The Concept of Clean Air for Blue Skies: Where could the change begin?

The Intricacies of Air Pollution

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Air we breathe is the most important commodity for the sustenance of life. Water, food, and shelter come after it. In 1772, Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered Oxygen. As a child, when I heard this, I wondered, so what if he didn’t discover it? Will all humans die?

Childhood curiosity is a gift that all humans have. Often, the questions that arise in a child’s mind can be genuine and inspiring. The living world wouldn’t have existed if they had no oxygen to breathe. Without knowing what we were breathing, we have been inhaling it and living on this globe. Isn’t it fascinating?

Humans unraveled the mysteries of life with their evolved intelligence. They were the only species to have decoded the sophisticated science that is happening around our environment. But, this intelligence had its side effects.

Other species on earth were unaware of the intricacies of life. They were also harmless to their environment. Humans, as they understood the world through science, their mastery of it resulted in many harmful impacts. One of the most serious of them is Air Pollution.

Air Pollution

In simple terms, pollution happens when a harmful substance is introduced into our environment. It can be natural and anthropogenic. An event of a volcanic eruption can cause high amounts of air pollutants to get released into the atmosphere. This is natural air pollution.

Natural events when it causes air pollution, nature often recuperates itself after a certain interval of time. But, in anthropogenic air pollution, nature is not given that crucial interval of time to recuperate. The emission of air pollutants is continuous in the latter case.

Our environment is equipped with mechanisms to purify itself if events of pollution happen. In the case of air pollution, wind speed, direction, topography, and emission rate are crucial parameters. They help in spreading and dissipating the pollutants that emanate from a pollution source. If the concentration of a contaminant in an air parcel increases in concentration, it becomes a pollutant. It becomes toxic to humans, living organisms, and the environment.

There are seven types of air pollutants. They are:

1. Lead (Pb)
2. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
3. Carbon monoxide (CO)
4. Particulate matter (PM)
5. Ozone (O3)
6. Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
7. Other pollutants

The first six are the main air pollutants, and they are called criteria pollutants. The other pollutant category involves nine pollutants whose emissions are less but poses a significant health risk if the emissions exceed. They are:

1. Creosote
2. Acrolein
3. Asbestos
4. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
5. Benzene
6. Synthetic Vitreous Carbon
7. Polycyclic Hydrocarbons
8. Carbon disulfide
9. Kerosene and other fuel oils

All the criteria pollutants have a limit beyond which it poses a significant health risk and below which it is acceptable.

It is to be noted that the seven main air pollutants are a class of its own. The category of water pollutants and soil pollutants are entirely different from them. Also, these pollutants have no relation with either ozone hole depletion or the global warming-induced climate change. However, there are points where doubts may arise.

Criteria Pollutants

Lead is a heavy metal. In its solid metallic form, it doesn’t pose any risk. But, lead is used as an additive in many applications. It is added to petrol and diesel for the enhanced performance of automobile engines. It is used in paints for a longer lifetime of the paint.

Similar usage of lead has resulted in tiny particles of lead being released into our environment. These tiny particles, if inhaled, are toxic and lead to many disorders associated with the kidney, lungs, nervous and reproductive system.

Nitrogen dioxide emission has vehicular exhaust as one of its main sources. It is toxic. It causes asthma and bronchitis.

Carbon monoxide has a greater affinity towards hemoglobin compared to oxygen. This leads to carbon monoxide getting absorbed by hemoglobin at the alveoli of the lungs and leads to asphyxiation. Automobile emissions are a major source of carbon monoxide emission.

Particulate Matter (PM) is of two types based on the size of particles. PM2.5 has particles below or equal to 2.5 microns of size. They are also called fine particulate matter (FPM). PM10 has particles below or equal to 10 microns of size. They are also called Coarse Particulate Matter (CPM). PM2.5 is more dangerous than PM10 because of their ability to get through the respiratory tract and reach the lungs. They are capable of damaging the respiratory tract and lungs. Major contributors to FPM and CPM are anthropogenic activities such as construction activities, industrial processes, and solid waste burning.

Ozone is a crucial molecule for the sustenance of life. It prevents the harmful UV radiation coming from the sun from reaching the earth’s surface. So how does ozone become a pollutant?

The Ozone layer is found in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. The layer that we humans live in is called the troposphere. The stratosphere is situated on top of the troposphere. Human or living world interaction with Stratosphere is minimal; hence the ozone at the stratosphere doesn’t pose any risk. But rather, they perform a beneficial function for the sustenance of life.

Ozone in the troposphere is a considerable risk. It is called ground-level ozone. Ground-level Ozone is highly poisonous and can damage the lungs. It is formed by the reactions of primary pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen with volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight.

Sulfur dioxide is introduced into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions and fossil fuel combustion. It can cause inflammation of the respiratory tract. The increased concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere leads to acid rains.

Risk Assessment

The permissible limit of individual criteria pollutants is assessed by risk assessment. It is measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air. Measurements are done at regular intervals. The mean of the total measurements for a particular period of time, ranging from one hour to one year, is taken.

Each country has a permissible limit of its own in this regard for criteria pollutants. WHO and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) standards for criteria pollutants are Internationally recognized. The US EPA permissible limit standards for the criteria pollutants are as follows:

1. Lead: A 3-month mean of 0.15 microgram per cubic meter of air.
2. Nitrogen dioxide: An annual mean of 53 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
3. Carbon monoxide: An 8-hour mean of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
4. Particulate Matter: An annual mean of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air for PM2.5. A 24-hour mean of 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air for PM10.
5. Ozone: An 8 hour mean of 0.073 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
6. Sulfur dioxide: A 3-hour mean of 0.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

Current Scenario and the way ahead

In 2019, there were a total of 7 million premature deaths attributable to air pollution globally. South Asian countries feature in the top 10 of this list. Globally, 12% of total infant deaths were related to air pollution in 2019. India tops the list with 160 thousand infant deaths.

Developing countries are the worst hit by air pollution. Their exponential population growth and unplanned urbanization have been causes of concern for the last few years. For India, this catastrophe was in the making. India’s cities have consistently dominated the list of most polluted cities in the world. In 2019, 6 of the top 10 polluted cities in the world were from India.

At this backdrop, India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) famously remarked that none of the deaths in India is attributable to Air Pollution. The ultra-right government’s antipathy resulted in the worsening of air quality. This has caused hostile air conditions in Urban centers of the Country.

The developing world is reeling under air pollution. India is leading it up from the front in complacency and science denialism. In the name of development, environmental safeguards are flouted, leaving the common people to suffer. The misconception that economic development comes at the cost of environmental deterioration has led to the current situation.

Many of these countries, including India, lack a solid sustainable development plan. The discourse is still dominated by the vague term ‘Development’, not the holistic term of ‘Sustainable Development’, which is the need of the hour for the developing world.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 target 11.6 elaborates on improved air quality being necessary for sustainable cities and communities. Goal 9 Target 9.4 stresses adopting environmentally clean and sound technologies for the same.

The stress of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 on reducing air pollution prompted the formation of International Cooperation to reduce air pollution. The event marked the coming together of many countries to alleviate the effects of air pollution in 2018. This paved way for the adoption of September 7 as the International Day of Clean Air for Blue skies.

Air pollution is a grave concern in the developing and underdeveloped world. The discourse in these countries needs to be steered from ‘Development’ to ‘Sustainable Development.’ This is crucial for providing clean and pure air to our younger generation so that they do not suffer because of our callousness. We can start by making ourselves aware and conscious of Air Sustainability and the intricacies of air pollution.