What Are the Main Causes of Air Pollution in Saudi Arabia?

Did you know that there is a huge difference in the quality of air that we breathe in indoor spaces and outdoor spaces? 

Moreover, the surprising factor is that indoor air pollution is considerably higher than outdoors! 

Market reports have proven that we spend 90 percent of our time in an indoor space. These indoor spaces may be either in the house or in the office.  

The air that we breathe in indoor spaces has a substantial impact on our health.  

Everyday items such as cleaning agents, paints, and furniture make a substantial contribution to bad indoor quality. 

They release pollutants/ contaminants in the form of particulate and gas-phase, which can trigger or worsen asthma and allergies. 

The air filtration solutions that we use to tackle impure air, improve the indoor air quality level and ensure circulation of clean air in any room, be it domestic spaces, commercial offices, private rooms, operating theaters, laboratories, or in the cleanrooms required by industry. 

AAF Saudi Arabia Ltd/ AAF International Air Filtration Systems LLC helps to reduce this load. AAF offers intelligent solutions for commercial and private use to control and improve indoor air quality (IAQ).  

Our air filters are widely used for instance, in agriculture, biotechnology laboratories, cleanroom areas, data centers, commercial buildings, government infrastructures, healthcare facilities, hotel & hospitality, museums, microelectronics, pharmaceutical, pulp & paper, refineries, schools, universities, wastewater treatment plants and much more. 

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is generally referred to as the air quality within and around buildings, structures, and materials surrounding us relating to the health and comfort of building occupants. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help reduce your risk of indoor health concerns. 

Indoor air pollutants may not show prompt health effects but have an immense effect on our health in the long run. 

Indoor Pollutant Sources: 

There are many sources of indoor air pollution. These can include: 

• Fuel-burning combustion appliances. 

• Tobacco products. 

Building materials and furnishings as diverse as: 

• Deteriorated asbestos-containing insulation 
• Newly installed flooring, upholstery, or carpet 
• Cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products 
• Products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies
• Central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices 
• Excess moisture 

Outdoor sources: 

• Radon 
• Pesticides 
• Outdoor air pollution 

 None of the places/ regions in this world are exceptional to poor indoor air quality. For a simple illustration, let us take the example of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a total land area of approximately 2,150,000 square kilometers. As such, it is the largest sovereign state in Western Asia.  

Towards the end of 2020, Saudi Arabia was experiencing “moderate” quality air, according to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The concentrations of the PM2.5 pollutant were over twice the WHO recommendations at 22.1 µg/m³. These moderate recorded levels were between 12.1 and 35.4µg/m³ (micrograms or microns per cubic meter). 

Under the World Health Organization’s guidelines, the quality of air in Saudi Arabia is unsafe. The latest data indicates that the country’s annual average concentration of PM2.5 is 88 µg/m3, which considerably exceeds the recommended maximum of 10 µg/m3. 

The main contributors to this poor-quality air are emissions from both vehicles and industry and the naturally occurring dust storms. These dust storms are at their worst during spring and can last from March through to May. 

Outdoor air pollution is a mixture of chemicals, particulate matter, and biological materials that react with each other to form tiny hazardous particles, the worst being  PM1 and PM2.5 because of their microscopic size. The PM10 particulate matter is a slightly larger diameter than PM2.5. 

Most concerning environmental issues according to citizens across Saudi Arabia as