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| Designation: |
Principal Scientist
|
| Email Id: | ds_majumdar[at]neeri[dot]res[dot]in |
| Qualification: | Ph.D.(Chem) |
| Specialization: |
Analytical Chemistry, Air pollution, Volatile organic Compounds
|
| Address: |
Kolkata Zonal Lab, NEERI, Nagpur
|
| Biodata: |
| Sr. No. | Project Name |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Study of Carbon Sequestration and Water Footprint in Sonepur Bazari Open Cast Mine (OCP) of ECL
Study of C sequestration potential of soil and vegetation under select reclaimed area within the command area of Sonepur Bazari Open Cast Mines (OCP) of ECL Study of water footprint of select reclaimed mines within the command area of Sonepur Bazari Open Cast Mines (OCP) of ECL |
| 2 |
Treatment of Dumpsite Leachate by Indigeneous Microflora
Screening, isolation and morphological characterization of microbes present in the leachate samples. Analysis of percent of reduction of contaminants from leachate after microbial treatment by efficient microbes. |
| 3 |
Air Pollution Assessments for Improved Air Quality Management at the Pig-iron and Ductile Pipe Manufacturing Plant of Tata Metaliks
Assessment of ambient/fugitive/workplace air quality within industry premises Assessment of contribution of major sources towards air pollution within the plant premises Assessment of source emissions and performance efficiency of existing air pollution control systems Detailed recommendations on better air quality management within the plant |
| 4 |
Charactarisation and estimation of VOC Levels in the Factory Production area of options Berger Deckers Coatings Pvt. Ltd and Recommendation of Controls
Quantification and characterization of existing Volatile organic compounds in the indoor-air of factory production area of Berger Beckers Coatings Pvt. Ltd. Recommendation of suitable control option for reduction of Volatile organic compounds levels in the indoor-air of factory production area of Berger Beckers Coatings Pvt. Ltd. |
| 5 |
Study on Development and Application of GAINS-City Model for Indian Cities, Technology Information Forecasting & Assessment Council TIFAC
Basic data collection and model framework design. Development of city emission model based on GAINS model. Update of emission factors based on a comprehensive review of local measurements. Estimation of air pollutants and GHG emissions under different scenarios for the city. Evaluate the air quality benefit for different scenarios. Training of students who will lead subsequent analysis in individual cities with present focus on one city. Final report summarizing methods, results and future work. |
| 6 |
Development of novel low smoke mosquito coil and coil smoke control dispenser for betterment of Indoor Environment and health
To develop mosquito coil with low smoke emissions To look into the possibility of designing a mosquito coil smoke dispenser which may deliver coil smoke after controlling fine particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM5 etc.) |
| 7 |
Macro Level EIA Study for Cluster of Iron OreMines in the State of Goa
To carry out environmental impact assessment study with a view of having macro level impacts of mining in Goa on flora, fauna, the local inhabitant, air, water, noise pollution and overall biological environment. |
| 8 |
Indoor Air Pollution Control in Rural Areas
Demonstration of NEERIDHUR Improved Cookstove, Adoption, IEC (Information, Education, communication) Studies and its impact assessment for Household Air Quality and Respiratory Health |
| 9 |
National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring
To study ambient air quality status of six Indian cities for pollutant as per MOU(Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,Mumbai). To study tendency of the air pollutants levels in six cities. To generate ambient air pollutants levels data base for supply to regulatory authorities etc and for in house R&D. |
| Sr. No. | Publication Name |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Domestic use of cooking Fuel in India: A Review on Emission Characteristics and Associated Health concerns
One out of every three Indians use biomass fuels such as wood, animal dung and coal cake, crop residues as their primary domestic energy source. About 23% and 61% of urban and rural Indian households, respectively, rely on traditional stoves (Chullah) for cooking practices. Household air pollution (HAP), which contains solid fuel burning emissions prominently, is reported to claim 4.3 million premature deaths yearly in developing country. But most of review studies to address air pollution scenario in India are focused on outdoor environments; major reason to review the current knowledge on emission estimates from household biomass burning and associated impacts on indoor air and human health. This review intends to critically discuss the variability associated with emission estimates and impacts of household air quality in different parts of India as presented in several research works, published during 2001-2015. About 27% and 11% increase in PM2.5 and PM10 has been observed in Indian house-indoors during the assessment period. Emission factors, emission budgets of aerosol fractions, carbonaceous matter and other chemical components for household biofuel burning emissions were also summarized for the period of 2001-2015. Health effects studies due HAP in India were also summarized and discussed. Improvement in ventilation system and modification in the pattern of fuels may contribute to reduce the effect of the pollution on national health. As there are no specific regulations or acts for controlling of HAP in India, urgent need is felt for implementing the strategies to create public awareness. |
| 2 |
Indoor air quality in offices and residences in urban areas of India-Mumbai and Kolkata
|
| 3 |
Free iron status & insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: Analyzing the probable role of a peanut protein
Iron overload in blood serum has been related with early onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A comparative study was made between free iron and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic population of South Kolkata, India. Free iron is measured in serum using post colum derivatisation method with coupled with HPLC technique. It was found that an index obtained from (BMI×Fe3+/Fe2+) directly varies with insulin resistance in female subjects. Over the counter use of iron medications may be seriously questioned as free iron was found to be significantly increased in diabetic population. Peanut protein, conarachin I was found to have high iron binding efficiency and was studied for its chelation effect for free iron in the blood serum in vitro for formulating probable remediation. |
| 4 |
Emission estimation of aromatic and halogenated VOCs from household solid fuel burning practices
This study describes the emission factors (EFs) of 16 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for the combustion of commonly used household solid fuels including coal balls (CB), fuelwood (FW), dung cakes (DC), crop residues (CR), and mixed fuels (MF: DC + FW), collected from ten states of India. Sum of 16 VOCs EF (g kg-1) have shown highest level (50.0 ± 22.7 g kg-1) for CB, followed by CR (23.71 ± 10.64 g kg-1), DC (19.08 ± 3.29 g kg-1), MF (15.77 ± 9.49 g kg-1), and FW (12.79 ± 5.69 g kg-1). These findings are multifold higher than those reported for biomass burning in test chamber studies. Benzene and dichloromethane EFs were found to be dominating among the aromatic and halogenated VOCs, respectively. Annual TVOCs emission estimates were evaluated to be 12.58 ± 5.92 Gg year-1 from household solid fuel burning practices. It was the 1/6th of TVOCs emission estimates (73 Gg year-1) from biomass burning in India during 2009. |
| 5 |
Perturbation of Background Atmospheric Black Carbon/PM1 Ratio during Firecracker Bursting Episode
Perturbation in ambient particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) and black carbon (BC) concentrations was studied during a firecracker bursting episode in Diwali (Festival of Lights) celebrations in Nagpur, India. Firecracker bursting resulted in greater escalation in fine particulates over coarse particulates while PM2.5 was found to be dominated by PM1 concentration. On the Diwali day, daily mean concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 exceeded Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards by over 1.8 and 1.5 times, respectively, while daily mean BC concentration on the same day was almost two times higher than the previous day. The BC/PM1 ratio reduced remarkably from about 0.26 recorded before firecracker bursting activity to about 0.09 during firecracker bursting on Diwali night in spite of simultaneous escalation in ambient BC concentration. Such aberration in BC/PM1 was evidently a result of much higher escalation in PM1 than BC in ambient air during firecracker bursting. The study highlighted strong perturbations in ambient PM1, PM2.5, PM10 concentrations and BC/PM1 during the firecracker bursting episode. Altered atmospheric BC/PM1 ratios could serve as indicators of firecracker-polluted air and similar BC/PM1 ratios in local and regional air masses might be used as diagnostic ratios for firecracker smoke. |
| 6 |
Managing future air quality in megacities: Emission inventory and scenario analysis for the Kolkata Metropolitan City, India
|
| 7 |
Optimisation of laboratory arsenic analysis for groundwaters of West Bengal, India and possible water testing strategy
Regularmonitoring of arsenic (As) in groundwater is crucial frompublic health perspectives as millions of people are suffering due to use of contaminated aquifer water for drinking purposes. The routine analyses, especially in developing nations, are mostly done in localised government/non-government laboratories with limited resources, having the target of analysing large number of samples in each run. Thus apart from analytical sensitivity, cost-effectiveness of the method and eco-friendliness of the experimental operation are key surreptitious factors. This demands optimisation of total As measurement methods and finding a method that gives ‘optimumbenefit’ considering all these factors together. The present study therefore evaluates four common As (total) measurement methods [iodometric- colorimetric method, silver diethyl dithiocarbamate method, molybdenum blue method and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometric (HG-AAS) method] practised in the Bengal Delta Plain, in view of their analytical sensitivity, related environmental hazard and experimental costs. It was found that the HG-AAS method is analytically more sensitive, whereas the iodometric-colorimetricmethod and the molybdenum blue method are better choices in terms of eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness, respectively. However, when all three factors (analytical reliability, environmental hazard and cost) are considered simultaneously, themolybdenumbluemethodwas found to be placed first in the ‘optimum performance rank’ list. It was also found that both environmental hazard and cost play a more crucial role than analytical reliability, although this is case specific andwould differ from place to place around the globe. Finally based on the results, we have hypothesised a water testing strategy for developing countries such as India where the molybdenum blue method can be adapted as a screening method and later the HG-AASmethod can be used to precisely identify the groundwater samples with As concentration below the WHO drinking water guideline value of 10 g/L. |
| 8 |
Effects of unregulated anthropogenic activities on mixing ratios of volatile organic air pollutants
During the months of October to November, many important festivals are celebrated in India. Celebration of these festivals are marked by extensive use of fireworks or pyrotechnics, bonfire, incense burning, open air community cooking, and temporary eateries using crude fuel such as coal, wood, kerosene, cow dung, burning of raw/semiwood, and coconut shells. The present study deals with the influence of these unregulated anthropogenic activities on ambient mixing level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially some carbonyl compounds. The study was undertaken in the metropolitan city of Kolkata, India, with very high population density, which is even higher during festival period. The average total carbonyl level at different sites in Kolkata varied from 134.8 to 516.5 μg m(-3) in pre-festival season, whereas in post-festival season the same varied from 252.2 to 589.3 μg m(-3). Formaldehyde to acetaldehyde ratio altered from 0.62 in pre-festival season to 1.78 in post-festival season. Diurnal variation also altered, indicating variation in source composition of carbonyls. The total ozone forming potential calculated for all 14 carbonyls in pre-festival season increased by 35% in post-festival season. The effect of anthropogenic activities typical to the event of Diwali night characterized by intense execution of pyrotechnics resulted in significantly high level of carbonyl VOCs. Principal component analysis study for the event of Diwali shows clear contribution of the event on certain carbonyl VOCs. The results indicate elevated primary emissions of these pollutants and also their effect on formation of secondary pollutants. The study emphasizes the need of generating awareness among the communities in society as well as need for regulations to minimize the emissions and related hazards to the extent possible |
| 9 |
Worldwide distribution of polyclyclicaromatic hydrocarbons in urban road dust.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is considered as one of the most important groups of organic environmental contaminants due to their toxicity, persistence and ubiquity. PAHs have been monitored in urban road dust at various locations worldwide in about last three decades. Resuspension of road dust containing PAHs is an important route of PAHs exposure to humans. This paper collates the available information on reported concentrations of PAHs in urban road dust at various locations worldwide classified as industrial, residential, traffic, city and commercial and other areas, reported sources of PAHs in urban road dust and related interpretations. Also, available information has been reviewed and documented country-wise. Variation in PAHs concentrations over various worldwide locations have been scrutinized and interestingly, most of the reported average PAHs concentrations were found to be distributed within a very narrow range of values, implying only little variation in average PAH concentrations in spite of great distances between locations, climatic variation and differences in anthropogenic activity. |
| 10 |
Managing future air quality in megacities : A case study for Delhi
"Urbanization, population and economic growth in Indian megacities like Delhi have resulted in an increase in energy and transportation demand leading to severe air pollution and related health impacts, as well as to the rapid growth in the greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, an integrated assessment of air quality and climate policies for Indian cities –with a particular focuson National Capital Territory of Delhi,has been carried out.We have developed emission inventory of air pollutants and greenhouse gases for the base year (2010) and evaluated the impact ofcurrent policieson emission projections by 2030 in the business-as-usual scenario. Emissions of coarse and neparticulate matter areprojected to be 51% and 15% higher in 2030 as compared to present. As the current legislations do not indicate progress towards the achievement of the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards in Delhi, we explored the efectiveness of additional emission control strategies with either advanced end-of-pipe emission controls or low carbon policies. Relative to the baseline scenario, the set of alternative policy strategies would reduce emissions rapidly in 2030.The results revealed that air quality policies under various scenarios could also have co-benefits of reducing carbon emissions. At the same time, the results suggest that low carbon policies would be more eficient to cut emissions as compared to advanced end-of-pipe emission control policies. However, their implementation could be limited by the availability of clean fuels. In the climate policy scenario, carbon emission in 2030 is estimated to decrease by 19% relative to baseline. Additional controls combined with low carbon policies like controlling non-industrial emissions create an opportunity to further enhance the scope for co-bene?ts and to attain the air quality standards in Delhi. " |
| 11 |
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over a tropical urbon and a high altitude Himalayan Station in India Temporal variation and source apportionment
The temporal variations and major sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) intrinsic to PM10 were investigated over a tropical urban atmosphere on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and for the ?rst time over a high altitude urban atmosphere at eastern Himalaya in India. Samples were collected over Kolkata, a megacity and Darjeeling, a high altitude (2200 m asl) hill station in eastern India during the dry season (October 2015–May 2016). Fourteen PAHs were detected and quanti?ed over Kolkata and Darjeeling during three consecutive seasons, viz., post-monsoon, winter and pre-monsoon. The total-PAHs concentrations were in the order of winter (78.08–146.71 ngm?3) > post-monsoon (83.42–113.52 ngm?3) > pre-monsoon (37.65–109.27 ngm?3) at Kolkata, whereas post-monsoon (22.72–36.60 ngm?3) > winter (8.52–28.43 ngm?3) > pre-monsoon (5.45–13.34 ngm?3) at Darjeeling. The observed seasonality of PAHs at Kolkata vis-a-vis Darjeeling has been explored in the light of anthropogenic activities, boundary layer dynamics and meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation. Negative correlation was observed between total-PAHs and temperature, wind speed and solar radiation over Kolkata and Darjeeling. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model calculations suggested that coal (26%), petrol (24%) and diesel (17%) combustion, commercial and household kitchens (18%) and municipal solid waste incineration (15%) are the possible contributors to the PM10 associated PAHs over Kolkata whereas diesel (37%), commercial and household kitchens (23%), coal (21%) and petrol (20%) are the possible PM10 associated PAH sources over Darjeeling. |
| 12 |
Nutrient and enzyme mobilization in earthworm casts: A comparative study with addition of selective amendments in undisturbed and agricultural soils of a mountain ecosystem
Earthworms are known to bio-degrade various types of organic materials added or already present in soil. Two soils were collected from different land use patterns viz. an agricultural land (AL) and an undisturbed land (UL) of a mountain ecosystem of State of Himachal Pradesh in India for the present investigation. A laboratory microcosm study was carried out to elucidate effects of various agricultural soil amendments, viz. wood ash (WA), rice husk (RH), cow dung (CW) and their mixture (MA) applied @25 t ha_1, on selective biological and chemical properties of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) casts and growth in the collected soils. Subsequently, earthworms were reared in soils from both AL & UL, treated with the amendments; and the resultant earthworm cast (EwC) properties were found to be largely determined by the nature of amendments rather than land use types. Soils treated with MA produced casts displayed higher nutrient content, microbial biomass C with higher activities of dehydrogenase and urease. Earthworm growth and cast formation were greater in the soil from UL over soil from AL for all treatments except WA, implying better acclimatization and earthworm activity in the former. Further, casts produced under UL had higher nutrient mobilization and enzyme activity in comparison to AL. Results suggested that agricultural intervention in an undisturbed land might weaken its ability to support growth, development in conjunction with the activities of earthworms and associated enzymes. |
| 13 |
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in mosquito coil and coilash: are the concentrations alarming
Unmanaged mosquito coil ash could be regarded as a possible source of metal and PAH contamination in households but such risk is generally overlooked. Therefore, to address this issue, polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals were estimated in the ash generated by a few popular mosquito coils marketed in India. The detected concentration range of PAHs in coil ash samples was 8 (Benz(a) anthracene) to 2925 ng g-1 ash (Phenanthrene) while metal concentration ranged from 0.1 (Cd) to 28366 µg g-1 ash (Fe). In the coil base material, concentration of metals ranged from 0.1 (cd) to 3193.0 (Fe) µg g-1 coil powder, indicating substantial magnification of metal concentration in coil ash over coil base material. The study indicated that mosquito coil ash could be an important source of metal and PAH contamination in households and hence should be carefully managed. |
| 14 |
Inter-seasonal and spatial distribution of ground-level greenhouse gases(CO2, CH4, N2O) over Nagpur in India and their management roadmap
Ground level concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were monitored over three seasons i.e. post-monsoon (September-October), winter (January-February) and summer (May-June) for 1 year during 2013-2014 in Nagpur city in India. The selected gases had low to moderate variation both spatially (residential, commercial, traffic intersections, residential cum commercial sites) and temporally (at 7:00, 13:00; 18:00 and 23:00 h in all three seasons). Concentrations of gases were randomly distributed diurnally over city in all seasons and there was no specific increasing or decreasing trend with time in a day. Average CO2 and N2O concentrations in winter were higher over post-monsoon and summer while CH4 had highest average concentration in summer. Observed concentrations of CO2 were predominantly above global average of 400 ppmv while N2O and CH4 concentrations frequently dropped down below global average of 327 ppbv and 1.8 ppmv, respectively. Two tailed Student’s ‘t’ test indicated that post-monsoon CO2 concentrations were statistically different from summer but not so from winter while difference between summer and winter concentrations was statistically significant (P<0.05). CH4 concentrations in all seasons were statistically at par to each other. In case of N2O, concentrations in post-monsoon were statistically different from summer but not so from winter, while difference between summer and winter concentrations was statistically significant (P<0.05). Average ground level concentrations of the gases calculated for 3 seasons together were higher in commercial areas. Environmental management priorities vis a vis greenhouse gas emissions in the city are also discussed. |
| 15 |
Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fugitive PM10 emissions from an integrated iron and steel plant
Fugitive emissions of PM10 (particles b10 ?m in diameter) and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were monitored in the vicinity of coking unit, sintering unit, blast furnace and steel manufacturing unit in an integrated iron and steel plant situated in India. Concentrations of PM10, PM10-bound total PAHs, benzo (a) pyrene, carcinogenic PAHs and combustion PAHs were found to be highest around the sintering unit. Concentrations of 3-ring and 4-ring PAHs were recorded to be highest in the coking unit whereas 5-and 6-ring PAHs were found to be highest in other units. The following indicatory PAHs were identified: indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene, dibenzo (a,h) anthracene, benzo (k) fluoranthene in blast furnace unit; indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene, dibenzo (a,h) anthracene, chrysene in sintering unit; Anthracene, fluoranthene, chrysene in coking unit and acenaphthene, fluoranthene, fluorene in steel making unit. Total-BaP-TEQ (Total BaP toxic equivalent quotient) and BaP-MEQ (Total BaP mutagenic equivalent quotient) concentration levels ranged from 2.4 to 231.7 ng/m3 and 1.9 to 175.8 ng/m3, respectively. BaP and DbA (dibenzo (a,h) anthracene) contribution to total-BaP-TEQ was found to be the highest. |
| 16 |
DETERMINATION OF AIR CHANGE RATES BY USING INDOOR CO AS TRACER: APPLICABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Air change rates and ventilation of a room was determined by CO Tracer Decay Technique. The tracer was generated by burning bulk amount of mosquito coils, an easy and low cost method of CO generation. The temporal decay in CO concentration in indoor air under closed and open room conditions were determined by collecting indoor air periodically at a few minutes interval in Tedler Bags and analyzing the same for CO. The air changes rate per hour (ACH) was calculated from the temporal decline of indoor CO concentration in indoor air. The study indicated that CO generated by a low cost and easily applicable method like combustion of organic materials could be used as a tracer to determine ACH and ventilation rate. Background CO in air could be suitably used for ventilation studies in rural/urban slum dwellings in India and many other countries where substantial CO is found indoors due to combustion of biomass, incense sticks and mosquito coils. |
| 17 |
Inhalation exposure or body burden? Better way of estimating risk - an application of PBPK model
We aim to establish a new way for estimating the risk from internal dose or body burden due to exposureof benzene in human subject utilizing physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. We alsointend to verify its applicability on human subjects exposed to different levels of benzene. We estimatedpersonal inhalation exposure of benzene for two occupational groups namely petrol pump workers andcar drivers with respect to a control group, only environmentally exposed.Benzene in personal air was pre-concentrated on charcoal followed by chemical desorption and anal-ysis by gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). We selected urinarytrans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) as biomarker of benzene exposure and measured its concentrationusing solid phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Our estimated inhalation exposure of benzene was 137.5, 97.9 and 38.7 g/m3for petrol pump workers,car drivers and environmentally exposed control groups respectively which resulted in urinary t,t-MAlevels of 145.4 ± 55.3, 112.6 ± 63.5 and 60.0 ± 34.9 g g−1of creatinine, for the groups in the same order.We deduced a derivation for estimation of body burden from urinary metabolite concentration usingPBPK model. Estimation of the internal dose or body burden of benzene in human subject has beenmade for the first time by the measurement of t,t-MA as a urinary metabolite using physiologically basedpharmacokinetic (PBPK) model as a tool. The weight adjusted total body burden of benzene was estimatedto be 17.6, 11.1 and 5.0 g kg−1of body weight for petrol pump workers, drivers and the environmentallyexposed control group, respectively using this method. We computed the carcinogenic risk using boththe estimated internal benzene body burden and external exposure values using conventional method.Our study result shows that internal dose or body burden is not proportional to level of exposure ratherhave a non-linear relationship. At a higher exposure level such as for occupational exposure of petrolpump workers and drivers, the conventionally estimated risk is higher than risk estimated from internalbody burden. Likewise, for environmental exposure the conventional risk estimation predict lower levelthan estimated in our study. This emphasizes the importance of body burden and to consider it as a keyparameter while estimating health risk at varying level of exposure. |
| 18 |
Characterization of Bioaerosols and their Relation with OC, EC and Carbonyl VOCs at a Busy Roadside Restaurants-Cluster in New Delhi.
Measurement of biological particles (bioaerosols) in ambient air is of great importance as it is directly linked with the health issues. However, data on the bioaerosols characterization are scarce. Here we report on the concentration and characterization of bioaerosols (including bacterial and fungal aerosols) as well as determination of organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) in total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) at a busy roadside restaurants-cluster site in New Delhi. In addition, 14 carbonyl volatile organic compounds (carbonyl VOCs) were also measured and their relationship with bioaerosols and OC/EC is assessed. The culturable airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations (CAB and CAF) at restaurant area varied significantly in different seasons ranging from 1.7 × 104–9.8 × 104 (averaged 6.3 × 104 ± 2.6 × 104 cfu m–3) and 3.5 × 102–9.5 × 103 (3.9 × 103 ± 3.1 × 103 cfu m–3) cfu m–3, respectively. Major concentration peaks of TSPM, OC, EC as well as bacterial and fungal aerosols were found in winter and spring seasons. These peaks can be attributed to the low atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height and favourable meteorological conditions for microbial growth in winter and spring seasons in New Delhi. Good correlations (R2 > 0.5) were observed between CAB, CAF, TSPM and OC. On the other hand, CAB and CAF were not found to be correlated with carbonyl compounds (R2 < 0.2) indicative of their diverse sources. The bacterial identification was done by 16s rDNA sequencing and the identified strains were Bacillus sp., Bacillus firmus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus, Acinetobacter sp. and Acinetobactor radioresistens gene. Predominant fungal genera identified were Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria and Fusarium, which are known for adverse health effects causing numerous allergic and pathogenic inflammations. |
| 19 |
Effects of unregulated anthropogenic activities on mixing ratios of volatile organic air pollutants?A case study
"During the months of October to November, many important festivals are celebrated in India. Celebration of these festivals are marked by extensive use of fireworks or pyrotechnics, bonfire, incense burning, open air community cooking, and temporary eateries using crude fuel such as coal, wood, kerosene, cow dung, burning of raw/semiwood, and coconut shells. The present study deals with the influence of these unregulated anthropogenic activities on ambient mixing level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially some carbonyl compounds. The study was undertaken in the metropolitan city of Kolkata, India, with very high population density, which is even higher during festival period. The average total carbonyl level at different sites in Kolkata varied from 134.8 to 516.5 μg m−3 in pre-festival season, whereas in post-festival season the same varied from 252.2 to 589.3 μg m−3. Formaldehyde to acetaldehyde ratio altered from 0.62 in pre-festival season to 1.78 in post-festival season. Diurnal variation also altered, indicating variation in source composition of carbonyls. The total ozone forming potential calculated for all 14 carbonyls in pre-festival season increased by 35% in post-festival season. The effect of anthropogenic activities typical to the event of Diwali night characterized by intense execution of pyrotechnics resulted in significantly high level of carbonyl VOCs. Principal component analysis study for the event of Diwali shows clear contribution of the event on certain carbonyl VOCs. The results indicate elevated primary emissions of these pollutants and also their effect on formation of secondary pollutants. The study emphasizes the need of generating awareness among the communities in society as well as need for regulations to minimize the emissions and related hazards to the extent possible" |
| 20 |
Managing Future Air Quality in Megacities: A case study for Delhi
Megacities in Asia rank high in air pollution at the global scale. In many cities, ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been exceeding both the WHO interim targets as well as respective national air quality standards. This paper presents a systems analytical perspective on management options that could efficiently improve air quality at the urban scale, having Delhi as a case study. We employ the newly developed GAINS-City policy analysis framework, consisting of a bottom up emission calculation combined with atmospheric chemistry-transport calculation, to derive innovative insights into the current sources of pollution and their impacts on ambient PM2.5, both from emissions of primary PM as well as precursors of secondary inorganic and organic aerosols. We outline the likely future development of these sources, quantify the related ambient PM2.5 concentrations and health impacts, and explore potential policy interventions that could effectively reduce environmental pollution and resulting health impacts in the coming years. The analysis demonstrates that effective improvement of Delhi's air quality requires collaboration with neighboring States and must involve sources that are less relevant in industrialized countries. At the same time, many of the policy interventions will have multiple co-benefits on development targets in Delhi and its neighboring States. Outcomes of this study, as well as the modelling tools used herein, are applicable to other urban areas and fast growing metropolitan zones in the emerging Asian regions |
| 21 |
Prevalence of formaldehyde in indoor air of gross anatomy laboratory and cadaver storage room of a medical college
Concentration of formaldehyde (FA) which is used to preserve cadavers for dissection in medical colleges was monitored in indoor air including at the breathing level in dissection classes during a 2-week study in a gross anatomy laboratory and also in the cadaver storage room in a Medical College in India in 2012. Materials and Air samples were collected for 30 min and 3 h to commensurate with World Health Organization (WHO) standard (short-term exposure limit) value of FA (30-min) and dissection class of 3 h duration respectively. FA concentration ranged from 0.11 to 1.07 mg/m3 in the cadaver storage room and 0.06-1.12 mg/m3 in the gross anatomy laboratory. In samples taken at 5 ft height at the breathing level, FA concentration ranged from 0.32 to 0.86 mg/m3. Conclusions: Most of the observed FA levels were found to be above the prescribed FA guideline values laid down by organizations such as OSHA, ACGIH, WHO, Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and, therefore, could be considered as harmful for students’ and teachers’ health. FA concentrations reported from a few medical facilities in other countries are comparable, implying that some uniform management and control strategies for FA could be contemplated to reduce risks of FA exposure to students and teachers which are discussed in this paper |
| 22 |
Distribution of ozone over urban Kolkata: observed vs UAM-V prediction
Vehicular pollution, emissions due to burning of fossil fuel from industries and nonpoint sources in Kolkata are major sources of air pollution characterized by oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These pollutants are also responsible for the secondary ozone formation based on their reactivities. In the present study ozone has been monitored hourly every month in residential, industrial, traffic intersections, and petrol pumps in the urban area of Kolkata along with eight hourly nonoxygenated VOCs,carbonyls and NOx. Urban Airshed Model (UAM-V) has been used to simulate ozone on January 14, 2008 in Kolkata’s urban Area. Results of predicted ground level ozone have been in agreement with observed ozone concentrations. |
| 23 |
Emission, speciation, and evaluation of impacts of non-methane volatile organic compounds from open dump site
Surface emission from Dhapa, the only garbage disposal ground in Kolkata, is a matter of concern to the local environment and also fuels the issues of occupational and environmental health. Surface emission of the Dhapa landfill site was studied using a flux chamber measurement for nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Eighteen noncarbonyl volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 14 carbonyl VOCs, including suspected and known carcinogens, were found in appreciable concentrations. The concentrations of the target species in the flux chamber were found to be significantly higher for most of the species in summer than winter. Surface emission rate of landfill gas was estimated by using two different approaches to assess the applicability for an open landfill site. It was found that the emissions predicted using the model Land GEM version 3.02 is one to two orders less than the emission rate calculated from flux chamber measurement for the target species. Tropospheric ozone formation has a serious impact for NMVOC emission. The total ozone-forming potential (OFP) of the Dhapa dumping ground considering all target NMVOCs was estimated to be 4.9Eþ04 and 1.2Eþ05 g/day in winter and summer, respectively. Also, it was found that carbonyl VOCs play a more important role than noncarbonyl VOCs for tropospheric ozone formation. Cumulative cancer risk estimated for all the carcinogenic species was found to be 2792 for 1 million population, while the total noncancer hazard index (HI) was estimated to be 246 for the occupational exposure to different compounds from surface emission to the dump-site workers at Dhapa. |
| Sr. No. | Achievement / Award | Awarded By |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dr. Deepanjan Majumdar is a recognized Ph.D. guide of RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur in Environmental Science
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| 2 |
Dr. Mrs. Dipanjali Majumdar is serving as a Guest Lecturer of M.SC course in Department of Chemistry, University of Calcutta Since 2013.
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