In terms of average annual population-weighted PM 2.5 exposure, Delhi and Kolkata are the two most polluted cities in the world, according to recent research, 'Air Pollution and Health in Cities', published by the Health Effects Institute's (HEI) State of Global Air Initiative.&nbsp;

Mumbai came in at number 14. There are no other Indian cities in the top 20. Beijing had the largest disease burden associated with a PM 2.5-related illness, with 124 attributable fatalities per 100,000 persons. Kolkata ranked eighth with 99 deaths per 100,000, while Delhi came in sixth with 106 deaths. In the top 20, there were five Chinese cities.

The study encompassed 7,000 cities in total, but only 103 of the most populous ones from six regions were taken into account for the ranking.&nbsp;

No Indian city appeared in the top 20 cities for NO2 exposure, with Shanghai having the worst average exposure. Cities all throughout the world had levels of PM 2.5 and NO2 that were higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The average PM 2.5 exposure in Delhi was 110 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019, which is 22 times higher than the WHO standard of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the research. The average exposure in Kolkata was 84 micrograms per cubic metre.

Moscow in Russia came in second with an average NO2 exposure of 41.6 micrograms per cubic metre (40.2 micrograms per cubic metre). The WHO recommended exposure level for NO2 is 10 micrograms per cubic metre. According to the research, 86% of the more than 7,000 cities it covered in 2019 had pollution exposure levels over the WHO threshold, which had an effect on about 2.6 billion people.&nbsp;

According to the study, exposure to PM 2.5 was responsible for 29,900 deaths in Delhi, 21,380 in Kolkata, and 16,020 in Mumbai in 2019. In contrast, PM 2.5 exposure caused 26,270 fatalities in Beijing in 2019.

The study, which examined data from 2010 to 2019, also discovered that there were notable differences between global exposure patterns for the two main air pollutants, NO2 and PM 2.5. While it was shown that cities in low- and middle-income nations had higher exposure to fine particulate matter, cities in high- and middle-income countries also had high exposure to nitrogen dioxide or NO2. The main ways that NO2 is released into the atmosphere are through power plants and automobile emissions.

(with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

In terms of average annual population-weighted PM 2.5 exposure, Delhi and Kolkata are the two most polluted cities in the world, according to recent research, 'Air Pollution and Health in Cities', published by the Health Effects Institute's (HEI) State of Global Air Initiative.

In terms of average annual population-weighted PM 2.5 exposure, Delhi and Kolkata are the two most polluted cities in the world, according to recent research, 'Air Pollution and Health in Cities', published by the Health Effects Institute's (HEI) State of Global Air Initiative. Mumbai came in at number 14. There are no other Indian cities in the top 20. Beijing had the largest disease burden associated with a PM 2.5-related illness, with 124 attributable fatalities per 100,000 persons. Kolkata ranked eighth with 99 deaths per 100,000, while Delhi came in sixth with 106 deaths. In the top 20, there were five Chinese cities. The study encompassed 7,000 cities in total, but only 103 of the most populous ones from six regions were taken into account for the ranking. No Indian city appeared in the top 20 cities for NO2 exposure, with Shanghai having the worst average exposure. Cities all throughout the world had levels of PM 2.5 and NO2 that were higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The average PM 2.5 exposure in Delhi was 110 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019, which is 22 times higher than the WHO standard of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the research. The average exposure in Kolkata was 84 micrograms per cubic metre. Moscow in Russia came in second with an average NO2 exposure of 41.6 micrograms per cubic metre (40.2 micrograms per cubic metre). The WHO recommended exposure level for NO2 is 10 micrograms per cubic metre. According to the research, 86% of the more than 7,000 cities it covered in 2019 had pollution exposure levels over the WHO threshold, which had an effect on about 2.6 billion people. According to the study, exposure to PM 2.5 was responsible for 29,900 deaths in Delhi, 21,380 in Kolkata, and 16,020 in Mumbai in 2019. In contrast, PM 2.5 exposure caused 26,270 fatalities in Beijing in 2019. The study, which examined data from 2010 to 2019, also discovered that there were notable differences between global exposure patterns for the two main air pollutants, NO2 and PM 2.5. While it was shown that cities in low- and middle-income nations had higher exposure to fine particulate matter, cities in high- and middle-income countries also had high exposure to nitrogen dioxide or NO2. The main ways that NO2 is released into the atmosphere are through power plants and automobile emissions. (with inputs from agencies)

Delhi and Kolkata most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 exposure: Report

The reason for deaths are many which can range from heart diseases to deadly viruses but what is the solution when the air that you breathe may end up killing you. According to the World Health Organization nearly hundred percent of the world's population breathes polluted air and more than seven million people die every year by just breathing this polluted air.

WHO: More than 7 million die every year from polluted air, nearly 100% world breathes polluted air

NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) pollution has increased in all eight of India's most populated cities, according to Greenpeace India's satellite observation-based study.&nbsp;

This study was a direct comparison of NO2 levels of April 2020 and April 2021, thus juxtaposing the total lockdown month with a partial normalcy month. NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant that is released via vehicle emissions, power generation, and industrial processes.&nbsp;

The satellite observations of NO2 analyzed in this study are monthly averages of measurements made by the Tropomi sensor on board the Sentinel-5P satellite, which has been operating since February 2018 (Copernicus, 2018).

Their data claims that NO2 pollution in Chennai increased by 94% in a direct comparison between April 2020 and April 2021. The weather had only little contribution to this change.&nbsp;

Whereas, in Delhi, NO2 was higher by 125%, in Mumbai, 52% higher, Hyderabad by 69%, Bengaluru by 90%, Kolkata by 11%, Jaipur by 47% and Lucknow by 32% in April 2021, than in the same month of the previous year.

Specifically on North Chennai(Manali station), their data says that (in 2019) the region recorded unacceptable pollution levels for 119 days. It also states that while emissions from 38 red category industries including thermal power plants, petro-chemical industries, ports are the reason for North Chennai’s pollution, vehicular pollution contributes more to Central and South Chennai’s woes.

Prabhakaran Veeraarasu, Environmental Engineer, from the NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal said that Chennai’s data was a stark reminder to have a demographic, sectoral approach to address Chennai's pollution. “Shifting towards decentralised renewable energy, developing public transport infrastructure, encouraging non-motor transport and ensuring last mile connectivity can be our targets to reduce vehicular pollution in Chennai” he added. 
 
<img alt="satellite observations of NO2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e4b99e13-65b3-4ece-8fc4-d8fb90d361b0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/NO2%20levels%20graph.png" />

The report infers that India’s cities witnessing clean air in April 2020 (during the Lockdown) was an unintended consequence, that led to people breathing clean air and seeing clear skies. It suggests that the disruption caused by the pandemic is a case to transition to cleaner, equitable and sustainable decentralised energy sources such as rooftop solar and clean and sustainable mobility must be central to recovery efforts across cities. “The recovery from the pandemic must not come at the expense of a return to previous levels of air pollution,” said Avinash Chanchal, Senior Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

He added that fossil-fuel dependent private vehicles and industries are the major contributors of NO2 pollution, thus urging Governments to initiate the transition from privately owned vehicles to an efficient, clean and safe public transport system that is run on clean energy, follows Covid-19 safety protocols.

NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) pollution has increased in all eight of India's most populated cities, according to Greenpeace India's satellite observation-based study. This study was a direct comparison of NO2 levels of April 2020 and April 2021, thus juxtaposing the total lockdown month with a partial normalcy month.

NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) pollution has increased in all eight of India's most populated cities, according to Greenpeace India's satellite observation-based study. This study was a direct comparison of NO2 levels of April 2020 and April 2021, thus juxtaposing the total lockdown month with a partial normalcy month. NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant that is released via vehicle emissions, power generation, and industrial processes. The satellite observations of NO2 analyzed in this study are monthly averages of measurements made by the Tropomi sensor on board the Sentinel-5P satellite, which has been operating since February 2018 (Copernicus, 2018). Their data claims that NO2 pollution in Chennai increased by 94% in a direct comparison between April 2020 and April 2021. The weather had only little contribution to this change. Whereas, in Delhi, NO2 was higher by 125%, in Mumbai, 52% higher, Hyderabad by 69%, Bengaluru by 90%, Kolkata by 11%, Jaipur by 47% and Lucknow by 32% in April 2021, than in the same month of the previous year. Specifically on North Chennai(Manali station), their data says that (in 2019) the region recorded unacceptable pollution levels for 119 days. It also states that while emissions from 38 red category industries including thermal power plants, petro-chemical industries, ports are the reason for North Chennai’s pollution, vehicular pollution contributes more to Central and South Chennai’s woes. Prabhakaran Veeraarasu, Environmental Engineer, from the NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal said that Chennai’s data was a stark reminder to have a demographic, sectoral approach to address Chennai's pollution. “Shifting towards decentralised renewable energy, developing public transport infrastructure, encouraging non-motor transport and ensuring last mile connectivity can be our targets to reduce vehicular pollution in Chennai” he added. The report infers that India’s cities witnessing clean air in April 2020 (during the Lockdown) was an unintended consequence, that led to people breathing clean air and seeing clear skies. It suggests that the disruption caused by the pandemic is a case to transition to cleaner, equitable and sustainable decentralised energy sources such as rooftop solar and clean and sustainable mobility must be central to recovery efforts across cities. “The recovery from the pandemic must not come at the expense of a return to previous levels of air pollution,” said Avinash Chanchal, Senior Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace India. He added that fossil-fuel dependent private vehicles and industries are the major contributors of NO2 pollution, thus urging Governments to initiate the transition from privately owned vehicles to an efficient, clean and safe public transport system that is run on clean energy, follows Covid-19 safety protocols.

Indian cities witnessed spike in NO2 pollution between April 2020 and 2021: Report

People residing in the national capital woke up to a hazy morning on Friday, a day when the region's Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated as 'Very Poor' at 343 by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

The AQI between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 falls under the category of 'satisfactory', 101-200 is marked as 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 500 and beyond is considered as 'severe'.

The organisation has predicted that the air quality of Delhi will continue to remain in the 'very poor'category for the next three days.

In Gujarat's Ahmedabad too, the air quality has plummeted to 'poor' category.

SAFAR in its advisory has adviced people living in polluted cities to wear masks known as N-95 pr P-100 respirators. It has also advised people to avoid all physical activity outdoors and move activities indoors.

"Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. If the air conditioner provides a fresh air intake option, keep that closed," he added.

In Mumbai, the air quality remained in the moderate category with PM 10 at 158.

Experts have predicted that for the next few days the air quality will remain in the same quality between 150 to 158 at PM 10.

If one looks closely, the effects of air pollution on health are vast and serious.

According to research conducted by Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution is not only the cause of respiratory diseases but can also trigger the onset of diabetes. The research further revealed that out of 7 every one new case of diabetes is caused by air pollution alone. It claimed that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016.

People residing in the national capital woke up to a hazy morning on Friday, a day when the region's Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated as 'Very Poor' at 343 by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

People residing in the national capital woke up to a hazy morning on Friday, a day when the region's Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated as 'Very Poor' at 343 by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research. The AQI between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 falls under the category of 'satisfactory', 101-200 is marked as 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 500 and beyond is considered as 'severe'. The organisation has predicted that the air quality of Delhi will continue to remain in the 'very poor'category for the next three days. In Gujarat's Ahmedabad too, the air quality has plummeted to 'poor' category. SAFAR in its advisory has adviced people living in polluted cities to wear masks known as N-95 pr P-100 respirators. It has also advised people to avoid all physical activity outdoors and move activities indoors. "Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. If the air conditioner provides a fresh air intake option, keep that closed," he added. In Mumbai, the air quality remained in the moderate category with PM 10 at 158. Experts have predicted that for the next few days the air quality will remain in the same quality between 150 to 158 at PM 10. If one looks closely, the effects of air pollution on health are vast and serious. According to research conducted by Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution is not only the cause of respiratory diseases but can also trigger the onset of diabetes. The research further revealed that out of 7 every one new case of diabetes is caused by air pollution alone. It claimed that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016.

Delhi air quality remains 'very poor', unlikely to change

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University.

He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them.

The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017.

Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son&#39;s asthma.&nbsp;

Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers.

He spoke with WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma:

&nbsp;

Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017?

You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a&nbsp;lot of people. It is already helping a&nbsp;lot of people in the&nbsp;USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I&rsquo;m very thankful to&nbsp;Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year&#39;s 25 top inventions. 
&nbsp;

You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate?

I&rsquo;m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I&#39;ve done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market.

How is your purifier different from those available on the market?

All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us&nbsp;problems. Virus and bacteria&nbsp;are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product.

Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works?

We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that&rsquo;s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water.

Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That&#39;s very difficult for the middle class&nbsp;to buy&nbsp;in India...

I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product.

Can the cost be brought down?

Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I&rsquo;m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business.

Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution?

We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air.

Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution?

Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don&rsquo;t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the&nbsp;USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the&nbsp;USA.

Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air?

In the&nbsp;USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the&nbsp;USA is far more polluted than outdoor air.

How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India?

It is true that Delhi&rsquo;s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be&nbsp;cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Yogi Goswami invented his Molekule to help his son battle asthma

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University. He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them. The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017. Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son's asthma. Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers. He spoke with WION's Kartikeya Sharma: Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017? You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a lot of people. It is already helping a lot of people in the USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I’m very thankful to Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year's 25 top inventions. You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate? I’m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I've done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market. How is your purifier different from those available on the market? All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us problems. Virus and bacteria are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product. Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works? We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that’s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water. Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That's very difficult for the middle class to buy in India... I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product. Can the cost be brought down? Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I’m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business. Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution? We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air. Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution? Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don’t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the USA. Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air? In the USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the USA is far more polluted than outdoor air. How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India? It is true that Delhi’s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Indian-origin professor's air purifier chosen by Time as one of 25 best innovations of 2017

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