Evaluating population exposure to environmental pollutants during Deepavali fireworks displays using air quality measurements of the SAFAR network

Abstract

Indian government has implemented a state of art project “System of Air quality Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)” for assessing the air-quality scenario in Delhi during “Commonwealth Games-2010” which is operational in Delhi. Using a high resolution data of the SAFAR network, we estimate the excess numbers of cases for total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortalities and hospital admissions with the air-quality response to population attributable-risks due to emissions from fireworks displays (Deepavali-2010). The ratios of numbers of excess cases for fireworks displays (Deepavali) to those of non-Deepavali period (CWG-2010) vary from 1.75 to 3.5 for PM2.5 and from 3 to 8 for PM10 at monitoring stations in study area except in an airport. These ratios approach to 1 for PM2.5 or PM10 in airport area which can be attributed to restrictions on fireworks displays and eventually a very low population exposure. The numbers of excess cases for PM2.5 and PM10 during extreme emissions by fireworks displays are about 2-fold to those of non-Deepavali period. The SAFAR is recognized by the Global Urban Research Meteorology and Environment of the World Meteorological Organization and thus results would likely to provide episodic limits for developing countries in common line with the air-quality standards set for developed world for pollutant levels due to emissions from the fireworks displays when population of country celebrates traditional festivals collectively.