Scientists Push for Chemistry-Driven Policies to Improve India's Air Quality
Chemical atmospheric reactions are responsible for generating most of India's fine particulate matter, yet policies to reduce emissions are lagging behind.
In Chandrapur, a city in central India with a population of approximately 466,000, air pollution affects one in every three households. Residents often develop respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, as well as skin and eye allergies, and pneumonia, according to local physician Gopal Mundhada.
Mundhada attributes the public health crisis to the severe pollution caused by the coal-fired Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS), one of the largest power plants in the country. He notes that the disease burden has increased steadily over the past few decades.
Chemical atmospheric reactions generate most of the country's fine particulate matter.
By Puja Changoiwala, special to C&EN.
Author's summary: Scientists advocate for policies to reduce emissions and improve air quality in India.