In the mix of PM2.5 particles, nitrate, elemental carbon, organic carbon and ammonium emerged as major risks to child health. Credit: S. Priyadarshini
Breathing fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM2.5) significantly impacts child health in India. With each 10 μg/m3 rise in PM2.5, there's a 10% increase in anaemia, 11% in acute respiratory infection, and a 5% increase in low birth weight prevalence among children, a study says1.
A team of scientists, including from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, studied the effect of PM2.5 components and their contributing sources on anaemia, respiratory infection, and low birth weight in children under five years of age.
They combined data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey with sector-specific PM2.5 exposure information. This granular data was derived by integrating satellite-based PM2.5 data with outputs from the weather forecasting and air quality models.
PM2.5 comprises components from different sources, such as vehicular exhaust, and each constituent has varying toxicity. Each source may produce different PM2.5 components (either in primary form or secondary precursors), and each component of PM2.5 may come from multiple sources. In this mix of PM2.5 particles, nitrate, elemental carbon, organic carbon and ammonium emerged as major risks to child health.
Researchers say that relying on mass PM2.5 as a marker for air pollution can be misleading because it could mask the composite effects of the individual constituents.
