Causes of air pollution in Kabul and its effects on health

The lack of air quality management capabilities from the Afghan government and standards for both indoor and outdoor air quality, air pollution remains a significant risk to human health and the quality of the environment. Air pollution is the second cause of deaths in Kabul based on air pollution assessments. Outdoor air pollution was responsible for more than 65% of human deaths. This paper compiles the main sources of air pollution along with contamination levels of major pollutants, and their relevant health effects in Kabul. The results indicated that particulate matter (PM) was the most serious air pollutant in Kabul followed by nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). The levels of PM, SO2, and NO2were several times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines, whereas the concentrations of zone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) were below the guidelines. © 2020 Ecological Society of India. All rights reserved.