Health risk assessment due to biomass smoke exposure in Indian indoor environment: An empirical approach using lung deposition model.

The paper subsumes a framework that assesses health risk due to exposure to different fuel combustion through articulation of modern microscopic techniques, empirical equations, lung diagnostic tools and a pre-existing model that has been extrapolated to futuristic aspects (within controlled conditions). The framework was tested on 132 household cooks belonging to different age groups and using different types of fuel. The inhalable fraction released during fuel combustion varied in morphological characteristics and deposition site. Micrographs obtained using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis of (biomass smoke) soot indicates aggregate formation attributing to a higher level of health risk. Further, abnormal ventilatory function along with higher risk (RR > 1) was more evident within biomass fuel users. The condition further exacerbates while using dung cakes due to high levels of emissions (294.3 particles/liter) that deposit in the upper respiratory tract (0.0899). Further, the population attributable risk percent (79%) calculated on the basis of cooking behavior suggests a 'rural culture' health determinant as clean fuel usage is not practiced as an outcome of low literacy and poor income in the region. These preliminary findings highlight the drudgery of impuissant women who are exposed to high particulate emissions on a regular basis which results in reduced lung function. Nevertheless, further cogitation is required to eliminate the limitations in this study and explore further linkages between exposure and vulnerable group to generate meaningful policy recommendations.

Assessment of regional climatic changes in the Eastern Himalayan region: a study using multi-satellite remote sensing data sets.

In this study, an attempt has been made to capture the sensitivity of a mountainous region to elevation-dependent warming and the response of a glacier-laden surface to increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosol concentration. Some of the changes Sikkim has undergone due to urban sprawl are as follows: an increase of ~0.7 ± 0.46 °C temperature in the past 40 years at an altitude of 5.5 km; a 2.21 km(2)/year rate of loss of glacierised area in the past 33 years; an increase in absorbed longwave radiation (6 ± 2.41 W/m(2)); an increase in heat fluxes (2 ± 0.97 W/m(2)); a decrease in albedo during the last 30 years; an increase in the concentrations of carbon dioxide (4.42%), methane (0.61%), ozone (0.67%) and black carbon column optical depth (7.19%); a decrease in carbon monoxide (2.61%) and an increase in aerosol optical depth (19.16%) during the last decade; a decrease in precipitation, water yield, discharge and groundwater; and an increase in evapotranspiration during 1971-2005. Detection of three climate signals (1976, 1997 and 2005) in the entire analysis is the quantification of the fact that the climate of Sikkim is moving away from its inter-annual variability. An increase in temperature (0.23 °C/decade) at higher altitude (~5.5 km), suppression of precipitation, decreasing water availability and rapid loss of glacierised area are the evidences of the fact that air pollution is playing a significant role in bringing about regional climatic changes in Sikkim. In this study, change detection method has been used for the first time for the estimation of change in a glacierised area of the region.

The impact assessment of Diwali fireworks emissions on the air quality of a tropical urban site, Hyderabad, India, during three consecutive years.

Diwali is one of the largest festivals for Hindu religion which falls in the period October-November every year. During the festival days, extensive burning of firecrackers takes place, especially in the evening hours, constituting a significant source of aerosols, black carbon (BC), organics, and trace gases. The widespread use of sparklers was found to be associated with short-term air quality degradation events. The present study focuses on the influence of Diwali fireworks emissions on surface ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and BC aerosol concentration over the tropical urban region of Hyderabad, India during three consecutive years (2009-2011). The trace gases are analyzed for pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali days in order to reveal the festivity's contribution to the ambient air quality over the city. A twofold to threefold increase is observed in O3, NO x , and BC concentrations during the festival period compared to control days for 2009-2011, which is mainly attributed to firecrackers burning. The high correlation coefficient (~0.74) between NO x and SO2 concentrations and higher SO2/NO x (S/N) index suggested air quality degradation due to firecrackers burning. Furthermore, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation-derived aerosol subtyping map also confirmed the presence of smoke aerosols emitted from firecrackers burning over the region. Nevertheless, the concentration level of pollutants exhibited substantial decline over the region during the years 2010 and 2011 compared to 2009 ascribed to various awareness campaigns and increased cost of firecrackers.