The head of the environmental monitoring office at the Department of Environment (DoE) announced that the number of air monitoring devices in Ahvaz city in the current calendar year (started March 21) had been increased.
Dr. Shina Ansari said last year the DoE allocated approximately $4 million for purchasing air quality monitoring devices to measure the amount of different kinds of air pollutants, across the country. Among the 50 devices purchased, six of them were allocated to Khuzestan Province and Ahvaz city.
At present, airborne particles smaller than 2.5 and 10 micrometers in diameter are the main causes of Ahvaz air pollution. Also the city’s excessive petroleum fuel emissions are triggering heart attacks among people as well and therefore last year a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) detection device was allocated to measure the amount of hydrocarbons as well, Mehr News agency reported. There are several oil firms, including the Karoun Gas and Oil exploitation Company in Ahvaz.
Devices Installed
At present, 17 monitoring devices have been installed to measure the amount of routine parameters, including: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and airborne particles smaller than 2.5 and 10 micrometers in diameter.
Also, with the formation of specific workgroups to address the pollution issue, other new devices will be installed in the city to measure the amount of airborne particles and benzene, Ansari added.
