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1. SOME INTERESTING FINDINGS FROM
ON-LINE AIR QUALITY MONITORING
2006 DATA FOR SANATHNAGAR
HYDERABAD, A.P
Dr. GD Agarwal
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2. SOME INTERESTING FINDINGS FROM ON-LINE AIR QUALITY
MONITORING 2006 DATA FOR SANATHNAGAR HYDERABAD, A.P
 Location:
 APPCB HQ, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad, A.P
 Parameters:
 Temperature, RH, Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Vertical Wind Speed,
Solar Radiation, Ozone, PM10, SO2, NOX, CO, Benzene, Toluene &
Xylene
 Instrument Suppliers:
 Eco-tech (Australia), MET-ONE (USA) Synspec (Netherlands)
 Date Commissioned:
 November 18, 2005
 Installation, Maintenance & Operation
 Envirotech Instruments Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
 Data Capture Rate in 2006:
 (Consistent and Acceptable Values) Each Individual Parameter: Over
96% Period for which all parameters available: Over 92%.
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3.  Respirable Suspended Particulate
Matter: RSPM/PM10
 Annual average for 2006-128mg/m3: Somewhat higher than
manual monitorings (2001-106mg/m3, 2002-105mg/m3, 2003-
107mg/m3, 2004-89mg/m3, 2005-88mg/m3)
 Seasonal Variations: Descending Order:
Winter/Spring/Summer/Post- Monsoon/Monsoon
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4.  Diurnal Variations:
 Bimodal Distribution: Peaks in morning and evening.
 Day Periods: Generally low (Almost always meet the 100mg/m3
stipulation set by CPCB)
 Nights: Higher than day
 Morning peaks very high in winters and highest concentrations
of the 24 hours from Dec 1 to Feb 15. Start fading as spring
sets in and concentration almost same all the 24 hrs from Feb
15 to March 15. From March 15 to Oct 15 evening peaks higher
than morning peak.
 From Oct 15 to end of Nov the concentrations almost similar all
through the day.
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5. PM10 24-HrVariation
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Concentration(µg/m3
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Winter PM10 24-Hr Variation
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Spring
PM10 24-Hr Variation
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Summer
Figure 1: The hourly variation graph of PM10 for winter season. Figure 2: The hourly variation graph of PM10 for spring Season
Figure 3: The hourly variation graph of PM10 for summer Season
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6.  Some Morning, Evening and Night average
concentration extremely large
 While morning and evening periods short, night period rather
long. To protect health, suggested limits
 Any hour, hourly average: Not to exceed 500 mg/m3.
 Night Period average: Not to exceed 200 mg/m3
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7. OXIDES OF NITROGEN
 Nitric Oxide, NO: This being a primary pollutant emitted from
combustion, especially diesel vehicles, would be expected to be
high during peak traffic hours. It was observed to be high during late
night hours and peaked at around 0300 AM in winters and spring.
It seems desirable to prescribe limits of 100 mg/m3 on 1-hour
average and 50 mg/m3 on night-period average, since this is the
precursor for the critical pollutant, NO2.
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8.  Nitrogen – Di- Oxide, NO2:
 Annual Average concentration for 2006-40 mg/m3
 Peak 24-hr concentration 157 mg/m3 on Feb 19. The second highest 24 hrs
concentration 80 mg/m3 on April 29. No other 24 hr value touched 80 mg/m3 .
 Hourly values often extremely high, though at no time NO2 concentration
remained above 200 mg/m3 over two consecutive hours
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9. SULPHUR – DI- OXIDE, SO2
 Annual Average Concentration for 2006-25 mg/m3
 24hr values exceeding 80 mg/m3: 149 mg/m3 (Jan 24),
128 mg/m3 (Sept 29), 110 mg/m3 (Dec 18),104 mg/m3 (Oct
12) 103 mg/m3 (Jan19), 82-84 mg/m3 (Feb 6, Feb 5, April
29, May 12) In all 9 days in the year.
 Extremely high hourly values sporadic for a few hours
e.g 708 mg/m3 at 2000 hrs on Sept 29; Jan 24 (486
mg/m3 @ 0100, 645 mg/m3 @0500, 589 mg/m3 @0600)
Values exceeding 300 mg/m3 -2 days in Jan, 7 days in
Feb, 2 days in March, 1 in April, 3 in May, 2 in Sep, 3 in
Oct, 2 in Dec. These short term sporadic values could
harm mangoes and other fruits, flowers, vegetables and
crops and cause acute health effects. A limit of 200
mg/m3 on 1-hr values suggested.
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10. CARBON MONO-OXIDE (CO)
(No Annual Average or 24 hr limits)
 1-Hr limit of 4mg/m3 (3.5PPM) exceeded only on April 29
(4.15ppm at 2200 and 2300hrs). Only one other value
above 3.0ppm (March 12)
 8-Hr limit of 2mg/m3 (1.75ppm) exceeded only on March
12, March 25, April 29 and Dec 10, always in late
evenings/nights.
 High concentrations of CO occurred in late evenings
nights and early mornings and not during peak traffic
hours. March 12 and Dec 10 were Sundays. Thus
meteorological factors/industrial and non-traffic
emissions seem to be important.
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11. Ozone O3
 Considered to be the most harmful to human health and
most critical air pollutant in U.S. The U.S federal limit for
1-hr 03 concentration 120ppb but in California, only 90
ppb. No limit currently in India.
 As expected 03 concentrations highest in spring/summers,
 Peak 1-hr concentrations between 1100-1500hrs. Highest value
observed 119 ppb at 1100 on March 25. Three other values
above 100 ppb all on April 13 when 03 remained around 110ppb
continuously for 3 hours from 1200 to 1400 hrs. Values above
the 90ppb California limit on several days in March, April and
May.
 An un-expected finding: High O3 concentration upto 50ppb in
night hours. On several nights, the 10-hr average concentrations
in 35-40ppb range. The phenomena responsible and health
implications need to be investigated.
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12. Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, BTX
 The situation in respect of these carcinogenic pollutants is summarised
below
Month Jan Fab Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year 2006
(a) Benzene: Hourly Concentrations exceeding 10ppb
(i) No of Days 2 14 2 6 5 2 - - - 2 1 6 40
(ii) No of Values 4 32 4 9 12 3 - - - 2 2 8 76
(iii) Highest Value 18.3 18.8 17.5 15.1 22.9 12.3 - - - 18.1 10.8 31.4 31.4
(iv) Time of Peak 0200 0100 0100 2000 2300 0200 - - - 2300 1900 0500
b) Toluene: Hourly Concentrations exceeding 200ppb
(i) No of Days 3 17 - 3 4 - - - 1 5 3 2 38
(ii) No of Values 4 59 - 10 9 - - - 1 6 3 3 95
(iii) Highest Value 317 774 - 291 341 - - - 235 367 267 345 774
(iv) Time of Peak 0000 2300 - 0200 0400 - - - 050 0200 1900 2200
c) Xylene: Hourly Concentrations exceeding 20ppb
(i) No of Days - 15 4 3 4 2 - - - - - - 28
(ii) No of Values - 111 7 5 12 3 - - - - - - 138
(iii) Highest Value - 61.5 22.5 24.1 91.6 21.7 - - - - - - 91.6
(iv) Time of Peak - 0000 0400 0000 2300 0000 - - - - - -
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13. Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, BTX
 Thus for BTX, the new parameters comprehensively measured for
the first time, anywhere in India, it can be said.
 All high concentrations occurred in late evening, nights or pre-dawn
periods.
 Quite high concentrations occurred on quite large number of days at
least for a hour. The gases being toxic hence cannot be neglected.
Limits should be prescribed and regular monitorings started, particularly
for night periods. Suggested limits, based on above data are
Benzene Toluene Xylene
1 Hour Average, ppb 8 200 20
Night (10hr) average, ppb 3 30 5
 February came out to be the worst month during 2006 for all the 3
pollutants. The months of Dec., Jan, and May and even March, April,
Oct and Nov could also be of concern.
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