CONCENTRATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AIRBORNE PARTICLES IN TWO SUBWAY SYSTEMS OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN AND INDIA

Introduction: Airborne particulate matter (PM) is responsible for serious immediate and long-term impacts on human health because airborne particulates easily reach the deepest recesses of the lungs that damage the respiratory system of human beings. The purpose of this study was to measure the airborne concentrations of PM10 and heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, copper, zinc, iron and nickel) in Tehran-Iran and Pune-India. Materials and Methods: In order to compare two polluted cities, Tehran-Iran and Pune-India, six stations from both cities were selected for air sampling and analysis. Sampling was performed from November 2011 to July 2012 in both countries. Results: PM10 concentration range of 92.31 (μg/m3) to 28.12 (μg/m3) in Tehran while, PM10 concentration ranged from 90.54 (μg/m3) to 48.19 (μg/m3) in Pune. The heavy metal trends show higher concentrations at station one however, the lowest concentrations were observed at station three and four in Pune. Conclusions: Results showed that there was a correlation between air pollution and number of vehicles. However this correlation was not statistically significant (R2=0.376 for Tehran and R2=0.083 for Pune). It is observed that station one in Pune and stations three and four in Tehran are highly polluted. The pattern of air pollution in Tehran was not the same.