Carcinogens new parameters for air quality standards
Carcinogens like Benzene, Benzo (a) pyrene, Arsenic and Nickel will now be the focus while monitoring for Ambient Air Quality Standards. While a notification was issued in this respect in 2009 by Central Pollution Control Board under Government of India, all the states were given about three years to procure the required systems and infrastructure development for real time or continuos ambient air quality monitoring.
It is to be mentioned that while Benzene has been classified as Group I carcinogen, Benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) has been catalogued as Group 2 A Human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Officials at Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board revealed that Andhra Pradesh is almost at the same stage of introducing these new parameters as others in the country. Hyderabad, without any doubt, being majorly polluted with respect to aforementioned contaminants will see these carcinogens being monitored within next two months. The earlier seven parameters under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 included Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of Nitrogen, Respiratory Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM), Total Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM + Non-RSPM), Ozone, Lead and Ammonia. Of these, Total SPM has been removed.
A senior scientist at Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board revealed that Benzene causes brings about harmful changes in bone marrow by decreasing red blood cells and causing anaemia, leukaemia, excessive bleeding and decreasing the immunity. Both Benzene and BaP, the aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogenic and mutagenic and both have inferred effects threshold of zero.
Officials further disclosed that airborne compounds of Arsenic and Nickel released into ambient air through vehicular emissions from liquid fuels have been added to the new parameters for their high concentration in various cities of India and for being carcinogenic heavy metals. An additional parameter of particulate matter size less than 2.5 microns has also been added, taking the total of new parameters to 12.
Post new comment