ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the characteristics of environmental air pollution in three districts, two counties and one city of Yinchuan in 2020, to evaluate the air quality and the impact of air pollutants on population health, and to provide a theoretical basis for fine management of atmospheric environment in Yinchuan. Methods Based on the air pollution situation in districts and counties of Yinchuan in 2020, the air pollution characteristics were analyzed and summarized using Excel and SPSS 23.0 software. The health risks of SO2, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 in the air were estimated using the health risk model recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Results The average annual concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 (except for Lingwu City) in all counties of Yinchuan in 2020 were higher than the national standard, while the average annual concentrations of SO2, NO2, CO and O3 in all regions were lower than the national secondary standard, indicating that the pollution level was low. Both ambient air quality and atmospheric pollutants (except O3) showed a “V” emission trend of less in summer and more in winter, while O3 was the opposite. The average annual concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and O3 decreased from north to south, while the concentrations of NO2 and CO in Xingqing District, Xixia District and Jinfeng District were significantly higher than those in other regions. O3, NO2 and particulate matter were the primary atmospheric pollutants in the study area. The health risks of PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and O3 did not exceed the values recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. However, these air pollutants posed the greatest health risk to children, while the health risk to the elderly was the least. There were differences in the health risks of these air pollutants between men and women of different ages. Among children and young adults, the health risk for men was higher than that for women. Among adolescent people and the elderly, the health risk of females was obviously higher than that of males. Conclusion The air quality in Yinchuan is good, and the health risk of the population is low.