Ijaret 06 09_003

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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology
(IJARET)
Volume 6, Issue 9, Sep 2015, pp. 14-25, Article ID: IJARET_06_09_003
Available online at
http://www.iaeme.com/IJARET/issues.asp?JType=IJARET&VType=6&IType=9
ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499
© IAEME Publication
___________________________________________________________________________
AIR POLLUTION IN PORTS AND ITS
EFFECT ON CARGO OPERATION (ALEX
HARBOUR AS CASE OF STUDY)
Tamer Elgohary
Civil Engineering Dept., Canadian international college, New Cairo, Egypt
Moussa S. El-Bisy
Civil Engineering Dept., Higher Technological Institute, 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt
ABSTRACT
Harbor labor health and their efforts rate is one of the major factors that
affect on cargo operation and its development plans, Labors health can be
affected by many factors such as oxygen lake in surrounding atmosphere due
to air pollution which cause many health problems such as respiratory system
diseases and the weakness of their mutation system. All the previous lead us to
the conclusion that we should control these factors before establishing any
harbor development plans by investigating the surrounding atmosphere and
establishing assessment technique and monitoring system to avoid its serious
negative effects. This research aimed to find the relation between sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and suspended particulate matter
existing in air and Alex harbor labors efforts rate in order to find the exact
recommendations for avoiding such problem and to construct reliable
monitoring system for it.
Key words: Air Pollution, Ports, Cargo Operation, Alex Harbor, Dekhila Port.
Cite this Article: Tamer Elgohary and Moussa S. El-Bisy. Air Pollution In
Ports and Its Effect On Cargo Operation (Alex Harbour As Case of Study).
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology,
6(9), 2015, pp. 14-25.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJARET/issues.asp?JType=IJARET&VType=6&IType=9
1. INTRODUCTION
The dry air of Egypt and the prevailing inactive winds almost the year increase the air
pollution due the lake of precipitation occurrence. Also the surrounding desert which
contribute almost 90% of Egypt surface area increase the air content of dust.
The increasing of development plans, industrial projects and road vehicles leads to
the increasing of air pollution due to the different gases emissions, Air pollution affect

2. Air Pollution In Ports and Its Effect On Cargo Operation (Alex Harbour As Case of Study)
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on people health and on work rate in negative way. Many diseases were recorded due
to air pollution such as respiratory system diseases, heart problems and lung cancer.
A comprehensive study was achieved to correlate the relation between harbor
labor effort rate and the air pollution different elements such as sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and suspended particulate matter ( Alex harbor as
case of study).
To understand which air pollution source has the most significant effect on labor
effort rate and cargo operation. So in order to achieve that we have first to study each
source of air pollution sources individually to find its serious effect on health and
labor effort rate in form of cargo operation progress. Air pollutants in Egypt are
monitored by the National Network for Monitoring Air Pollutants (NNMAP).
NNMAP has 54 stations covering most of the regions exposed to air pollution hazards
to monitor Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO)
and Particulate Matter PM10 as shown in fig (1). The network was initially
established in 1999 to cope with the progressive increase in the sources of
pollution[1].Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs regularly upgrades NNMAP
within the framework of a comprehensive system, observing international standards
of air pollutant monitoring systems and published the stations records data in annual
reports[2], Through these records and by the help of Alexandria port statistics data we
could find the relation between air pollution sources and labor harbor effort rate in
form of cargo operation progress.
Figure 1 National Network for Monitoring Air Pollutants (Delta region)

3. Tamer Elgohary and Moussa S. El-Bisy
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2. TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION SOURCES
2.1. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Short term exposure to high level of sulfur dioxide cause health problems. Long term
exposure to high level of sulfur dioxide cause lung function changes. Short term
exposure to low level of sulfur dioxide affect on animal ability to breathe.
2.2. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Combustion of liquid petroleum fuel under high temperature cause the formation of
nitrogen dioxide. Low level of nitrogen dioxide can cause eyes irritation, lungs
problems, shortness of breath and nausea. Exposure to high level of nitrogen dioxide
can cause rapid buning, spasms, reducing of oxygenation of body tissues and building
up fluids in lung to cause death at the end, it also burns shin and eyes.
2.3. carbon monoxide (CO)
Fuel burning in viechles engines, power stations, factories emissions and burning of
rice straws. The high level of carbon monoxide in air can cause body to replace
oxygen in red blood cells by carbon monoxide and at the end cause death. Exposing to
low level of carbon mono oxide can cause headache , dizziness, weakness, upset
stomach, vomiting, confusion and chest pain.
2.4. Suspended particulate matter (MP10)
Suspended particulate matter (MP10) is caused by air dust which come from
surrounding dessert. It also can be caused by burning of fossil fuel, factories
emissions and rice straws burning. Suspended particulate matter( MP10) have the
ability to penetrate deep into lungs and blood causing permanent DNA mutation , lung
cancer and heart attacks. Ambient Air Quality Limit values as given by Law no.4 for
Egypt (1994) compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality
guideline values is shown in Table (1).
3. DEFICIENCY OF OXYGEN
The oxygen deficiency affect on human body in very negative way such as increasing
levels of hemoglobin as a result of oxygen poor blood. This can thicken the blood and
impair its ability to flow easily.
Figure 2 O2 Deficit and its effect on muscles

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The arteries that carry blood from the heart into the lungs sense low oxygen levels
and constrict to direct blood to more normal areas of the lung. This causes pressure in
the pulmonary arteries to rise. The heart responds by dilating and contracting
ineffectively, eventually causing the heart to fail. A common warning sign of this
condition is edema or swelling of the legs [3]. The effect of oxygen deficit in air on
muscles efforts can be shown in fig (2).
Table 1 Ambient Air Quality Limit values as given by Law no.4 for Egypt (1994) compared
to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values.
Pollutant
Averaging
time
Maximum Limit Value
WHO Egypt
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) 1 hour 500 (10 min) 350
24 hours 125 150
Year 50 60
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 1 hour 200 400
24 hours - 150
Year 40-50
Ozone (O3) 1 hour 150-200 200
8 hours 120 120
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 1 hour 30 000 30 000
8 hours 10 000 10 000
Black Smoke (BS) 24 hours 50 150
Year - 60
Total Suspended Particles (TSP) 24 hours - 230
Year - 90
Particles <10 ppm (PM10) 24 hours 70 70
Lead (Pb) Year 0.5-1,0 1
3.2. Alex harbor description
Figure 3 Alexandia port map

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The City of Alexandria is located at the west end of the River Nile between the
Mediterranean Sea and Mariot Lake. It is considered the second most important city
and the main port in Egypt, it handles over three quarters of Egypt’s foreign trade.
Alexandria port consists of two harbors (East and west) separated by a T-shaped
peninsula. The East harbor is shallow and is not used in navigation. The West harbor
is used for commercial shipping. The harbor is formed by two converging
breakwaters.
Alex Harbour as shown in Fig(3) is consists of two ports which are Alexandria
Port and El-Dekheila Port, Alexandria Port water Surface is of 6.8 km2
and its Land
Surface is of 16 km2
, It consists of 67 Berths of total length 10600 m. and its depths
ranges from 8.5 - 16 m which cover hinter land of 1650000 m2
including
administrative buildings & stores.
El-Dekheila Port water Surface is of 2.74 km2
and its Land Surface is of 3.5 km2
,
It consists of 14 Berths of total length 7200 m. and its depths ranges from 10 - 20 m
which cover hinter land of 3500000 m2
including administrative buildings & external
area[4].
3.2. Port operation data
Port Traffic during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014 , Ships and cargo traffic in Alexandria and
El Dekhila ports 2014 can be shown from table (2) to table (3) and from fig (4) to fig
(6) [5].
a. Types of Ships
Ports different types of ships passing through it can be shown from table (2).
Table2 Types of ships
Type of the ship Arrival
The Ratio of arrival to
%the total
Gen. Cargo ships without containers 599 26
Dry Bulk ships 343 15
Liquid Bulk ships 291 13
Container ships 793 34
Ferries 207 9
Cruises 1 0
Others 93 4
Total 2327 100

6. Air Pollution In Ports and Its Effect On Cargo Operation (Alex Harbour As Case of Study)
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Figure 4 Ship types in Alex harbor during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014
b. Handled cargo
Handled cargo during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014 that can be shown in table (3) and in fig
(5).
TABLE 3 Handled cargo during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014
Item Imp. Exp. Total Ratio of the total
Gen. Cargo 3262068 515012 3777080 13
Dry Bulk cargo 13648549 426689 12075238 43
Liquid Bulk cargo 3230750 1227887 4458637 16
Total of non containerized cargo 18141367 2169588 20310955 72
Non containerized general cargo 4617793 3153130 7771923 28
Total 22760160 5322718 28082878 100
Figure 5 Handled cargo in Alex port
0
5000000
10000000
15000000
20000000
25000000
30000000
Non containerized
cargo
Dry Bulk cargo Liquid Bulk cargo Total of non
containerized cargo
Non containerized
general cargo
TOTAL
Total Imp. Exp.
Arrival , Gen. Cargo
ships with out
containers, 599
Arrival , Dry Bulk ships,
343
Arrival , Liquid Bulk
ships, 291
Arrival , Container ships,
793
Arrival , RORO, 207
Arrival , Cruises, 1
Gen. Cargo ships with out containers Dry Bulk ships
Liquid Bulk ships Container ships
RORO Cruises

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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2500 2700 2900 3100 3300 3500 3700 3900
SO2
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
Figure 6 Containers Traffic in El Dekhila port
3.3. Containers Traffic
Handled containers in Alexandria and El Dekhila ports during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014
show in table (4) and in fig (6).
Table 4 Handled containers in Alexandria and El Dekhila ports during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014
Item Imp. Exp. Total Ratio of the Total %
Local 4488633 3025495 7514128 97
Transit 130160 127635 257795 3
Total 4618793 3153130 7771923 100
Relations between labor harbor efforts and air pollution
Relations between labor harbor efforts and air pollution during 1/1/2014 to 30/6/2014
can be shown from fig (7) to fig (14).
Figure 7 Relation between SO2 and daily handling rate in Alex port
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
900000
Imp. Exp. Total
Local Transit Total

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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850
SO2
microgram/m3
Handling rate
ton/day
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850
NO2
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
3500 3600 3700 3800 3900 4000
NO2
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
Figure 8 Relation between SO2 and daily handling rate in Dekhila port
Figure 9 Relation between NO2 and daily handling rate in Alex port
Figure 10 Relation between SO2 and daily handling rate in Dekhila port

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0
50
100
150
200
1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850
MP10
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
0
50
100
150
200
2500 2700 2900 3100 3300 3500 3700 3900
MP10
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850
Co
microgram/m3
Handling rate
Ton/day
Figure 11 Relation between MP10 and daily handling rate in Alex port
Figure 12 Relation between MP10 and daily handling rate in Dekhila port
Figure 13 Relation between CO and daily handling rate in Alex port

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0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2500 2700 2900 3100 3300 3500 3700 3900
CO
microgram/m3
handling rate
( ton/day)
Figure 14 Relation between CO and daily handling rate in Dekhila port
4. RESULT ANALYSIS
As shown from fig (7) to fig (8) the rate of handling for both Alexandria and Dekhila
harbor is decreasing with the increasing of SO2 due the reason that Acute effects of
SO2 to high levels can possibly burn the skin and eyes and may result in permanent
eye damage. High levels may also cause pulmonary edema pulmonary edema (when
the lungs fill up with fluid). This is a true medical emergency since oxygen cannot get
through the fluid so the person may die. S02 can also cause the airway passages in the
lung to narrow resulting in wheezing, chest tightness, or breathing problems." SO2
has caused severe airways obstruction, hypoxemia (insufficient oxygenation of the
blood).
As shown from fig (9) to fig (10) the rate of handling for both Alexandria and
Dekhila harbor is decreasing with the increasing of NO2 due the reason that The
nitrogen gas dissolves slightly in the blood and circulates around the body harmlessly.
Under pressure however the amount dissolved nitrogen increases. If the
decompression is slow and careful, the dissolved nitrogen comes out of the body
fluids and can be removed through the lungs, but, if decompression is too rapid, the
'bends' causes great pain and even death. This decompression sickness is caused by
bubbles of nitrogen rapidly coming out of solution in the bloodstream, That cause
injury and death by depriving the body of oxygen.
As shown from fig (11) to fig (12) the rate of MP10 for both Alexandria and
Dekhila harbor is increasing with the increasing of hand ling rate due the reason that
one of the main sources of MP10 in harbor air is the dust and the minute particles
which is come out from cargo and shipment handling inside ports and the reversible
effects of MP10 on health is long term effects not short one so its effects on health
will take years to be significant.
As shown from fig (13) to fig (14) the rate of handling for both Alexandria and
Dekhila harbor is decreasing with the increasing of CO due the reason that CO2 is 24
times more soluble than O2 in water. Thus, the oxygen content of blood in the
presence of carbon monoxide is much lower.

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5. CONCLUSIONS
It was noticed that in both Alexandria port and Dekhila port the following facts:
1. MP 10 is increased with daily handling rate and that because of the fact that
MP 10 is caused by mostly the cargo dust, its effect on labor health is taking
much time longer to be noticed in their performance.
2. Daily handling rate is decreased with the increasing of CO , SO2 and No2
and that is due to the following reasons:
 Humans breathe nitrogen in and out of their lungs all the time, without any serious
side effects. The nitrogen gas dissolves slightly in the blood and circulates around the
body harmlessly. Under pressure however the amount dissolved nitrogen increases. If
the decompression is slow and careful, the dissolved nitrogen comes out of the body
fluids and can be removed through the lungs, but, if decompression is too rapid, the
'bends' causes great pain and even death. This decompression sickness is caused by
bubbles of nitrogen rapidly coming out of solution in the bloodstream, That cause
injury and death by depriving the body of oxygen.
 b- Acute effects of S02 to high levels can possibly burn the skin and eyes and may
result in permanent eye damage. High levels may also cause pulmonary edema
pulmonary edema (when the lungs fill up with fluid). This is a true medical
emergency since oxygen cannot get through the fluid so the person may die.S02 can
also cause the airway passages in the lung to narrow resulting in wheezing, chest
tightness, or breathing problems." SO2 has caused severe airways obstruction,
hypoxemia (insufficient oxygenation of the blood).
 CO2 is 24 times more soluble than O2 in water. Thus, the oxygen content of blood in
the presence of carbon monoxide is much lower.
6. RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Decreasing the percentage of sulfur dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen
dioxide, suspended solids, leads and black smoke in Alexandria port air.
2. Constructing monitoring system inside Alexandria port to detect any air
composition changes and to give recommendations to avoid such problem.
3. Establishing especial legislations and rules for ports to give more control of
ship engines fuel combustion.
4. Activate the environmental Law no.4 for Egypt (1994) to control surrounding
urban and industrial area emissions which contribute in ports air pollution.
5. Create strong medical insurance system in order to cover all labors in all port
sectors to provide annual a comprehensive health examination which will
give good a alert for any common Epidemiological phenomena.
6. A study of water pollution effect on labor health and also on cargo handling
operation inside Alexandria port.
7. A study of soil pollution effect on food chain and on labor health which will
give significant reflect on cargo handling operation inside Alexandria port.

12. Air Pollution In Ports and Its Effect On Cargo Operation (Alex Harbour As Case of Study)
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