Air Quality Analysis of City Parks in Istanbul — Q1 2022
Air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths globally (WHO, 2021). With the high pace of urbanization, heavy traffic and manufacturing industries have become the leading causes of air pollution in cities. Exposure to this pollution affects children, who are more sensitive than adults (Şahin et al., 2021). In addition, city parks are places where children and the elderly spend most of their time outside, and unfortunately, being there increases their exposure to outdoor pollutants (Özdemir et al.2010).
The increasing traffic load with urbanization has reflected on our living spaces and has led to the restriction of outdoor activities. The streets have also begun to be filled with vehicles, not people. Thus, air pollution also enters the children’s lives, such as in the playgrounds and classrooms, where they experience and learn, and in the room where they sleep. With the already restricted outdoor space, the children’s indoor experiences have also started to be threatened by the street (Dikbıyık, 2021). This situation also affects the physical and cognitive development of children. Therefore, clean air in city parks is essential.
Istanbul has become a megacity, is home to 15.8 million (TURKSTAT, 2022), and is currently among the cities with high air pollution (Right to Clean Air Platform, 2021). To understand the exposure of city park users to outdoor pollutants, an analysis using PM2.5 and PM10 measurements, which are essential parameters of air pollution in Istanbul, was carried out between January and March 2022. According to the traffic density and industry locations, 38 different city parks are selected. Depending on their usage, city parks also include playgrounds, sports fields, parks, and large parks with many functions. In addition, multifunctional parks are usually located on the seashore.
Twenty-three air quality measurement devices belonging to the T.R. Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (URL 1) collected PM10 data, and PM2.5 data were obtained with 15 air quality measurement sensors belonging to Airqoon (URL 2).
During the analysis of the first quarter of 2022, it is evident that PM10 and PM2.5 values are generally higher in February. In addition, the air pollutant levels measured in areas such as Mecidiyeköy, Beşiktaş, Ünalan, Şirinevler, and Esenyurt, where daily vehicle use is intense, outdoor exposure is high in the parking areas there. It is noteworthy that industrial air pollution is generally higher than other traffic sources.
When we look at the hourly average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations of the city parks, it has been determined that the air quality level is lower between 18:00 and 06:00, while it gets better between 06:00–and 18:00. The levels of air pollutants in Mecidiyeköy, Beşiktaş, Alibeyköy, Esenyurt, Başakşehir, Esenyurt, Başakşehir, Ünalan, Acıbadem, Kozyatağı and Sahrayıcedit carry risks, especially for sensitive groups, children and the elderly.
When we look at the weekly air pollutant concentrations of the city parks, it is noteworthy that the exposure risk is generally high on Mondays and Saturdays and lower on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
According to the limit values recommended by WHO, we determined that limits are exceeded in all city park areas except Rasimpaşa. Ümraniye, Alibeyköy, Esenyurt, Başakşehir, Sultangazi, Ünalan, Acıbadem, Sahrayıcedit, Kozyatağı are the regions where daily limit values are exceeded for more than 40% of the analyzed quarter. Mecidiyeköy exceeded the daily limit values in 48 days out of 90 days.
Cities in Turkey are under the pressure of rapid urbanization, and due to the lack of city parks, places, where we all can perform our physical activities are pretty limited. For instance, city parks include many activities such as recreation, sports, and playgrounds and create many user profiles. While air pollution causes numerous health issues, it primarily affects the more vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, and the chronically ill. When the air quality around the city parks is examined within the scope of this study, it is seen that the majority of the park areas in Istanbul carry health risks. Today, air pollution has become a critical threat both outdoors and indoors. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the sources of pollution by increasing measurement points and creating safe and healthy parks by examining and evaluating successful policy examples implemented around the world.
Author: Ayşe Güleç
References:
Dikbıyık, N. A. (2021). The Effect of the Street on the Space Experienced by the Child. International Congress on Scientific Advances (ICONSAD’21), s. 262–273.
Özdemir, H., Borucu, G., Demir, G., Yiğit, Y., & Ak, N. (2010). Particle in Children’s Playgrounds in Istanbul Investigation of Substance (PM2,5 and PM10) Pollution. Ecology, 20(77), s. 72–79.
Right to Clean Air Platform. (2021). Black Report 2021 Air Pollution and Health Impacts.
Şahin, Ü. A., Kuzu, L., Kumar, P., Omidvarborna, H., Gökçebağ, D., Neophytou, M.-A., . . . Tiwari, A. (2021). Reducing Exposure to Traffic Pollution in and Around Schools A Guide for Children, Schools and the Local Community.
TURKSTAT. (2022) Address Based Population Registration System Results, 2021.
World Health Organization. (2021). WHO Global Air Quality Guides Press Release.
World Health Organization. (2021). Ambient (outdoor) Air Pollution.
URL 1: https://sim.csb.gov.tr/STN/STN_Report/StationDataDownloadNew T.R. Environment and Urban Ministry, Air Quality Station Data Download. 20 April 2022.
URL 2: https://www.airqoon.com/index-tr.html
