1
|
Singh BP, Sohrab SS, Athar M, Alandijany TA, Kumari S, Nair A, Kumari S, Mehra K, Chowdhary K, Rahman S, Azhar EI. Substantial Changes in Selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Associations with Health Risk Assessments in Industrial Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic. TOXICS 2023; 11:165. [PMID: 36851040 PMCID: PMC9963041 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11020165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in many countries worldwide, including India, imposed several restriction measures, including lockdowns, to prevent the spread of the infection. COVID-19 lockdowns led to a reduction in gaseous and particulate pollutants in ambient air. In the present study, we investigated the substantial changes in selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and associations with health risk assessments in industrial areas. VOC data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021 were collected from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website, to identify percentage changes in VOC levels before, during, and after COVID-19. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations were 47.22 ± 30.15, 37.19 ± 37.19, and 32.81 ± 32.81 µg/m3 for 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. As a result, the TVOC levels gradually declined in consecutive years due to the pandemic in India. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations declined from 9 to 61% during the pandemic period as compared with the pre-pandemic period. In the current study, the T/B ratio values ranged from 2.16 (PG) to 26.38 (NL), which indicated that the major pollutant contributors were traffic and non-traffic sources during the pre-pandemic period. The present findings indicated that TVOC levels had positive but low correlations with SR, BP, RF, and WD, with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.034, 0.118, 0.012, and 0.007, respectively, whereas negative correlations were observed with AT and WS, with correlation coefficients (r) of -0.168 and -0.150, respectively. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) value for benzene was reported to be higher in children, followed by females and males, for the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. A nationwide scale-up of this study's findings might be useful in formulating future air pollution reduction policies associated with a reduction in health risk factors. Furthermore, the present study provides baseline data for future studies on the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the air quality of a region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhupendra Pratap Singh
- Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence), University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Sayed Sartaj Sohrab
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Athar
- Science and Technology Unit, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thamir A. Alandijany
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saumya Kumari
- Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Arathi Nair
- Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Sweety Kumari
- Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Kriti Mehra
- Department of Life Science, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Khyati Chowdhary
- Department of Life Science, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Shakilur Rahman
- Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110019, India
| | - Esam Ibraheem Azhar
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Singh BP, Zughaibi TA, Alharthy SA, Al-Asmari AI, Rahman S. Statistical analysis, source apportionment, and toxicity of particulate- and gaseous-phase PAHs in the urban atmosphere. Front Public Health 2023; 10:1070663. [PMID: 36703843 PMCID: PMC9871548 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1070663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The concentrations of particulate and gaseous Polycyclic Hydrocarbons Carbon (PAHs) were determined in the urban atmosphere of Delhi in different seasons (winter, summer, and monsoon). Methodology The samples were collected using instrument air metric (particulate phase) and charcoal tube (gaseous phase) and analyzed through Gas chromatography. The principal component and correlation were used to identify the sources of particulate and gaseous PAHs during different seasons. Results and discussion The mean concentration of the sum of total PAHs (TPAHs) for particulate and gaseous phases at all the sites were found to be higher in the winter season (165.14 ± 50.44 ng/m3 and 65.73 ± 16.84 ng/m3) than in the summer season (134.08 ± 35.0 ng/m3 and 43.43 ± 9.59 ng/m3), whereas in the monsoon season the concentration was least (68.15 ± 18.25 ng/m3 and 37.63 1 13.62 ng/m3). The principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that seasonal variations of PAHs accounted for over 86.9%, 84.5%, and 94.5% for the summer, monsoon, and winter seasons, respectively. The strong and positive correlation coefficients were observed between B(ghi)P and DahA (0.922), B(a)P and IcdP (0.857), and B(a)P and DahA (0.821), which indicated the common source emissions of PAHs. In addition to this, the correlation between Nap and Flu, Flu and Flt, B(a)P, and IcdP showed moderate to high correlation ranging from 0.68 to 0.75 for the particulate phase PAHs. The carcinogenic health risk values for gaseous and particulate phase PAHs at all sites were calculated to be 4.53 × 10-6, 2.36 × 10-5 for children, and 1.22 × 10-5, 6.35 × 10-5 for adults, respectively. The carcinogenic health risk for current results was found to be relatively higher than the prescribed standard of the Central Pollution Control Board, India (1.0 × 10-6).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhupendra Pratap Singh
- Department of Environmental Studies, Deshbadhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Torki A. Zughaibi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Toxicology and Forensic Science Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saif A. Alharthy
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Toxicology and Forensic Science Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed I. Al-Asmari
- Toxicology and Forensic Science Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Laboratory Department, Ministry of Health, King Aziz Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shakilur Rahman
- Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Singh B, Pandey P, Wabaidur SM, Avtar R, Kumar P, Rahman S. Substantial changes in Gaseous pollutants and health effects during COVID-19 in Delhi, India. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14489. [PMID: 36643637 PMCID: PMC9835704 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease has affected the entire population worldwide in terms of physical and environmental consequences. Therefore, the current study demonstrates the changes in the concentration of gaseous pollutants and their health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi, the national capital city of India. Methodology In the present study, secondary data on gaseous pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ammonia (NH3), and ozone (O3) were collected from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on a daily basis. Data were collected from January 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020, to determine the relative changes (%) in gaseous pollutants for pre-lockdown, lockdown, and unlockdown stages of COVID-19. Results The current findings for gaseous pollutants reveal that concentration declined in the range of 51%-83% (NO), 40%-69% (NOx), 31%-60% (NO2), and 25%-40% (NH3) during the lockdown compared to pre-lockdown period, respectively. The drastic decrease in gaseous pollutants was observed due to restricted measures during lockdown periods. The level of ozone was observed to be higher during the lockdown periods as compared to the pre-lockdown period. These gaseous pollutants are linked between the health risk assessment and hazard identification for non-carcinogenic. However, in infants (0-1 yr), Health Quotient (HQ) for daily and annual groups was found to be higher than the rest of the exposed group (toddlers, children, and adults) in all the periods. Conclusion The air quality values for pre-lockdown were calculated to be "poor category to "very poor" category in all zones of Delhi, whereas, during the lockdown period, the air quality levels for all zones were calculated as "satisfactory," except for Northeast Delhi, which displayed the "moderate" category. The computed HQ for daily chronic exposure for each pollutant across the child and adult groups was more than 1 (HQ > 1), which indicated a high probability to induce adverse health outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bhupendra Singh
- Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability (Institute of Eminence), University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India,Deshbandhu College, Department of Environmental Science, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Puneeta Pandey
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Technology, Central University of Punjab Bathinda, Bathinda, Punjab, India
| | | | - Ram Avtar
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Pramod Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Shakilur Rahman
- Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|