Assessments of population exposure to environmental pollutants using air quality measurements during Commonwealth Games-2010. (May 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chate, Dilip; Beig, G.; Satpute, Trupti; Sahu, Saroj Kumar; Ali, K.; Parkhi, Neha; Ghude, Sachin
• Is Part Of: Inhalation toxicology. Volume 25:Number 6(2013)
• Page Start: 333
• Page End: 340
• Publication Date: 2013-05
• Subjects: Pulmonary toxicology -- Animal models -- Periodicals; Pulmonary toxicology -- Periodicals; Air -- Pollution -- Health aspects -- Periodicals; 616.200471
• DOI: 10.3109/08958378.2013.788103
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0895-8378

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p>During the "Commonwealth Games" 2010 (CWG-2010) in Delhi, the Indian government has implemented an ambitious project "System of Air quality Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)" for monitoring and forecasting air-quality scenario. Using high-precision spatio-temporal measurements of criteria pollutants from the SAFAR network, the number of cases are estimated for total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortalities and hospital admissions. In a thinly populated airport area, the excess number of cases for total mortality show ∼10 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and 25 for PM<sub>10</sub>, whereas, ∼110 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and ∼300 for PM<sub>10</sub> in most populous Delhi University (DU) area. Cardiovascular mortality in airport area show ∼5 and <10 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>, respectively, but, in DU area show ∼55 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and ∼140 for PM<sub>10</sub>. In DU locality, respiratory mortality shows ∼7 and ∼20 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub> and, hospital admissions show ∼11 and ∼30 for PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>, respectively<sub>.</sub> In airport area, excess cases of respiratory mortality and hospital admission tends to one for exposure to PM<sub>2.5</sub> or PM<sub>10</sub> levels indicating effective exposure is the key factor for health hazards. As public health gains, low air pollution levels were observed before the CWG due to effective washout by monsoonal rain and during CWG under policy-induced air quality measures could increase the life expectancy as against to post-CWG period. These results are important for the megacities in developing world as the SAFAR project is internationally recognized by the Global Urban Research Meteorology and Environment of the World Meteorological Organization.</p> </abstract>