Evaluation of 8-hour average ground level Ozone in the city of Visakhapatnam and its impact on Human Well-being and Environment

Dileep Geddam

doi:10.17485/ijst/v13i26.532

Abstract

Objectives: The present study was focused on the 8-hour average concentration of ground-level ozone in the city of Visakhapatnam for three years in a row, i.e. 2017, 2018, and 2019, and the effects of ozone on human life, the environment, and building materials. Method: The data of 8-Hour average groundlevel ozone concentration was collected for the study from the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management – All India, Central Pollution Control Board. Data available from the source were analyzed and compared to the NAAQS, India and the data was tabulated and showed specifically the number of times the 8 Hour average ground-level ozone surpassed in a month, for a clearer understanding. Findings: Study results show that the air quality of ozone levels during winters showed maximum unhealthy hours. The trends of maximum recorded 8-Hour average concentration of ozone levels in a day are also increasing year by year. Recommendations: It is recommended to be safe indoors during high ozone days for the people with comorbidities, children, Women in pregnant, people active in outdoor activities and it is further advised to reduce ozone exposure it\'s safe to wear washable 6-layer N99 and PM2.5 face mask during winters especially from November to February. Schools may be cautioned to discontinue the open-air physical activity during this period.Creating ozone forecasts accessible to the public is important, and the local and national laws should be strengthened to combat ozone pollution. Keywords: Asthma; contamination; ecosystems; urban vegetation; ozone; mortality

Highlights

Air to be considered as indispensable an asset like water or food
Ozone sensitivity is likely related to premature mortality, and it increases the risk of ozone exposure for children since the children receive a high dose per body mass, and in the children lungs continue to develop [8]
The year 2018 showed the most unhealthy ozone hours with a maximum of 7.78 percent of the total 8-hour Avg. ozone concentration recorded in a year

Summary

Introduction

Air to be considered as indispensable an asset like water or food. The typical adult exchanges gases every day about six times higher than the regularGeddam et al / Indian Journal of Science and Technology 2020;13(26):2593–2600 consumption of food and water to stay alive. In recent decade’s troposphere, ozone has been at the center of air quality research due to its negative impact on human health and the well-being of the ecosystem. Apart from physiological damage, ground-level ozone could contribute to lower fungal resistance, bacterial, viral resistance to insects, decreased production, prevented yields, and reproductive capacity. These effects may lead to a reduction in the quality of crops and a slump in biodiversity in the natural ecosystems [9]. Most of the people attribute that the primary air pollutants are particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, but ground-level ozone is a considerable threat to public health and biodiversity. An effort was made to understand the ground-level ozone guidelines, short-term and longterm effects on human ozone exposure, and the environmental and building material affects, taking the severity of ground-level ozone discussed

Objectives

Results

Conclusion