the population to be approximately 313,000 people, which classes it as a moderate sized city.

Towards the middle of 2021, Sivas was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 59. This United States Air Quality Index number is an internationally used set of metrics supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is used to compare different cities throughout the world using comparable standards. It is calculated by using the levels of the six most commonly found pollutants. In the case of Sivas, only three pollutants were recorded which were: PM2.5 - 15.9 µg/m³, PM10 - 26 µg/m³ and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 45.9 µg/m³. From these figures it can easily be seen that the level of PM2.5 is over 50 per cent higher than the recommended figure from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which is 10 µg/m³.

With a level of air pollution such as this, the advice is to close doors and windows to prevent more dirty air from entering the room. Those of a sensitive disposition are advised to remain indoors or if travel outside is unavoidable, then a good quality mask is recommended. The table at the top of this page will help with that decision.

Is the level of air pollution constant throughout the year in Sivas?

Air quality is easily affected by so many things and therefore can change relatively quickly depending on local conditions.

Looking back at the figures published by the Swiss air monitoring company IQAir.com for 2020 it can be seen that the best air quality was enjoyed during May when the level was classified as being “Good” with a figure of 12 µg/m³. The worst months were February, November and December when the quality was “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with figures between 35.5 and 55.4 µg/m³. For the remaining 8 months of the year, Sivas was subject to “Moderate” quality air with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³.

Records were first kept in 2019 when the annual average figure for air quality was 23.4 µg/m³ with a very slight improvement the following year of 23.1 µg/m³. ³. However, this may not be an accurate reflection of reality because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many vehicles were temporarily parked up as the drivers were furloughed and not required to commute to and from work. There were also many factories and other non-essential production units which were temporarily closed in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.

What is the main source of air pollution in Sivas?

The source of air pollution varies by region. In regions where sulphur dioxide is concentrated, the effect of coal used in industry, energy production and heating is generally observed. In urban centres, air pollution caused by transportation also increases its effect.

The latest Air Pollution Report, published by the local authorities, reveals that at least 75 million people in Turkey breathe polluted air on an urban scale.

The report uses levels of particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 as a benchmark that causes health problems such as cancer, upper and lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, allergies, stress, depression, in order to identify regions experiencing air pollution in Turkey.

Can anything be done to improve the air quality in Sivas?

Low Emission Zones should be planned and implemented in all cities, especially in metropolitan areas. This has proved to be an efficient way f restricting the volume of vehicles in the city centre.

Clean Air Action Plans should be prepared in every city with the participation of all relevant stakeholders and shared with the public, and targets should be monitored.

Our Metropolitan Municipalities should implement fast, comfortable, safe and cheap public transportation solutions that do not create air pollution, and urban planning that aims to reduce air pollution.

Coal-fired power plants have begun to be shuttered all over the world. As in many other countries, coal-fired power plants, which are one of the major causes of air pollution and climate crisis, should be closed, and alternative development plans should be created in order to prevent the unjust treatment of the workers working in this field.

What detrimental effects on human health does the air in Sivas have?

Air pollution can also indirectly harm the ecological balance due to its effect on living things. As everyone knows, air pollution negatively affects the health of people in many ways. These effects may differ according to the duration of exposure to polluted air, the way the polluted air enters the body, the concentration of harmful substances in the polluted air, and whether the person exposed to polluted air has any pre-existing chronic diseases.

Air pollution kills; makes it easier for people to develop diseases such as emphysema, asthma, bronchitis and cancer; can lead to lung cancer. Depending on air pollution, symptoms such as throat irritation, tearing and headache can be seen frequently.

First of all, deterioration in respiratory functions of people, an increase in the possibility of respiratory diseases that can cause serious problems such as asthma and COPD, exacerbation of these diseases of people with chronic respiratory diseases without being exposed to air pollution, these diseases of people with chronic heart diseases being more severe. There may be an increase in premature death as a result of the increase in the risk of cancer in people, the deterioration of the health status.

Sulphur oxides, one of the pollutants in the air, cause the lung air sacs to narrow. Nitrogen oxides are among the causes of airway injuries. It causes disruption of the lung defence mechanism. It causes pulmonary oedema and air sac inflammation. Lung trauma and diseases are among the important causes. Some of the factors that cause air pollution are the cause of lung cancer.

Babies, children of developmental age, pregnant or breastfeeding women and the elderly are some of the risk groups in case of air pollution. Generally, the elderly and patients with chronic lung and heart disease are adversely affected by air pollution. This effect can range from mild symptoms that occur as a result of damage to the lungs to an increase in the death rate in the people in question.