PM2.5 is a major cause of concern globally as it is more likely to travel into and deposit on the surface of the deeper parts of the lung, while PM10 (a little coarser) is more likely to deposit on the surfaces of the larger airways of the upper region of the lung.Particles deposited on the lung surface can induce tissue damage and lung inflammation.
Among the global cities, Dhaka, which is 406 km away from Kolkata, emerged as the worst polluted city, with a PM2.5 concentration close to 140 µg/m³ (microgram per cubic meter), while Kolkata and Chennai emerged cleaner with PM2.5 concentration below 20 µg/m³. Dhaka was closely followed by Delhi, with PM2.5 hovering above 80 µg/m³. Even London and New York, which managed to achieve a stellar record in containing air pollution, had more than 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 concentration.
“Besides our targeted act of containing air pollution, the meteorology played a huge role. The heat has pushed the planetary boundary layer up, allowing faster dispersal of pollutants. Moreover, the high relative humidity also coalesced the smaller particulate matter into coarser ones, preventing their suspension in the air,” said West Bengal Pollution Control Board chairman Kalyan Rudra.
Clean air is our fundamental right under the Constitution. Our path to achieving clean air will also be an inspiration to other developing nations because nearly half the population of the world today lives in poor air quality. Our actions for clean air are very important for climate change and for India to meet our international commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2070, said the study.
Air pollution and climate change are two sides of the same coin. Air pollution affects the health of citizens today, and climate change imperils future generations. Air pollutants and greenhouse gases often come from the same source, such as coal-fired power, steel and cement plants, automotive emissions from diesel and petrol, industrial emissions of CO2 and methane, firewood burning, agricultural waste burning, the study added.
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