Air quality in Algiers

Is Algiers a heavily polluted city right now?

Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean seaboard. According to a census conducted in 2008, the population was estimated to be almost 3,000,000 people. By 2011 this estimation had risen to closer to 3,500,000, but the total metropolitan area has closer to 8,000,000 inhabitants.

In September 2021, Algiers was going through a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 55. This United States Air Quality Index figure is calculated by measuring the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants. It is then used as a metric when comparing air pollution in other cities. Sometimes records are non-existent for all six pollutants so the level is calculated by using what figures are available. In Algiers, the only recorded figure was that of PM2.5 which was 14 µg/m³. This level is just under one and a half times higher than the recommended level of 10 µg/m³ which is the suggested maximum figure by the World Health Organisation (WHO), although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

With the level of air pollution of this size, the advice would be to stay indoors and close windows and doors to prevent more polluted air from entering. Those who are sensitive to poor quality air should avoid undue outdoor journeys. However, if this cannot be avoided, then a good quality mask should be worn at all times. There is a downloadable app available for most mobile devices which is free of charge and gives up-to-date information as to the state of the air in real-time.

Does this level of pollution in Algiers change much throughout the year?

Looking back at the 2020 figures released by IQAir.com it can be easily seen that Algiers air quality remained in the “Moderate” category for the full twelve months. Readings between 12.1 and 35.4 qualify for this moniker. Looking more closely though, it can be seen that the best month for air quality was December with a 16.9 µg/m³. Yet the following month of January provided the worst with its figure of 29.3 µg/m³. The remaining months fell in between.

Historically, records pertaining to air quality were kept since 2019 when the recorded annual average was 21.2 µg/m³. A slight improvement was registered in 2020 with its figure of 20.2 µg/m³. This 2020 figure could be skewed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to various periods of “lockdown”, many vehicles were no longer used on a daily basis as their drivers were not required to drive to the office. This cut a considerable amount of pollution from the air. Some factories and small production units were also temporarily closed so their emissions were no longer present in the atmosphere.

Where does the polluted air come from in Algiers?

Algerian experts confirmed that the reason for "about 2,500 deaths annually in Algeria due to air pollution" is the emission of toxic gases by urban traffic, explaining that air pollution in Algeria has become a "reality". After power plants, diesel engines are among the largest sources of pollutants that scientists have linked to premature death, lung cancer, asthma and other serious respiratory illnesses. The diesel fuel used in these engines has a high concentration of sulphur, amounting to several thousand parts per million, which hinders the work of the innovative anti-pollution devices within the diesel combustion mechanism in the engines and contributes to increasing pollution by harmful particles.

In many countries, energy production is a major source of air pollution. Coal-fired power plants are a major contributor to air pollution, while diesel generators are a growing concern in off-grid areas. Industrial processes and the use of solvents in the chemical and mining industries also cause air pollution.

In Algeria, the quantity ranges between 10 and 35 µg/m³, which is a rate that exceeds the rates recorded in the European Union and the Balkans. It is noteworthy that the southern regions of the country are considered the most polluted because of sandstorms and flying dust.

Can anything be done to reduce air pollution in Algiers?

Reducing vehicle emissions is an important intervention to improve air quality, especially in urban areas. Policies and standards that require cleaner fuels and advanced vehicle emissions standards can reduce vehicle emissions by 90 per cent or more.

With Algeria giving up selling it last July, the world has finally done away with toxic leaded gasoline after nearly a century of being exposed to the extreme dangers of its use.

This type of fuel can cause heart disease, strokes and cancer, and its name has been associated with many health problems related to mental development in children.

What are the effects of breathing polluted air?

In a report on the negative effects of car exhaust on human health and the environment, the authority said that air pollution caused by car exhaust and other factors kills at least three million people in the world annually, in addition to deteriorating the health of those suffering from asthma, chronic respiratory diseases cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer.

The report pointed out that nitrogen oxides emitted from automobile exhaust irritate the lung membranes, reduce the body's immunity to respiratory diseases, help in the formation of toxic ground ozone, and contribute to the formation of acid rain, which has negative effects on the land and marine environment and human health.

Sulphur dioxide, resulting from the partial combustion of fuel that contains sulphur in its composition, causes the alveoli to shrink and the health status of children and the elderly deteriorates. It also contributes to the formation of suspended particles and acid rain. Moreover, these fine particles can penetrate into buildings, homes and offices through Air conditioning systems, causing respiratory diseases and some cases of sudden death.

Car exhaust consists of a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets, or a mixture of gaseous particles, which represents the main problem for human health, as it enters the lungs through breathing, causing many problems on lung functions.

The health problems of those micro-components of automobile exhaust, whose size is estimated at less than 10 micrometres, are the increase in the number of deaths, the increase in the number of patients with heart and chest diseases, and patients with allergies and asthma that has spread frighteningly, in addition to the increase in cases of respiratory failure, chronic bronchitis, and allergic sinusitis and its cancerous complications.