2-1 Discussion: Air Quality Standards
The main sources of indoor air pollution are people using gas and/or wood stoves as well as being
exposed to dangerous cleaning agents. There is little doubt that industrialization is to blame for the air
pollution of cities (emissions from factories and vehicles). Moreover, cities naturally have less vegetation
to aid in filtering the harmful air (Levy, J., 2004).
The city I have chosen to research and discuss this week is Kanpur, India which was the city with the
worst air quality back in 2018. Of the top fifteen most polluted cities in the world, ten of them are in
India (World's most polluted cities..., n.d.). Kanpur's measurement of particulate matter (measured in
PM10 and PM2.5) was that of PM2.5 of 135 US AQI. For context, air quality for little to no health risk
would be a reading of 0 to 12 PM2.5 (What is PM2.5 and why you should care, n.d.). Currently, the
PM2.5 concentration in Kanpur, India is “9.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value” (Kanpur
Air Quality index (AQI) and India Air Pollution, n.d). The levels of air pollution (as measured by PM10 and
PM2.5) rose by 28% and 16.3%, respectively, between 2015 and 2016 (The Times of India, 2018).
"Cookstoves, heating fuel, and kerosene lighting are all common sources of pollution in big cities in
developing countries. Poor governance is also a major factor in pollution since lax enforcement of
standards for car exhausts, crop burning, or dust from construction sites leads to more particulates in
the air" (Irfan, U., 2018). The general proximity to waste and trash is, to put it mildly, is a health hazard,
especially in India's largest and most populous cities where there are also ineffective waste disposal
systems in place. Although the cities of India are running out of space for inhabitants, the rate of
residency is not decreasing or even halting. This issue is also partially related to income and poverty
levels. According to the WHO, developing nations and popular cities with growing populations have the
worst pollution (Irfan, U., 2018).
I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where the air quality is better when compared to those cities in India;
however, it is still not good with all the chemical plants around the city. The main pollutant is PM2.5 in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a current air quality index of 70 US AQI (Baton Rouge Air Quality index (AQI)
and Louisiana Air Pollution, n.d.) Reasons for the difference in air quality of Kanpur, India and Baton
Rouge, Louisiana are population. Baton Rouge currently has a population of 767,000 while Kanpur has a
population of 3,812,000. The main causes of air pollution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are from the many
plants we have in Baton Rouge as well as surrounding areas. Additionally, emissions from everyday
vehicles in the city and farm equipment from the surrounding areas of Baton Rouge.
References:
Baton Rouge Air Quality index (AQI) and Louisiana Air Pollution. IQAir. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2023, from
https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/louisiana/baton-rouge
Kanpur Air Quality index (AQI) and India Air Pollution. IQAir. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2023, from
https://www.iqair.com/us/india/uttar-pradesh/kanpur
Levy, J. (2004). Air Pollution, Health effects of. In C. J. Cleveland, Encyclopedia of energy. Elsevier Science &
Technology. Credo Reference:
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estenergy/
air_pollution_health_effects_of/0?institutionId=943
Irfan, U. (2018, October 31). Why India's air pollution is so horrendous. Retrieved from March 10, 2023,
from https://www.vox.com/2018/5/8/17316978/india-pollution-levels-air-delhi-health
The Times of India. (2018, May 2). India tops world in bad air quality: Kanpur, Delhi among 15 worst
cities, Mumbai 4th most polluted megacity. Retrieved from March 9, 2023, from
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-tops-world-in-bad-air-quality-kanpur-delhi-
among-top-15-mumbai-4th-most-polluted-megacity/articleshow/63997130.cms
What is PM2.5 and why you should care. Bliss Air. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from
https://blissair.com/what-is-pm-2-5.htm
World's most polluted cities (historical data 2017-2021). IQAir. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from
https://www.iqair.com/us/world-most-polluted-cities
