Quality Monitoring of Air, PM present in Air - PM2.5, PM10, PM1.0 - Measurement, Indoor Air, Outdoor Air, Quality - Detection, Respiratory Health

1. Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research
University (DPSRU)
Govt. of NCT Delhi, New Delhi-110017
MPH - Master of Public Health Synopsis Presentation
Academic Year (2020-2021)
On
Air Quality Monitoring and Effect of Particulate Air
Pollution on Respiratory Health in Raiganj,
West Bengal, India
Project Supervisor:
Dr. J. Swaminathan
Asst. Professor
School of Allied Health Sciences
DPSRU, New Delhi - 17
Presented By:
Debraj Mukhopadhyay
03/MPbH/DPSRU/19
Master of Public Health
DPSRU, New Delhi

2. Content
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Review of Literatures
4. Need of Study
5. Research Gap
6. Aim & Objectives
7. Research Methodology
8. Timeline of Project
9. Plan of Study
10.Novelty of The Study
11.Proposed Outcome
12.Recommendations
13.References
14.Annexure

3. Introduction
Air pollution is a major environmental problem. This is
affecting the health of people in both developed and
developing countries.
According to The World Health Organization (WHO)
reports air pollution from particulate matter (PM), which
ranks 13th highest worldwide in terms of mortality, causes
about 800,000 premature deaths a year.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) had
estimated that globally 1.1 billion people did not breathe
healthy air.
In the year 2018, World Health Organization (WHO)
reported that around seven million people died and one in
eight people died because of air pollution.

4. Types of Contaminants

5. Particle sizes & Penetration degree in human
respiratory system

6. Pictorial Representation – Comparison of diameters
between a hair, a sand garden and PM2.5 and PM10
particles

7. Pollutants Sources Health effects
PM
Biomass combustion, transportation,
incinerators and manufacturing
industries.
Acute change in pulmonary
functions, COPD, asthma,
cardiovascular diseases
Biological
pollutants
Pollens, dust, mites, animals
droppings and urine, pet hair, insects,
fungi/mold spores, parasites, some
airborne bacteria and viruses, dairy
products and food processing
activities
Most often responsible for
triggering respiratory illness
(asthma, COPD, allergies),
infectious diseases & skin
diseases
Sulphur dioxide
Coal and oil combustion or
automobile and industrial emission
Causes chest constriction,
headache, vomiting and
respiratory illness
Nitrogen dioxide
Gas stoves and kerosene heater
cooking or automobile and industrial
exhaust
Respiratory and
cardiovascular illness
Carbon monoxide
Burning of coal and gasoline or
motor exhausts
Reduction in oxygen
carrying capacity of blood,
headaches and fatigue
Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Health

8. Air Quality Index and Representations
AQI level AQI value PM2.5 PM10 Actions to protect your health from particle
pollution
Good 0–50 0–15 0–50 None
Moderate 51–100 16–35 51–154 Unusually sensitive people should consider
reducing prolonged or heavy exertion
Unhealthy for
sensitive
groups
101–150 36–65 155–254 Susceptible groupsa should reduce prolonged or
heavy exertion, everyone else should limit
prolonged or heavy exertion need same
reference as previous table
Unhealthy for
sensitive
groups
151–200 66–150 255–354 Susceptible groupsa should avoid all physical
activity outdoors, everyone else should avoid
prolonged or heavy exertion
Very
unhealthy
201–300 >150 >354 Susceptible groupsa should remain indoors and
keep activity levels low Everyone else should
avoid all physical activity outdoors

11. Review of Literatures
• Sharma et al., 2016 As per TERI’s inventory the share in PM2.5
emissions are dominated by the industrial (36%) and residential
combustion (39%) sectors. Transport contributes to just 4% of
PM2.5 emissions at the National scale (1).
•Assad et al., 2016 reviewed the relationship between biomass
smoke exposure and chronic lung diseases. The odds ratios (OR)
for biomass smoke ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 for airflow obstruction
in exposed study subjects in low income countries (2).
•Dave et al., 2017 tested the hypotheses that exposure to biomass
fuel, poor ventilation or cooking in living space were associated
with reduced lung function by using cross sectional data from
WHO study on Global Ageing and Adult Health conducted in
India. He found that the use of biomass fuels was associated with
decrease in FEV1 and FEV1/ FVC ratio compared with those who
use electricity or gas (3).

12. Agrawal et al., 2015 studied the effect of indoor air pollution
from biomass and solid fuel combustion on symptoms of
preeclampsia/eclampsia. The OR was found to be 2.21 (95% CI:
1.26–3.87) (4).
GBD Report 2016, The report on Global Burden of Disease
(GBD) estimates 2 million premature deaths annually in India due
to AAP and HOAP exposure (5).
Balakrishnan et al., 2014 Solid cook fuel emissions result
primarily from incomplete combustion. The traditional stoves are
extensively used in rural Indian households and typically operate
under inefficient conditions of combustion and emit hundreds of
different chemical substances, during the burning of solid fuels.
Whereas the national air pollution monitoring program in India
provides routine air pollution concentrations for many urban
centers, the currently available data on HOAP exposures are
largely known from scientific publications from individual
research studies (6).
Review of Literatures

13. Need of the study
1. There is a need to build a comprehensive nationwide
air pollution monitoring network that provides
reliable and real time air pollution information on
criteria pollutants, including composition of fine
particulate matter mass.
2. Integrating current networks and expand access to
rural areas given the significant differences in
composition and exposure between urban and rural
populations.
3. There is a need to develop effective communication
strategies to inform the public about air pollution
data (e.g., from real-time monitors) via an index
such as the air quality index (AQI).

14. The research gap between air pollution exposures
and health in India are -
1) The relationship between PM10 ,
PM2.5 mass concentrations and both morbidity and
mortality.
2) The extent to which these PM10 ,
PM2.5-health relationships vary across the densely
populated country.
3) How variations in the source and
composition of PM impact the toxicity of the PM
over the environment.
Research Gaps

15. Aim: To Study the effects of Particulate Matter (PM)
in air pollution on respiratory health.
Objectives:
 To measure the Particulate Matter (PM)
concentration in ambient and indoor air.
 To study health effects of PM on respiratory system.
 To observe associations if any between changes in
particulate pollution levels on morbidity as well as
mortality.
Aim & Objectives

16. Research Methodology
 Study design: Prospective cohort study
 Research design: Qualitative and quantitative
 Components of the study: a) Monitoring of indoor
and ambient air pollution, b) Monitoring of
respiratory health of residents.
 Study timeline: February’21 to June’21

17.  Study site: Raiganj is a small place and the district
head quarter of Uttar Dinajpur district in West
Bengal. It is located at N25.6266428, E87.8012599.
It has a population of 199758 (2011 census) and is
spread over 36.51km2.
 Study location: Rural, semi-urban (transitional)
and urban parts of Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur district,
West Bengal, India
 Data collection:
a) Primary mode of data collection – face to face
interview, telephonic interview.
b) Secondary mode of data collection – books,
scientific journals, internet.

18. Questionnaire – Design (Filled by face to
face interview or telephonic interview
 General part (Demographic details)
 Residential characteristics (Housing pattern, kitchen,
ventilation, fuel using for heating/cooking)
 Home pollution level (Appearance dust in home,
waste management)
 Work place exposure
 Transportation
 Smoking history
 Clinical symptoms
 Routine questions
 Follow – up questions

19. Data management and statistical analysis:
 Data collected using questionnaire will be entered in
a digital spread sheet prepared with MS Excel
software.
 Data collections from Purple Air monitors will be
transferred to MS excel spreadsheet as per the
operating manual of Purple Air monitors.
 Incidence, prevalence of acute and chronic respiratory
illness will be reported with respect to demographic
profile of sampled population.
 Association between illness and population
parameters will be determined using correlation
coefficient and comparison of morbidity in different
seasons with levels of particulate pollutants will be
carried out.

20. Timeline of Project
Total -
16
weeks
Literature
Survey - 3
weeks
Question
naire -
2weeks
Data
collection
and Analysis
- 8 Weeks
Thesis
- 3
weeks

21. Plan of Study
 Air pollution monitoring :
a) Air pollution will be monitored in selected
households using Purple Air low cost monitors.
b) In each selected household, a Purple Air – monitor
(PS-II) will be installed inside the home and another
in an open area either on the terrace or in the balcony
of the household.
c) Households will be selected from urban, semi-urban
as well as rural areas; air quality will be monitored
continuously the data PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10 and CO,
temperature and relative humanity will be captured
by the device at an interval of 34 seconds. The entire
data set will be transferred to an excel file.

22.  Subjects:
a) In each category, 10 households of same type will
be selected from each of the two zones. We expect
to have on an average 4 members per household,
thus giving a sample of 40members from each
zone, giving a total sample size of 120 persons.
Demographic details of all members will be
recorded using a questionnaire.
b) All members will be forwarded up at weekly
intervals to enquire about occurrence of any acute
respiratory illness or acute exacerbation of chronic
respiratory illness (COPD, Bronchial Asthma) or
cancer of the respiratory system.

23.  Outcome variables:
a) Incidence rate of acute exacerbation episodes of
above mentioned chronic respiratory illness.
b) Incidence rate of acute respiratory illness (episode
density).
c) Incidence of cancer of respiratory system.
d) Count of particulate matter (PM1.0 , PM2.5 and PM10),
hourly, diurnal, daily averages.
e) Temperature, relative humidity on the day of air
quality monitoring (hourly, diurnal and 24hrs
average).

24. Novelty of this study
 This prospective cohort study was not previously
carried out on the geographical location, altitude and
environment of that area (Raiganj, Dist: Uttar
Dinajpur, West Bengal, India) on the effects of
Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in air and respiratory
health.
 This study is useful for the prevention and control of
respiratory diseases related to air pollution from
Particulate Matter (PM).

25. Proposed outcome
This study helps us to understand the effects of PM
in air pollution on respiratory health issues among
population.

26. Recommendations
 By evaluating these aspects of the PM10 , PM2.5 -
health relationship, control measures can be devised
that better optimize the public health benefits of
future air pollution mitigation measures.
 This information will also be potentially useful in
making public health-based decisions regarding
control strategies for climate mitigation measures,
allowing and optimization of the clean air health
co-benefits of CO2 reduction plans.

27. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development
3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths
and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water
and soil pollution and contamination
3.9.1 Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient
air pollution.

28. References
1. Sharma S, Kundu S, Bond TC, Lam NL, Ozaltun B, Xu L. Impacts of household
sources on air pollution at village and regional scales in India. Atmospheric
Chemistry and Physics. 2019 Jun 11;19(11):7719-42
2. Assad NA, Kapoor V, Sood A. Biomass smoke exposure and chronic lung
disease. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2016;22(2):150
3. Dave M, Ahankari AS, Myles PR, Arokiasamy P, Khobragade P. Household air
pollution and lung function in India adults: a cross-sectional study. INT J Tuberc
Lung Dis.2017;21(6):702-704
4. Agrawal S, Yamamoto S. Effect of indoor air pollution from biomass and solid
fuel combustion on symptoms of preeclampsia/eclampsia in Indian women.
Indoor Air 2015;25(3): 341–52.
5. GBD (Global Burden of Disease), 2016. October 8 2015 Mortality and Causes of
Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause
mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a
systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study
2015. Lancet 388 (10053), 1459–1544
6. Balakrishnan K et al., 2015 Establishing integrated rural-urban cohorts to assess
air pollution-related health effects in pregnant women, children and adults in
Southern India: an overview of objectives, design and methods in the Tamil
Nadu Air Pollution and Health Effects (TAPHE) study. BMJ Open 5

29. Annexure
Air Purple
Monitor

30. I would like to give regard and thanking to my project
supervisor Dr. J. Swaminathan sir; Dr. Jaseela Majeed
madam, Head, SAHS, DPSRU and other faculties of School
of Allied Health Sciences, DPSRU for their enormous
support & guidance.
I would like to give special thanks to my co-supervisor
Dr. A. K. Sharma sir, H.O.D, Professor, Department of
Community Medicine, University College Medical Sciences
(U.C.M.S), D.U & G.T.B Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi –
110095 for giving me the instruments and monitors for the
completion of my final year research project.