Health Risk Assessment and Management of Air Pollutants

Abstract

Air pollution is a vital global public health concern which is generally addressed by collective societal action, particularly to control emissions, i.e. primary air pollutants which are precursors in the formation of secondary air pollutants via different atmospheric chemical reactions. The massive increase in emission of air pollutants in the atmosphere is major cause of human health and environmental problems. According to WHO, it is revealed that particulate matter (PM) exposure is responsible for ~800,000 premature deaths alone each year as compared to other air pollutants. Therefore, more systematic studies for the measurement of various air pollutants are still required to examine the current scenario and their physicochemical characteristics especially focused on PM. This will aid in health risk assessment of air pollutants by using various tools and estimation methods. The present chapter describes the brief introduction of air pollutants and their emission source characteristics along with detailed systematic findings and outcomes of the different studies. In addition, the methods/equations and diverse tools used for risk assessment by scientific community and various researchers have been introduced at regional and global level. Also, the methods and approaches that can be employed for the management of air pollutants (indoor and outdoor) in Indian context have been described. Overall, the chapter gives an idea about the deterioration of air quality due to emission of various pollutants, their formation and management methods along with the concerned health issues. This will serve as an imperative document for the scientific community and policy makers to develop effective mitigation policies with respect to air quality improvement.