The World Health Organization recently revised its AQGs and reduced PM2.5 to 5 and PM10 to 15. What do these numbers mean in the Indian context and how can these be achieved? SHALINI SAKSENA speaks with industry experts who say that air pollution needs to be addressed on a war footing to promote better health

The World Health Organization (WHO) updated the Air Quality Guidelines. Though it is not surprising that the WHO decided to revise the guidelines, what is alarming is the reason for them. Over 90 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas that exceed the thresholds and limits for key air pollutants set by the WHO. Unfortunately, for South Asia, this is approximately 100 per cent.

Despite this, interestingly, the new guidelines are in no way binding on the countries. However, the new readings can prove to be a turning point on how the world will tackle air pollution.

The last time these guidelines were updated was back in 2005, 16 years back. Since the times the guidelines were last updated, multiple scientific studies have evidenced the true harm caused by poor air quality. Even though India revised its air pollution standards in 2009, these have been far more relaxed in comparison to WHO’s prescribed guidelines.

Even according to the 2005 guidelines, we were unable to meet the standards set by WHO — PM2.5 was 10 (annual mean) whereas India figures stood at 40. The revised WHO standards for PM2.5 is 5 and PM 10 is 15.

Climatologist Professor Murari Lal explains that air pollutants have a complex relationship with climate change.

“Some pollutants like black carbon and ozone, increase warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere, while others like sulphur dioxide forming light-reflecting particles. have a cooling effect on the climate. Rising levels of some air-polluting gases (coming from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline) increase the greenhouse effect, which in turn raises temperatures and affects global weather patterns. Some of the disastrous effects of air pollution are: Respiratory and heart problems in humans and could be detrimental to children, acid rain, eutrophication, effect on wildlife, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming,” Prof Lal explains.

He tells you that air pollution causes reduced lung growth and function in children along with respiratory infections and aggravated asthma.

“In adults, ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor air pollution. The health risks associated with particulate matter (PM) equal to or smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns in diameter are of particular public health relevance. These are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and smaller ones can even enter the bloodstream, primarily resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory impacts, and also affecting other organs. The PM is primarily generated by fuel combustion in different sectors, including transport, energy, households, industry, and agriculture.

Therefore, Professor Lal says that the revised WHO guidelines are rather timely. Clean air for breathing is a fundamental human right and a necessary condition for healthy and productive societies, one is told.

Disparities in air pollution exposure are increasing worldwide and countries are experiencing growing levels of air pollution caused by large-scale urbanisation and economic development that has largely relied on the burning of fossil fuels. The WHO’s Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide an indication of the harm that air pollution can inflict on human health and highlight good practices for the management of air pollution levels to be maintained at safe levels.

The AQ guidelines periodically recommend optimal air quality levels which are safe to the health of populations and the levels of key air pollutants must be maintained to this threshold (some of these pollutants also contribute to climate change).

There are many benefits. “The WHO has adjusted almost all the AQGs levels downward in September 2021, with a warning that exceeding the new air quality guideline levels is associated with significant risks to human health and adhering to these levels by policymakers would save millions of lives,” Professor Lal says and opines that the new guidelines should be effective if implemented in practice.

According to Dr Sanjay Kulshrestha, who has filed several PIls with the National Green Tribunal, our guidelines are pretty lenient. “We aren’t able to meet those parameters. Now, these revisions are very strict. They are targeting our AQI index. Many cities in the North, especially Delhi-NCR, are soon going to see the rise in AQI. If this is the case with the Capital, how will we tackle cities like Kolkata, Kanpur and Patna? In order to meet the WHO’s new guidelines, we need to achieve the target but for that, we need to investigate the sources of pollution and then curb it all,” Kulshrestha says.

He tells you that at present, all that is happening is that the stakeholders are just trying to divert the attention from the burning issue — how to tackle air pollution and make it breathable for the citizens.

“The problem is that we know the causes. A recent study from the US states that vehicular pollution has a major impact on AQI indexes and the governing bodies need to address it. Even the Indian of Science and Technology has accepted the fact that vehicular pollution accounts for around 40 per cent of all the air pollution. The blame is always put on the dust; there is nothing much that one can do about dust. In 2010, PM2.5 was around 25 per cent. In 2018, the Ministry has revealed that dust accounts for 40 per cent air pollution and the rest is miscellaneous,” Kulshrestha says.

In other words, there are two main reasons for pollution in Delhi-NCR — that is dust and vehicular pollution. “What we can tackle is vehicular pollution. When we talk about WHO’s census on PM2.5, its impact is around seven-11 million with a death toll of 1.7 million. The study says 11 lakh Indian people are dying directly due to PM2.5 and it’s very clear that PM2 itself is responsible,” Kulshrestha explains.

Those living in Delhi are familiar with the after-effects of the stubble burning that is all set to take place. This combined with the firecrackers proves to be lethal for Delhiites; the city records 50,000-60,000 deaths every year due to air pollution.

One is told that pollutants in the air can be divided into many types based on their nature such as gaseous, solid, liquid, organic or inorganic based on the chemical composition. The source can be industrial, dust, vehicular or petrol/diesel burning.

“Back in 2015, we had filed for a ban on vehicles that were more than 10 years old (diesel) and 15 years old (petrol). There was a petition against that ban by the Ministry of Road Transportation. We have raised our concerns. We explained that with regards to Delhi, there is a need to categorise pollutants according to the season. This is because there is some inherent or basic pollution that remains in Delhi all the time. Besides these, there are additions to seasonal pollutants like bursting crackers during Diwali and stubble burning. These two seasonal factors worsen the situation in Delhi. Just like a Diabetic addresses his spiked sugar levels, we need to address the seasonal pollution in Delhi,” Kulshrestha opines.

According to him, it is time that we stop blaming other factors that contribute to the pollution and go to the source to address the issue. “When things get out of hand, we immediately order a ban on burning of crackers. We rely on the winds that blow in November to disperse the thick blanket of smog over Delhi. If the wind Gods are happy everything is good, otherwise, it is the common man who has to pay a heavy price. We blame stubble burning as a major cause of air pollution in Delhi. What about the worsening air quality in Patna? There is no stubble burning there. Let’s take dust. Where would one dust? Rajasthan. So deserts should be the most polluted. But that’s not the case. People aren’t dying in these places like flies. The answer is clear as the day — it is not the dust nor the stubble that is the cause. Why are we insisting on blaming seasonal pollutants? Why not go to the root of the problem — vehicular pollution and roadside dust which mixes with the pollutants like the fumes from the exhaust. It comes as a carrier for toxic materials. Simple dust is not a factor of concern as it is a major source for PM10. The main source for PM2.5  is vehicular pollution,” Kulshrestha tells you.

Agrees BS Vohra, an environmental activist and a citizen journalist based out of Delhi.

“We know what is the main cause of air pollution in the country and yet we try to circle around the issue and look towards ways to address the situation. Each year, stubble burning takes place and firecrackers are burst during Diwali. We insist on addressing this and not the main cause of air pollution — vehicles,” Vohra says. He tells you that this is only one aspect of the issue.

The Government has introduced BSVI cars but the petrol standard continues to be for BS IV. He asks a pertinent question: why is this happening? “If the Government had introduced BS VI in 2017 why not make petrol compatible as well? Vohra asks.

He opines that the new standards set by the WHO are tough to attain. “We have not yet managed to reach the guidelines that WHO had kept back in 2005. In a coming couple of months, the AQI is going to shoot up, more than 100 times. How do we focus on achieving PM 2.5 of 5? And the worst thing is that nobody is talking about PM1 which is even worse for health. Unfortunately, it is the common man who is suffering and will continue to die,” Vohra says.

Kulshrestha has some solutions to tackle what ails us when it comes to air pollution.

First, we have to reduce the number of vehicles in the city. “One can be an absolute reduction, to reduce the sale and by off-road old vehicles after a set time. Second, we must at least try to ensure that the least number of private cars are on the road. People should be encouraged to use public transport. Third, we must have checks on vehicular efficiency and fuel consumption. Four, we must have a proper road infrastructure and traffic congestion management to tackle pollution. If a vehicle passes a stretch of road in say two minutes, it causes less pollution due to emissions than being in the stretch for 20 minutes. Finally, the Government has to accept that air pollution is a real issue and it is killing people. Remember, pollution is increasing with time,” Kulshrestha says.

QuoteUnquOte

There is a body of scientific evidence to prove that air pollution is leading to severe health impacts and 90 per cent of the entire global population is breathing polluted air. It is a severe health crisis and WHO's revised air quality guidelines bring back the focus to the issue. There is a need for revising India's air quality standards to make them more stringent. Even at the current relaxed standard of 40 ug/m3 for annual PM2.5 averages in India vs WHO's 2005 annual limit of 10 ug/m3, most Indian cities failed to meet even those levels. We have to strengthen health data and revise the National Clean Air Programme. Raw health data is required to conduct a large range of health studies vis-a-vis air pollution impacts.

— Prof SN Tripathi, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur & Steering Committee Member, National Clean Air Programme, India

The WHO, by reducing the PM2.5 and 10 exposure levels under the new AQG has reemphasised the need for putting in more efforts to control particulate matter concentration in the air. But for countries like India, it is a huge challenge to meet these guidelines. I hope that efforts by all stakeholders will be intensified so as to make honest efforts to aim towards the revised levels.

— Dr Arun Sharma, Director, National Institute for Implementation Research of Non-Communicable Diseases, ICMR

Air pollution has become a majoAir pollution has become a major risk factor for premature mortality and morbidity. Meeting the new WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines seems a challenge, but under National Clean Air Program (NCAP), India is committed to minimizing 20-30 per cent of cities' air pollution. Collective efforts are needed to mitigate the air pollution & gain in terms of better human health & climate.

— Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, Professor, Environment Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh

As doctors, we have seen the ill-effects of air pollution on our patients. This is a public health emergency, affecting the lives of people all over the world, with the worst impacts in South Asia. Fossil fuels are the root cause of both air pollution and the climate crisis. Governments across South Asian countries need to urgently align their national air quality standards with the latest WHO guidelines and take a regional approach, keeping health at the heart of actions to tackle and resolve the air pollution crisis. The time to act was yesterday, but we missed it. For the sake of future generations, we need to commit to doing anything and everything that it takes to solve this crisis as early as possible. The price of our inaction today will be paid heavily by our future generations.

— Dr Arvind Kumar, Founder, Lung Care Foundation & Chairman, Institute of Chest Surgery, Chest Onco Surgery and Lung Transplantation

Air pollution stunts children's health and future — it causes premature birth, life-threatening asthma, cognitive problems, childhood cancer and so many other problems. There is no safe level of air pollution to breathe, but at least following the WHO's new air quality guidelines will improve children's health and set us on the path to achieving clean air for all. The UK Government has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect children's health now, by including air quality targets in the Environment Bill that follow the WHO's guidelines. This Bill will determine the quality of the air we breathe for the next 15-20 years —meaning that babies born today will grow up with it. We can't let them down.

— Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, WHO advocate for health and clean air and founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation

The update to the guidelines is much needed, with the latest science showing severe health harm from PM2.5 and NO2 pollution far below the current 2005 guideline levels. For example, meeting the current guideline everywhere in the world would do little to protect the estimated 4 million children per year that develop asthma due to NO2 exposure.

It's now essential for governments to align their national air quality standards with the new guidelines and put in place plans to meet them. Most importantly, meeting the new guidelines will require a revolution in the energy sector. Emission standards for power plants, industries and vehicles will need to be tightened and much of fossil fuel- and biomass-burning will have to be eliminated. The prize will be millions of people living longer, healthier lives.

— Lauri Myllyvirta, Lead Analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Airsha