Health risks from air pollution from vehicles in the city of Tirana

Abstract

Air pollution from vehicles in the city of Tirana has become a worrying problem for the health of the residents. In this regard, the challenge for human health remains the improvement of air quality. For this purpose, in the beginning the main elements of air pollution and their sources were treated. Then the effects of the main pollutants on human health were treated, where the most dangerous for the city of Tirana are particles matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone. Then the measurement of pollution for the main pollutants and the ways of determining the air quality were treated, continuing with the assessment of the health risks coming from the main pollutants, where according to the WHO, premature deaths, lost years of life and morbidity are used. In 2020 for Albania, we had 3600 premature deaths from particles matter, 330 from nitrogen dioxide and 310 from ozone. While the lost years of life per 100,000 inhabitants were 1296 for particles, 116 for nitrogen dioxide and 115 for ozone. At the end, discussions on the ways to reduce the health risks associated with the reduction of air pollution from vehicles, are given, by strengthening the technical control of vehicles and the use of efficient methods of cleaning the fuel system and the use of biodiesel and alternative fuels.