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Hookahs, or water pipes, are ornate glass bowl structures used to smoke tobacco products, often in private or public social settings. Hookah smoking is believed to have originated in ancient India in the 16th century; however, it has seen rapid global expansion over the last two decades. A number of studies using high-cost, regulatory or research grade instruments have found respirable particulate concentrations in hookah lounges up to several hundred micrograms per cubic meter. In the summer of 2018, a study was initiated examining the PM 2.5 concentrations in several hookah lounges in Nablus and Tulkarm, Palestine (West Bank). However, rather than using the typical high-cost system, low-cost laser light scattering and detection systems were used. Observed PM 2.5 concentrations ranged from 84 to 371 μg/m3, concentrations considered to be of notable health concerns in the indoor environment and well within the range of hookah-related particulate matter reported in the literature. Further, examination of the 10-min average temporal PM 2.5 concentrations showed variable correlation with the number of active smokers and a seeming dependency on the type of building ventilation. The employed low-cost particulate systems proved capable of reliably quantifying PM 2.5 levels in a variety of hookah lounges, as well as being able to characterize the temporal nature of the PM 2.5 concentration changes. The results of this study suggest that these systems may be an economic and reliable alternative for particulate studies. • Low-cost systems were used to examin the PM 2.5 in hookah lounges in Palestine. • Observed PM 2.5 concentrations ranged from 84 to 371 μg/m3. • These concentrations considered to be of notable health concerns. • The concentrations averages showed dependency on the type of building ventilation. • The low-cost particulate systems proved capable of reliably quantifying PM 2.5 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few air pollutant studies within the Palestinian territories have been reported in the literature. In March–April and May–June of 2018, three low-cost, locally calibrated particulate monitors (AirU's) were deployed at different elevations and source areas throughout the city of Nablus in Northern West Bank, Palestine. During each of the three-week periods, high but site-to-site similar particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and less than 10 µm (PM10) concentrations were observed. The PM2.5 concentrations at the three sampling locations and during both sampling periods averaged 38.2 ± 3.6 µg/m3, well above the World Health Organization's (WHO) 24 h guidelines. Likewise, the PM10 concentrations exceeded or were just below the WHO's 24 h guidelines, averaging 48.5 ± 4.3 µg/m3. During both periods, short episodes were identified in which the particulate levels at all three sites increased substantially (≈2×) above the regional baseline. Air mass back trajectory analyses using U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model suggested that, during these peak episodes, the arriving air masses spent recent days over desert areas (e.g., the Saharan Desert in North Africa). On days with regionally low PM2.5 concentrations (≈20 µg/m3), back trajectory analysis showed that air masses were directed in from the Mediterranean Sea area. Further, the lower elevation (downtown) site often recorded markedly higher particulate levels than the valley wall sites. This would suggest locally derived particulate sources are significant and may be beneficial in the identification of potential remediation options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]