Number and size distribution of aerosols, and diurnal variation of radon progeny concentration during festival fireworks in Madikeri Town, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Aerosol particles, their size, and number distribution play a key role as they affect the climate, quality of the air, and human health. In the present work, the distribution of aerosol particles was studied using the NanoScan SMPS (TSI 3910) during Deepawali, a festival of lights, at three locations in Madikeri town, Karnataka, India, and the diurnal variation of radon and its progeny was studied at one location. People celebrate this festival by bursting crackers and lighting lamps, which increases aerosol particles leading to pollution of air. The observation showed an increase of nucleation particles of size 11.5 nm and 15.4 nm during this period. The average number of nucleation, Aitken, and accumulation particles at L1 was 48.86, 30.98, and 19.31 cm−3; at L2 was 37.44, 26.75 and 16.21 cm−3; and at L3 was 29.88, 19.95, and 15.192 cm−3. During the study period, the average concentration of 222Rn at L1 was found to be 19.54 Bq m−3. The diurnal studies at L1 showed 222Rn and its progeny to be higher during early morning and late evening hours, whereas lower during daytime. The radon progeny were observed to be lower during the festive period compared to other days, which may be attributed to the increased ion-aerosol recombination processes. The average concentrations of 218Po, 214Pb and 214Po at L1 before and during the festival were 3.06, 1.61, and 1.52 Bq m−3; and 2.09, 0.55, and 0.53 Bq m−3, respectively.