Musings on Pure Air

As the temperatures start dipping and the city looks forward to the forthcoming festive season, Delhi Government gears up for high levels of air pollution in the coming months. The good news is that air pollution is recognized as a serious threat and it is heartwarming to see the National Capital take cognizance of the fact.  In October Delhi’s AQI dropped to “poor” for the first time in almost four months. This prompted the phase 1 of GRAP to kick-in. A complete ban on coal and wood fires, dust mitigation measures during construction and demolition, use of anti-smog guns, water sprinkling on roads to check dust pollution and zero tolerance of visible emissions from polluting vehicles are some of the restrictive anti-air pollution measures in effect across the region. The transport department has been instructed to tighten its vigil and penalize polluting vehicles. Construction and demolition activities in projects with plot size equal to or more than 500 square meters which are not re

Worldwide there is research being conducted on the impact of poor air quality on different demographic profiles . It has been established that constant exposure to air pollutants harms everyone and is not limited to respiratory disorders only. Studies are measuring different health parameters. Newer findings are emerging which bring to light certain phenomena which seemed unrelated in the beginning but are now being recognized as additional damage.   Growing evidence links mothers’ exposure to air pollution during pregnancy with an increased risk of their infants being born too small or too early. A recent research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy in September 2023 said that women exposed to air pollution give birth to smaller babies as compared to the babies born to women living in greener areas. The study was based on data from the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study and presented by Mr Robin Mzati Sinsamala, a res

While air pollution’s negative impacts on the lungs and cardiovascular system are well-recognized, poor air quality also has adverse consequences on the brain and affects mental and cognitive health. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 99% of the entire global population is exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution — meaning that the negative impacts of air pollution on human cognition are likely affecting us all.   Air pollution is known to create inflammatory responses within the body, and  chronic inflammation in the brain can damage neurons and the nervous system’s regulatory responses .  Animal research shows that air pollution can enter the brain and cause inflammation through a variety of pathways. This research states that chronic inflammation in animals can mimic symptoms like depression and bipolar disease in humans. Air pollution has been linked to a variety of serious mental and physical health problems in adults, including anxiety, depression, and n

Prana Air, a leading Indian company specializing in air quality monitoring solutions, is a case study of how technology can be harnessed to work with different industries in addressing the issue of air pollution. The company has worked and aided the likes of TATA Steel, Microsoft, and Ola in finding the causes of air pollution, the extent of the pollution, and ways to tackle the same.    In Jamshedpur in the eastern part of India, where one-fourth of the entire city is occupied by the TATA Steel plant, Prana, after making a preliminary study, installed 80 air quality monitors. These aimed to monitor the hyoerlocal air quality index and pinpoint the specific processes within the TATA Steel plant that caused maximum localized pollution. 70 monitors were fitted with PM sensors and attached to a weather station. Tata’s fuel and environment management system was connected with the ambient pro air quality monitor that could take readings for PM, SO2, NO2, O3, CO, humidity, and particulat

  The earth is inhabited by millions of species within the plant and animal worlds. All co-exist and live alongside human beings. Anything in nature that affects humans also affects plants and animals equally, and sometimes in more advanced ways, positively or negatively. One such thing that currently poses a harmful and seriously damaging influence on flora and fauna worldwide is Air Pollution or a very poor Air Quality Index (AQI).  While humans have evolved technologies, air travel, industrial processes, waste disposal methods, and other infrastructural activities, these have steadily deteriorated air quality to unmanageable levels. While human beings are responsible for the health and other damages due to this, the plants and animals bear the brunt of air pollution for no fault of their own. Some are also on the brink of extinction due to this. It is well-known that if plant and animal species keep vanishing from the face of the earth, the time is not far when the human race’s surv

In our previous blogs, we have discussed what constitutes air pollution, its quantified statistics, and the governmental regulations and measures to tackle the problem. However, such an effort can only be successful if we know the accurate methods to interpret these pollution statistics and pinpoint the precise reasons or things that cause such pollution. This blog thus attempts to uncover some of the components that together form a recipe for disaster related to the health and safety of people. Each comes with its set of causes, and each requires our attention and effort to prevent or minimize it.   Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles called aerosols, suspended gases, and chemical reactions that make them worse pollutants than in their original form. Most air pollution comes from energy use and production. Certain gases in the atmosphere can also cause air pollution. In addition, EPA (United States Environmental Agency) has identified six pollutants as "criteria

  In 2014, The World Health Organization studied the air quality of 1,600 cities in 91 countries. New Delhi, India, was ranked number 1 as the most polluted city in the world. Beyond the findings for Delhi, 13 of the top 20 cities with the highest annual averages of PM2.5 in the WHO study were also in India. The figures were alarming and concerning!   Using satellite-based remote sensing technology and ground-level data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Dr. Michael Greenstone and his team from WHO produced an insightful study (Greenstone et al., 2015) showing that 660 million people (more than half of India’s population at that time) lived in areas that highly exceed India’s standards for fine particulate pollution. Large portions of India, particularly in the north along the Indo-Gangetic plain, were heavily polluted and in non-compliance with India’s National Air Quality Standards (NAAQS.) Since 2014, this data has been updated yearly by the W.H.O. Though New Delhi subseq