Air pollution is a serious environmental problem in industrialized towns, where a significant portion of the residents live in close proximity to factories and major highways with high traffic load. In this study, the ambient air quality in Gebze, an industrial region with an area of 438 km(2) and a population of 300,000, was characterized in terms for total suspended particulate matter and its composition of trace elements, i.e. Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb. Samples were collected using high volume samplers from March to June 2009 at two sites during the day and the night. A significantly higher Cu concentrations during night suggested that Cu emissions were the result of a local source. The known air toxics, Cd and Ni, had average concentrations (34 and 43 ng/m(3), respectively) higher than proposed by the European Union's ambient air quality standards. These results highlight the potential health risks for the local population.

The aim of this study is to examine levels, temporal changes and interactions of major air pollutants with meteorological variables in Ankara, Turkey. The level of air pollutants namely PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO, NO2, NOX, O3, CO was evaluated monthly, seasonally, and annually during 2019. The statistical relationship between air pollutants and ambient temperature, relative humidity and air pressure was examined and discussed. The pollutants concentrations started to rise in the morning and evening hours (excluding O3) when the traffic was at its peak and was at the highest level between 10:00 -14:00 and 22:00-02:00. It was seen at the lowest values (excluding O3) during daylight hours. A strong positive correlation was reported between PM10 and both PM2.5 and CO. Also, it was positive between NO and CO and NOX. On the other hand, negative correlation was reported between O3 and all other parameters. Moreover, paired comparisons of the selected parameters during the seasons were investigated. A statistically significant difference was found between different paired parameters namely CO/NOX, SO2/NOX and PM2.5/PM10. The results revealed that the changes in the meteorological parameters during the mentioned seasons significantly impact the behavior of air pollutant parameters.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become global public health concern and the first death due to COVID-19 in Turkey occurred on 16 March 2020. Therefore, the Turkish governments took some precautions such as curfew, travel restriction, social isolation and shut down the schools and the universities within the scope of the fight of COVID-19. These precautions may cause a decrease in mobility, which in turn expectation to decrease in traffic-related emissions. In this study, the change in the amount of PM10 and NO2 pollutants were evaluated by dividing them in two periods before and after the virus in 2016 and 2020. Traffic-induced PM10 and NO2 concentrations were monitored at 4 stations located close to road traffic in Istanbul. As a result of the study, it was observed that there was no significant difference in PM10 concentration, however NO2 concentrations decreased by 11.8 percent in the after-virus period.

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