Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

Air quality standards for major air environment pollutants 
Pollutant
Concentration of 
substance in the air 
analysis’ duration
U.S.A. air quality 
limits
EU air quality 
guidelines
Carbon 
monoxide (CO)
8-hour average 
10 mg/m
3
10 mg/m
3
1-hour average 
40 mg/m
3
-
Nitrogen 
dioxide (NO
2
)
the average annual
100 μg/m
3
40 μg/m
3
1-hour average
-
200 μg/m
3
Ozone (O
3
)
8-hour average
157 μg/m
3
120 μg/m
3
1-hour average
235 μg/m
3
-
Sulfur dioxide 
(SO
2
)
the average annual
78 μg/m
3
-
24-hour average
365 μg/m
3
125 μg/m
3
1 – hour average
-
350 μg/m
3
Air  pollutants  directly  affect  human  health,  attacking  respira-
tory organs, irritating eyes and mucous membrane, affecting blood 
components, and generally acting as toxic substances.
The impact of some harmful substances may become apparent 
immediately: this is the case, if such substances as phosgene 
or  chlorine  have  a  direct  effect  on  the  respiratory  tract.  If  the 
harmful substances enter the human body in small quantities, and 
subsequently are spread throughout the body with the blood or 
lymph, they usually accumulate in a single organ, such as kidneys, 
liver  or  bones,  and  the  harmful  effects  may  occur  after  a  latent 
period, which may be rather long.
Air pollution affects plants significantly more than animals and 
humans. It is, first of all, due to the fact that the animal respiratory 
process is based on use of oxygen, whose content in the air comprises 
21%, but the green plants assimilate the carbon dioxide, which is 
available  in  significantly  lower  concentration  (0.03%).  Thus,  the 

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126 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
plants come in contact with larger quantities of pollutants found in 
the air. At the same time, normal growth and development of plants 
depend on a host of other factors (water, light regime, micronutrient 
balance), which may encumber an accurate impact assessment of the 
harmful substance.
In the analysis of air pollution, the air quality outdoors is 
usually examined. At the same time, people’s health can be affected 
significantly more by air pollution in the living environ ment – home 
and working environ ment. This is determined by several factors, 
including the air pollution of human living environ ment, caused 
by  an  external  air  supply.  An  example  of  such  a  situation  can  be 
the heightened lead and polyaromatic hydrocarbon content in the 
dwelling houses near highways. Serious indoor air pollution can be 
caused by a variety of local sources – kitchens, ovens and furniture, 
polymer materials, painted surfaces, pets. The level of environ mental 
pollution with any substances is also affected by the ventilation, its 
intensity must be balanced against the need to maintain an optimum 
indoor temperature regime. 
Another  factor  that  affects  the  indoor  air  quality  is  manu-
fact uring of new materials and substances, which results in new 
pollutants entering the human living environ ment in increased 
quantities, and thereby contaminating it. For example, new insula-
tion materials, cleaning products, cosmetics formulations, solvents, 
plant protection products cause human contact with chemicals 
that can be toxic. The pollution of the environ ment can cause a 
variety  of  effects,  including  immediate  death.  Many  people  have 
perished from poisoning by carbon monoxide gas coming from 
stoves and fireplaces. Even in developed countries, indoor pollution 
may be lethal, as evidenced by the deaths caused by indoor air 
contamination.