Satellite data shows that the world’s largest NO₂ air pollution is spotted in Highveld Mpumalanga due to reasons such as vehicle exhaust and burning of coal especially from electric power plant.

There are long term effects associated with this type of pollution, namely; Chronic asthma, pulmonary insufficiency and severe respiratory problems on individuals residing around areas having high concentrations of NO₂ gas.

According to WHO, the level of NO₂ should be less than 100 ppb in concentration but the satellite data collected shows the levels being above 106 ppb suggesting that industries around the Highveld region do not comply to the MES(Minimum Emission Standards) therefore municipalities and industries should comply with the stringents set to avoid such long term effects of respiratory problems.

References

• WHO. Air pollution. WHO. Available online at: http://www.who.int/airpollution/en/ (accessed June 29, 2020)
• Satellite data publicly available by European Space Agency’s Sentinel 5P satellite between June and August 2018.
• https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate

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