MIT study says high RSPMs in Delhi's air poses threat to residents
There's one more reason now not to breathe easy in the breathless national Capital.
A new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that the concentration of hazardous Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) in Delhi's air is double the national limit and six times the threshold set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
RSPMs are more dangerous to health because they are much smaller than Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), an umbrella term for all such substances with deleterious consequences, that are less than 100 micrometers in diameter.
These superfine particles can penetrate deeper into the lungs, making those who breathe Delhi's poisonous air more vulnerable to heart diseases, chronic bronchitis, asthma and even lung cancer. A particularly scary conclusion of the MIT study, which assessed air pollution levels in major Indian cities, found that living in the Capital can shorten a person's lifespan.
Indian cities exceed - sometimes way beyond acceptable limits - national and international standards for air pollution.
The RSPM concentration in Delhi is about 120 micrograms per cubic metre, which is twice the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre, the study points out.
The Delhi figure is also way above Tokyo's 60 micrograms per cubic metre and higher than Kuala Lumpur's 90. The standard set by WHO is 20 micrograms per cubic metre.
The MIT study forms part of a collection of international research papers published jointly by the Union environment ministry and the Supreme Court.
The paper, titled Improving Human Health Through A Market-Friendly Emissions Scheme, was released at a seminar on ' Global Environment and Disaster Management: Law and Society' in the Capital on Saturday.
A collaborative effort by a team of environmental experts from India and the US, the study quotes a WHO report and notes that particulate matter affects more people than any other pollutant, and that "there is no minimum threshold concentration limit below which it will be safe to assume that there will not be any harm to human health". The paper points out that particulate matter has been demonstrated to increase mortality in both children and adults - infants being especially vulnerable to high exposure during gestation. Even healthy people can have lung infection, albeit at a reduced intensity, as a result of prolonged exposure to particulate matter, the study warns.
Another study in 1997 had found that an increase of 100 micrograms per cubic meter in pollution levels raised the total daily deaths in a city by 2.3 per cent.
"We need more aggressive methods to tackle pollution in the city," commented Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment.
"The RSPM levels in the city have been steadily rising since 2007," Roychowdhury said.
"After the introduction of CNG and other pollution mitigation measures in 2002, the RSPM levels had come down in Delhi. For the last few years, though, they are back on an upward trajectory," she added.
Particulates come from many sources, but the MIT study says the noxious fumes belched out by industrial units are squarely responsible for increasing the RSPM load in the air we breathe. Industries burn fuel that generates the fine particles that are most damaging to health, the study says. And it points out that identifying and monitoring emissions from large sources can be easier and less expensive than checking hundreds of thousands of vehicles and cooking fires.
The MIT study recommends a market friendly particulate emissions scheme to improve air quality. Industrial plants and other big polluters, rather than being told to fix an emission limit, must be made to pay a price for their emissions and choose how much to emit, within reasonable limits, taking this amount into consideration.
The price of emissions will make pollution expensive and will give polluters an incentive to cut back.
Market forces, the study seems to suggest, are more effective against polluters than government agencies. But will the environment ministry buy the prescription? It's anybody's guess.
How it can harm you
- Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in air is considered a criteria to indicate air quality. Various allergens, fibrous materials, heavy metals and even many organic carcinogens are present in air in the form of suspended particulates.
- Health effects are primarily caused by respirable portion of particulate matter which is in the size range of 0.5 to 10 microns.
- Respirable suspended particulate matter or RSPM is a causative agent of mortality and morbidity. Small particles aggravate respiratory and cardiac symptoms in the short term and trigger lung cancer in the long term.
- Fine particles and other air pollutants are linked with a number of health problems like premature death & asthma.