Research Assistant, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Hung Hom, Hong Kong. E-mail: debolina.banerjee@cleanairasia.org
Online published on 28 September, 2016.
Air Pollution entails the effusing of harmful emissions in the atmosphere through various natural and anthropogenic process. The World Health Organization has declared the environmental health risk as one of the potent killers. Children are susceptible to health risk associated with air pollution. The study is conducted to assess the air quality in and around the place where child spends most of their daily hours-their school. Air monitoring using portable instruments was conducted in and outside selected schools of Kolkata for a span of one month along with questionnaire and epidemiological survey.
Questionnaire survey was conducted to understand the child health record and indoor environment in his/her dwelling. The indoor air quality inside the schools, with respect to NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are well within the acceptance level, PM 2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 micron) frequently exceeded guidelines with high margin. Indoor and outdoor ratio suggested pollution source to be outdoors, which is evident due to lack of mechanical cooling/heating of classroom. Major outdoor sources are vehicles, road and construction. As for the indoor environment of the child's house, smoking inside house, presence of molds, maintenance of house, burning of mosquito repellents; and the bronchial health condition of the child himself/herself presented with multiple factors contributing to pulmonary diseases.
