Ajay Taneja

Exposure of children studying in schools of India to PM levels and metal contamination: sources and their identification

The concentration of particulate matter (PM)10, PM5.0, PM2.5, PM1.0, PM0.50, and PM0.25 was measured along with heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Pb) collected from settling dust in the indoor–outdoor environment of roadside and residentially located schools of Agra City, from January 2008 to May 2009. PM indoor/outdoor ratios at the roadside and residentially located schools were also determined by the meteorological parameters like temperature, humidity, and wind speed and air exchange rate. Metal geoaccumulation index shows that the contamination of Fe, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Mn was in abundant quantity in residential and roadside soil dust of the schools. The enrichment factor was calculated using Ca as a reference to the trace metal species to identify the sources. Three factors in inside and three outside the classrooms of roadside and residentially located schools were identified. These factors reflected source soil dust, road dust, vehicle emissions, industrial emissions, metal processes, and incineration activities and their contributions were estimated using principal component analysis. Measurements of such exposure levels would be helpful in prevention of environmental risks to schoolchildren at a global level for better and healthy mind of children studying at schools.

Children's Exposure to Indoor Particulate Matter in Naturally Ventilated Schools in India

The high levels of indoor particulate matter in developing countries and the apparent scale of its impact on the global burden of disease underline the importance of particulate as an environmental health risk and the consequent need for monitoring them particularly in indoor school microenvironments. PM10, PM 2.5 and PM1.0 levels were monitored inside and outside the classrooms of four naturally ventilated schools during winter (December 2007 to January 2008) and summer (April 2008 to May 2008) as seasonal campaigns using Grimm 1.109 along with CO2, temperature, humidity and ventilation rate. Additionally, data on classroom condition, school building, surrounding area and prevalence of health symptoms were collected with the help of a questionnaire. During winter, mean indoor PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 concentrations ranged up to 497, 220 and 135 μg m —3, which lowered to 3, 3 and 2 times, respectively, in summer as compared to winter. The average indoor/outdoor ratios were found to be >1 at almost all the sites. Furthermore, indoor—outdoor correlations were carried out, indicating poor correlations at all the sites except at one school located in residential area. Inter-particulate ratios in the indoor environments were also obtained, indicating that strong correlations exist in both the campaigns, which were significant at p<0.01.

Determination of Total Metallic Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency/Environmental Response Team (US EPA/ERT), in conjunction with St. Johns College, Dr B R Ambedkar University, Agra, India, is conducting a study to determine mercury vapor emission rates resulting from broken compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in a residential setting. The overall objectives of the study are to obtain a mercury emission model and provide a homeowner with cleanup procedures and disposal options for broken CFLs. An important component in achieving these objectives is the determination of the total mercury content in CFLs for the selection of bulbs to be used in the emission study. Most of the currently available CFLs in the United States (U.S.) market are manufactured in China for U.S. companies. Several different types of CFLs were purchased from local stores and the cap and electronic parts were removed without breaking the bulb. The bulb was then placed into a 2-L polypropylene bottle containing glass stoppers or glass marbles in a mixture of nitric acid and bromine monochloride solution (BrCl). The mixture was shaken to break the lamp and allow the mercury to be completely absorbed by the BrCl. The digested samples were analyzed for mercury using standard cold vapor atomic absorption (CVAA) methods. This CFL preparation method provides excellent results for laboratory control samples (typically, 90%–110% recovery) and good repeatability for CFL bulb analyses. The sampling and analysis phases of this study are discussed in this paper.

Contamination and exposure profiles of priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in groundwater in a semi-arid region in India

The concentration of 13 PAHs in groundwater was measured at 12 locations of Agra. The mean concentration of TPAH in all samples was 31.86 ng L−1 and it ranges from 13.2 ng L−1 to 64.3 ng L−1. The 4-ring and 5-ring PAHs were found to be dominant in the groundwater of Agra region having 38.6% and 26.4% of the TPAH. The carcinogenic potency was estimated and it was found 2.7 ng L−1. Univariate Pearson correlation matrix shows a good correlation among all PAHs except B(a)P. The levels of PAHs in the groundwater can help in environment risk assessment of this area.

Organochlorine Pesticides in the Females Suffering from Breast Cancer and its Relation to Estrogen Receptor Status

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer that occurs in females. Approximately 70% of breast tumors express the estrogen receptor. To date, established risk factors for breast cancer are only partially able to explain the causes for this disease. There have always been researchers’ interests in evaluating the role of environmental chemicals, especially those with evidence of being hormonally active agents, which play an important role in breast cancer development. Organochlorine pesticides are one of those chemical which have received the most attentions because of their ability to concentrate onto food chain, fat-soluble and estrogenic activity while remaining persistent in the human body and environment. The present study is an attempt to explore the possibility and role of organochlorine pesticides in the development of estrogen receptor breast cancer. A hospital-based case-control study was administered on 93 women, who underwent various surgeries for breast diseases, to observe the association between organochlorine pesticide exposures with reference to estrogen receptor status in the subjects suffering from breast cancer. Samples of blood, tumor and surrounding adipose tissue of the breast were collected from the subjects with estrogen positive, estrogen negative and benign breast lesions. The samples were then analyzed to determine the presence of organochlorine pesticides by using a gas–liquid chromatography equipped with an electron capture detector. The α, β, γ and δ isomers of HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane) and metabolites of DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) such as p,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p-DDT), o,p’- dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (o,p’-DDT), p,p’- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p’-DDE), and p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p’-DDD) were frequently detected in the samples at significant level. The result of this study shows that the exposure to potential estrogenic organochlorines may cause the development of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. A possible mechanism on prognosis of hormone responsive breast cancers needs to be clarified.

Personal and ambient PM2.5 exposure assessment in the city of Agra

Human exposure to fine particles can have significant harmful effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular system. To investigate daily exposure characteristics to PM2.5 with ambient concentrations in an urban environment, a personal exposure measurements were conducted for school children, office workers and at their residents, in the city of Taj ‘Agra’, India. In order to account for all the sources of particulate matter exposure, measurements on several different days during December 2013 to February 2014 were carried out. Personal environment monitors (PEM) and APM 550 were used to measure PM2.5 concentration. The research findings provide insight into possible sources and their interaction with human activities in modifying the human exposure levels.

Emission and Formation of Fine Particles from Hardcopy Devices: the Cause of Indoor Air Pollution

The last few decades have seen major changes in the home and work environments. The economies of the Indian and other industrialized nations have shifted from manufacturing towards services that engage information technologies. Advances in information technology have increased the quantity and transformed the nature of equipment used in proximity to office worker due to which electronic media used for entertainment, telecommunications and data processing have become widespread in daily life. Typical examples are television sets, video recorders, hi-fi systems, and computers with their peripherals such as monitors and printers, scanners and copiers. Tabletop printers serve individual users in their workspace or home, or clusters of users in an office suite. Scanning machines and photocopiers are prevalent in office environments (Newburger, 2001). In addition, the use of notebook computers spanning both work and non work environments is on the rise. These devices are predominantly made of polymeric components and materials which can contain not only additives, such as flame retardants and plasticizers (Wensing et al., 2005), but also chemical residues from production processing aids (Wensing et al., 2002). There is growing concern about the levels of potentially harmful pollutants that may be emitted from office equipment and for which either toxicological effects or potentially significant exposures have been described in the literature. Office equipment has been found to be a source of ozone, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). VOC, SVOC and particles can also be emitted by the paper processed during printing and copying (Wolkoff et al., 1993). Many studies have investigated the health effects of photocopier toner dust and concluded that siderosilicosis and sarcoidosis-like pulmonary diseases are associated with human exposure to photocopier toner dust (Armbruster et al., 1996). Black and Worthan (1999) have described the VOC/ TVOC, particle and ozone emissions of laser printers, dryprocess photocopiers and personal computers. Wolkoff (1999) study dealt with photocopiers and indoor air pollution. Later on Lee et al. (2001) characterized VOC, ozone and PM10 emissions from office equipment. Today discussion focuses in particular on particle release from hardcopy devices, printers and photocopiers and its impact on the health of office workers (Roller, 2006). Recent advances in measurement techniques have enabled researchers to measure the

Exposure from particle and ionic contamination to children in schools of India

Abstract The high levels of indoor particulate matter in developing countries and the apparent scale of its impact on the global burden of disease underline the importance of particulate matter as an environmental health risk and the consequent need for monitoring them particularly in indoor school microenvironments. The concentrations of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and PM 1.0 , were measured along with ionic concentrations K + , Ca 2+ , Na + , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2– , NO 3 – , Cl – and F – collected from settled dust in the indoor–outdoor environment of roadside and residentially located schools in Agra City, from January to May 2008–09. Along with PM concentrations at the roadside and residentially located schools meteorological parameters like temperature, humidity, and wind speed and air exchange rate was also calculated during the study period. The enrichment factor was calculated using Ca as a reference to the trace ionic species to identify the sources. Principle component analysis showed three to two factors inside and three factors outside the classrooms of the roadside and residentially located schools. These factors reflected sources like soil dust, road dust, vehicle emissions, anthropogenic sources, industrial emissions, metal processes, and incineration activities and their contributions were estimated using principal component analysis. Symptoms like asthma, dizziness, coughing, itching, eye irritation, shortness of breath, headache, cold and flu were observed. Measurements of such exposure levels would be helpful in the prevention of environmental risks to school children.

A Study on Indoor/Outdoor Concentration of Particulate Matter in Rural Residential Houses in India

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a matter of public concern these days whereas air pollution is normally monitored outdoors as required under national air quality strategies. In consequence, much less is known about air pollution levels indoors. As about 70% of the Indian population lives in villages in rural areas this study attempt to provide information about the present IAQ based upon particulate matter concentrations in rural residents homes of Agra region ( the city of Taj Mahal). Samples were collected during March-2008 to March-2009 in the indoors and outdoors of five rural homes having different indoor and outdoor kitchen configurations using Grimm aerosol spectrometer model no: 1.109. The mean concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 were 217.75±66.62µgm-3, 156.87±66.76µgm-3, and 94.01±37.87µgm-3 indoors, whereas 187.86±41.01µgm-3, 127.94±34.65µgm-3, 80.64±18.47µgm-3 outdoors respectively. Concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 has been compared with prescribed WHO standards and were found to be much higher. Significant Spatial as well as seasonal variations of particulate pollutants were also obtained.

Seasonal and diurnal characteristics of surface level O3 and its precursors in the north-central part of India

Surface measurements of ozone and its precursor gases NO2 and CO have been made over an urban site of Agra (semi-arid region) for year 2005. O3, NO2 and CO show diurnal variations during all seasons. Overall increased concentration of O3 is majority attributed to increase in concentrations of NO2 and CO. The highest average concentration of O3 was observed in winters, followed by summers and monsoon. Similar trends were observed for NO2 and CO. Significant correlation was found for O3 with temperature and solar radiation whereas its correlation with relative humidity was not significant.