A new research from IIT-K clarifies the causes of air pollution and its effects on health
Kanpur (UP): IIT-Kanpur has conducted a new study that identifies the main causes of air pollution and its effects on health in North India.
According to a study by Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi of IIT Kanpur’s Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering and Department of Civil Engineering, which was published in the journal “Nature Communications,” local emissions—particularly those resulting from incomplete fuel combustion—have a major impact on the region’s air pollution and health risks.
Even though earlier research has shown how bad India’s air pollution is, pinpointing the precise sources and gauging their respective contributions has been difficult.
According to an official announcement, Prof. Tripathi’s team examined air quality data from five places around the Indo-Gangetic plain, including regions in and around Delhi-NCR, in cooperation with national and international experts to get a thorough knowledge of the problem.
“We will be able to develop more effective strategies to protect public health and improve air quality thanks to the critical insights we gained from our study into the sources of air pollution and their impact on health in northern India,” Prof. Tripathi said. A better knowledge of the predominant roles performed by local emissions and inefficient combustion has resulted from the research.
The main causes of ammonium chloride and organic aerosols in Delhi are industrial activity, domestic heating, and transportation.
pollutants from burning agriculture and the secondary organic aerosols produced by these pollutants are more common outside of Delhi.
The incomplete combustion of fuels such as coal, wood, dung, and gasoline is one of the contributing factors to the issue.
This produces toxic particles that may hurt our lungs and result in a number of other health issues. Regardless of location, the research found that the primary source of air pollution’s oxidative potential—a crucial sign of its capacity to have a negative impact on health—was organic aerosols from incomplete burning of biomass and fossil fuels.
“The oxidative potential refers to the free radicals that are generated when pollutants interact with certain substances in our bodies or the environment,” Prof. Tripathi said.When these free radicals interact with DNA, proteins, and cells, harm may result. Oxidative potential quantifies the likelihood that air pollution may trigger this response, which can result in heart disease, respiratory disorders, and premature aging.This problem must be resolved immediately in order to lower emissions through focused initiatives that increase combustion efficiency across a range of industries.
