Maybe I’m really late to the party on this one, but I had no idea about the poor air quality in Riyadh before moving here. Having just delivered the Gents when J submitted his bid list of posts for us to relocate, I probably should have done some research. He’d been here before and never complained or mentioned anything significant to be concerned about, compared to his time spent in Jakarta. Between the Gents, work, move prep, the concerns of being a woman living here, etc. I think I know why this wasn’t top of mind.
Fast forward to now, let me give you a quick rundown of stats that I recently learned…
- In 2016 the World Health Organization released a list of the cities in the world with the worst air pollution, in which Riyadh ranks #4 with 156 µg/m3 of PM 2.5.
- What does this mean? In the air in Riyadh, there are 156 micrograms of ultra-fine particles per cubic meter or air. These particles are the size of 2.5 microns or less.
- Particles the size of 2.5 microns is concerning because their microscopic size allows them to travel deeper into the cardiopulmonary system. The WHO’s air quality guidelines recommend that the annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 10 µm/m3. Which means Riyadh’s level is 15 times what the recommended level should be!
- The city attributes the high pollution in part to sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the air, which comes from industrial activity - automobiles, power stations, oil refinery and cement plants.
- In 2014, Riyadh province had 4.8 million registered vehicles accounting for 30% of the total vehicles registered in KSA, compared to only being 20% of kingdom’s 30 million population.
- If my math is right that’s 800 cars per thousand people just in Riyadh, which is on par with the entire US. The big difference being that the US has emissions standards, whereas KSA really doesn’t.
Before I go any further, I want stress that I'm not trying to be an alarmist. I don’t believe we’re going to contract a respiratory condition or something horribly worse while living in Riyadh. There doesn’t seem to be much documented on the long term effects of ambient SO2. Note, there is a big difference between ambient and direct exposure. Based on a couple studies I found, in cities that were measured, ambient SO2 levels have decreased significantly over the last few decades in some cities. This may due to environmental standards in place. Because the decrease it seems difficult to determine any long term effects. Based on my personal experience though, and I'll admit that I'm probably more sensitive that others, I firmly believe that ambient levels of pollutants will make you feel like crap.
Soon after we arrived in June I just wasn’t feeling 100% - nausea, headaches, physically weak, lightheaded, constantly tired. Initially I attributed this to jet lag, dehydration, and the heat. It wasn’t constant. It just sort of came and went. I noticed the worst bouts were when I took Wally out for a walk or was in one of the motor pool vehicles. I drank more water, which is bottled because tap water isn't suitable to drink or use for cooking, and made sure I was eating more given our HIIT workouts. I didn’t say anything about it because J wasn’t complaining, but after 4-5 weeks it was still persisting. I asked J how he felt, running through my symptoms. He felt nothing, other than the occasional allergy annoyances. I felt so off that I actually thought I may be pregnant.
One of our neighbors went back to D.C. for a few weeks. After her return she was talking about how much better she felt back in the States and another person chimed in about how he always feels better when he leaves Riyadh. She said she hasn’t felt right since arriving here two years ago, basically saying she believes the air is just gross and it affects everyone differently. Hmmmmmm, so I wasn’t the only one dealing with this.
Coincidentally after that conversation, we started eating even more healthy. J and I both have gotten in good habits with our workouts but his lunches at the Embassy aren’t as clean as mine. He was really wanting something healthier for dinner. I switched to preparing all protein and veggies, mostly raw. If we have any carbs it’s limited to quinoa or whole grain bread that’s baked locally with no preservatives. Yes, we still get out for pizza and steak nights at the Embassy, as well our weekly date or dinner with friends. For the most part we eat relatively healthy.
I have my morning fruit and veggie smoothie, and my lunches are pretty much raw now. Since I’ve slightly altered my diet I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in how I feel. I may get nauseous from time to time, mainly on my rides home from work and I think that’s truly related to the number of vehicles on the road. Some days I can I smell the exhaust on me. It’s gross. Otherwise, I feel great. It’s amazing what a difference good, healthy food makes! On the days we don't eat as healthy I definitely feel sluggish.
What’s a little scary for me is the Gents. One of our neighbor's children has had a lot of EN&T issues since arriving and has been hospitalized a few times. His mother believes it's the air that's causing it. I know, everyone is different and some kids are more prone to getting sick. Since it’s so hot right now C&R haven’t spent much time outside this summer anyway. The weather will cool down though, they’re getting bigger, and we will be here for two years; inevitably they will be playing outside quite a bit. J has always joked that they eat healthier than us because of what I cook for them. They barely eat any processed food and what is processed is mostly organic. Hopefully the air quality won’t affect them much because they are eating so well, but I'm definitely conscious of it now.
The pollution issue is something being addressed in Vision 2030 under the tenant of Achieving Environmental Sustainability. I know the Metro is under construction here to help get some cars off the road and reduce the traffic issues. What else exactly is planned to be accomplished and when, who knows? I’ve tried finding some documentation on the topic, but all I have been able to find is an Arab News article from earlier this year stating that research is being commissioned to study greenhouse gas emissions, abnormal climate conditions and the carbon emissions’ increase in Riyadh. This is disappointing because Riyadh and KSA is way beyond studies being done, especially when this one was already done in 2014 assessing the air quality. Some action needs to be taken.
I'm so glad to gain this knowledge though. Every week in Riyadh I’m learning something new and I hope you are too from my sharing. For the most part, we in the first world are removed from experiencing what’s truly impacting the global environment because we aren’t living IN the major polluted or problem areas. Being in Riyadh has forced me to think about what I can be doing to better take care of myself and our family, inside and out, so the local environment doesn’t adversely affect us. With some mindful changes we’ll be even healthier for of it.