Air Pollution in Indian Cities Current Status and Prospects for a - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

! Air Pollution in Indian Cities Current Status and Prospects for a Cleaner Future ! Joshua Apte, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin JSApte@lbl.gov Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 21 November 2014

Outline and Goals for Seminar • Status: the science of India’s pollution crisis • Outlook : prospects for controlling the situation ! ! Delhi’s “fog”, January 2014 • Opportunities for US to 
 contribute to solutions ! • How can you protect yourself from pollution? Indian haze from a NASA satellite 3

Winter Nightmares (2014 edition) 2/5/2014 Hindustan Times e-Paper 4 http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx 1/2

Air pollution is a global health issue Risk factors for premature death in India Dietary risks 1.6 M High blood pressure 1.1 M Household air pollution from solid fuels 1.0 M Tobacco smoking 1.0 M Top 5 risks Ambient particulate matter pollution 630 k Childhood underweight 213 k High body-mass index 152 k Unimproved water / sanitation 137 k Other selected Ambient PM 2.5 risks and causes is the #5 risk for Tuberculosis 424 k death in India AIDS 176 k Malaria 48 k Source: Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study 0 300k 600k 900k 1.2 M 1.5 M Lim et al, The Lancet, 2012 Lozano et al, The Lancet, 2012 Premature Deaths (2010) 5

���� ����� Particulate matter pollution • Fine particles (PM 2.5 ) can penetrate deep into the lungs • Conclusive evidence of major adverse health ���� e ff ects • Premature death, lung cancer, heart attacks, ����� stroke, respiratory diseases • Annual average levels in Indian cities ~ 50-150 µg m -3 • Compare: • US EPA ambient standard: 12 µg m -3 • WHO guideline concentration: 10 µg m -3 Satellite mapping of PM 2.5 (Brauer et al, 2012) Sustainability engineering challenge: reduce PM by 10 × 6

PM 2.5 in India: sources & science PM sources include emissions (“primary PM”) 
 and atmospheric formation (“secondary PM”) from precursors • Primary PM 2.5 emissions contributions in Delhi • Road transport ~ 20-40% • Industry ~ 15-30% • Power generation ~ 15-20% • Brick kilns ~ 10-15% • Diesel backup generators ~ 5-15% • Domestic ~ 10-15% • Waste/trash burning ~ 5-10% • Road dust ~ 5-10% Sources • Construction ~ 5-10% 
 Guttikunda & Calori, Atmos. Env. 2013 Sahu et al., Atmos. Env. 2011 • Secondary formation is poorly understood in India 
 Likely contributes 30-50% of total urban PM 2.5 7

What is a safe level? AQI PM Statement Good 0-50 0-12 µg m None Unusually sensitive people 
 Moderate 51-100 should consider reducing 12-35 µg m prolonged/heavy exertion Unhealthy for Children should reduce Sensitive 101-150 35-55 µg m prolonged/heavy exertion Groups 11

What is a safe level? AQI PM Statement Children should avoid 
 Unhealthy 151-200 55-150 µg m prolonged/heavy exertion Very Children should avoid 
 201-300 150-250 µg m Unhealthy all physical activity outdoors Children should remain indoors and Hazardous 301-500 250-500 µg m keep all activity levels low 12

Ambient PM? It gets worse... How much higher are PM levels in traffic than in ambient air? • ~200 hours of real-time (1 second) PM measurements in Delhi vehicles • Ambient concentrations • Rush hour in-vehicle exposures along a fixed 39 km route (80 trips) • PM 2.5 , Black Carbon (BC), Ultrafine Particles (UFP) In traffic: in-vehicle exposures Ambient fixed site Collaborators: IIT-Delhi, UCB, LBNL, UMN | Journal article: Apte et al., Atmos. Environ. 45, 4470-4480, 2011. 15

Rickshaw-based mobile exposure lab Ultrafine Particles (UFP) 
 Black Carbon (BC) Fine PM (PM 2.5 ) Marker of tra ffi c pollution Local marker of tra ffi c pollution Regional pollutant, many sources 16

Key result: on-road >> ambient Ambient air in Delhi is heavily polluted. On-road air is much worse. N = 62 trips (~180 h), Feb - May 2010 (Arithmetic mean ± 95% CI) PM BC UFP µg m µg m × 10 Auto- 200 ± 11 43 ± 3.4 290 ± 22 Rickshaw Ambient 140 ± 13 14 ± 1.9 38 ± 3.4 Ratio 1.5 × 3.6 × 8.4 × Compare PM 2.5 data: India annual standard (NAAQS) = 40 µg m -3 US EPA NAAQS = 12 µg m -3 | WHO air quality guideline = 10 µg m -3 17

Transient peak exposures Do brief peak exposures matter for total? 2500 100 Fraction of trip-integrated exposure (%) 14% Peak ~ 46% On-road ~ 42% 2000 39% 80 44% 19% Ambient ~ 12% PN (1000 cm -3 ) 1500 60 30% 1000 40 42% 67% 500 20 31% 14% 0 0 20 40 60 PM 2.5 BC PN Time (min) 18

60% of Delhi lives in “impact zone” Traffic air pollution exposures are elevated in for large populations in the near-roadway zone. Tra ffi c Impact Zone 500 m from major roads, 50 m from minor roads 19

India’s AQ problems are solvable Sustainability engineering challenge: reduce PM 2.5 levels by 10 × {while growing economy + population, addressing climate change} One model: California’s air pollution success story Emissions (t/d) Population (millions) Carbon monoxide Sulfur dioxide 1975 42,000 1300 21.5 2010 10,500 300 38.7 Per capita emissions reduced 7-8 × in 35 years Serious change requires political backing, long-term discipline, 
 dedicated technical capacity and financial resources. Data: http://www.arb.ca.gov/ei/emissiondata.htm, via WW Nazaro ff 20

Approaches to pollution control • Complementary approaches to control • Reduce / avoid demand for services • Provide services more e ffi ciently • Reduce emissions at source via control technologies 
 • Agenda for action: policy options • Vehicle emission standards + clean fuels • Modern emissions controls for power & industry • Urban planning and public transit are essential • Reduce informal sector emissions ! • Invest in “infrastructure” : technical capacity, research facilities and sta ff , policy design, monitoring networks 
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AQ ↔ climate ↔ health nexus Controlling air pollution can protect health, 
 slow climate change and improve food security • Common sources: 
 Major air pollution sources are also major CO 2 emitters 
 • Common impacts: • Air pollution a ff ects health, climate and crops • Climate change a ff ects pollution, health and crops ! • E ffi cient policies can achieve win-win-win scenarios 
 • Incorporate air quality into clean energy dialogue? 22

What drives action? The US experience Health Monitoring Scientific Studies Data Basis Public Awareness Mandate for Action 23

Protecting yourself • Home / office air filtration • Air cleaner with su ffi cient handling capacity, HEPA filter • Use care with ionic-type cleaners, which can produce harmful ozone • Test your home before and after ! • On the road • Windows closed + recirculation on 
 + A/C as needed • N95 masks e ff ective for adults if worn correctly ! • Changing your habits • Avoid outdoor exercise during pollution episodes • Pollution highest late night / early morning 25

Summary • Air pollution in India is a health risk of comparable scale to “traditional” global health challenges. ! • Major limitations to monitoring data. Large need for research & technical capacity 
 • Strategies for clean air are straightforward, but require major and sustained investment. 
 • Huge potential to exploit synergies in AQ - climate - health nexus ! • USA has much to o ff er India to aid in clearing the air 
 • In the meantime ... hold your breath! 26