Atmospheric dispersion modeling and health effects of PM2.5 released from automotive industries (case study of Saipa)

Background: Air pollution is one of the most important environmental problems and various industries are sources of air pollutants, especially particulate matter. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health effects of particulate matter released in the automotive industry. Methods: In this research, after measuring the concentrations with the WESTECH, monthly during 2021, the distribution of PM2.5 around Saipa was modeled with AERMOD, the population of given area was determined through Zonal statistic of Arc GIS and finally health risk assessment was assessed through Air Q+ model. Results: The results showed that the maximum concentrations of PM2.5 in the hourly and annual time periods were 1015.03 and 581.10 µg/m3, respectively. The results of quantitative risk assessment show that with increasing particulate matter from 25 µg/m3, the relative risk of respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease was increased by 1.9 and 91%, respectively, and with increasing particulate matter by 10µg/m3 The relative risk of mortality was increased by 6.2%. Conclusion: Short-term exposure to fine particles increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and in case of long-term exposure, the risk of cancer, non-cancer, and mortality are increased.