Health risks for population living in the neighborhood of a cement factory

Abstract

In order to assess the health risks associated with the manufacturing of Portland cement for the population living in the neighborhood of a cement industry in Khrew, Kashmir, India, particulate matter and trace gas samplings were done between March and December 2011 in the cement affected area. The main parameters considered for study included suspended particulate matter (SPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), non-respirable suspended particulate matter (NRSPM), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The population considered most suitable for study was the people residing in 2 - 3 km radius of the cement emission zone and for this, questionnaire based study was performed. The air temperature, air humidity, wind speed, wind direction and light intensity were studied at the sites for the sampling days. The results indicate that there was high level of air pollution with mean SO2 concentration of 115.2 µg/m3 at site I and 28.13 µg/m3 at site II when compared. Similarly, NOx concentration at site I was 117.09 µg/m3 when compared with control site II where it was found to be 19.46 µg/m3 with high prevalence of diseases particularly, respiratory problems, 97% suffered from eye irritations and 95% suffered from dermatological problems among population living in the neighborhood of cement factory at site I. The assessment of oxidative and nitrosative stress among population was carried out by quantification of ROS and NO levels in serum of subjects. The results show that there was high level of air pollution in the area, adverse health impacts, over production of nitrogen species as well as ROS in subjects residing around cement pollution affected area. Key words: Cement industry, trace gas samplings, human health, dermatological, respiratory problems, eye irritations.