The ambient air quality monitoring was carried during the May 2003 to April 2004 along the (NH-6) passing through Jalgaon city. The average concentration of SOx 64 μg/m3, NOx 58 μg/m3, particulates (>10 μ) 515 μg/m3 and respirable dust particulates 224 μg/m3 was reported at Prabhat during the study period (May 2003-April 2004).

Indoor air pollution is potentially a very serious environmental and public health problem in India. In poor communities, with the continuing trend in biofuel combustion coupled with deteriorating housing conditions, the problem will remain for some time to come.

Exposure to air pollution affects pulmonary functions adversely. Effect of exposure to pollution on diurnal variation of peak flow was assessed in healthy students. Three hundred healthy age-matched nonsmoker students were studied. They were categorized into two groups on the basis of their residence: commuters and living on campus.

India is facing a serious double burden of disease. Most of the old infectious diseases like malaria, filariasis and kala-azar have not yet disappeared; indeed they are bouncing back. At the same time, other chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disorders are becoming more dominant.

The Central Pollution Control Board in exercise of its powers conferred under section 16(2) (h) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1981 (14 of 1981) notify the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 1994.

Any policy on blending ethanol with petrol has to keep in mind the costs involved in ethanol production - excessive use of scarce water to grow sugarcane and the effluents discharged in the process.

Rakesh BhartiaRakesh Bhartia
CEO, India Glycols

Apart from reducing feedstock for the chemicals industry, there are environment costs of the bio-fuel policy that are quite significant

Jaipur, October 2

Traditional hookah and chillum are more injurious to health than cigarette, a study has said.

The study underlines that the old mode of smoking is much more toxic than cigarette smoke as carbon monoxide (CO) level is higher in it, the study conducted by a group of pulmonary doctors of the SMS Hospital Medical College and the Asthma Bhawan here said.

Where do you go when the burning rubbish dump near you emits the smell of burning plastic and you know it is toxic?

A simple discussion of lung capacity appears to double the rate patients follow a doctor's advice to quit smoking.

Beijing will ban sales of new cars that fail to meet new emission standards starting from March, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, in another move to clean up its air before the August Olympic Games. All new cars are required to meet the new national standards that are equivalent to Euro IV standards, Xinhua said, citing Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the city's Environment Protection Bureau. The tougher emission standards will extend to heavy vehicles used for public transportation, sanitation and mail services from July, the report said. About a third of the main pollutants in Beijing such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide come from vehicle exhaust, said Du. The new standards are estimated to cut emission of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides by 48,000 tonnes, 5,300 tonnes and 4,100 tonnes, respectively, this year. The capital city will keep a ban on diesel vehicles which emit three times as much nitrogen oxide as gasoline-power ones, Du was quoted as saying. Beijing already ordered petrol stations in the city to sell gasoline and diesel that meet Euro IV standards at the start of 2008. The city has about 3.1 million motor vehicles, and every day about 1,200 new ones hit the road, Xinhua said. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) REUTERS NEWS SERVICE

Pages