India | Report documents dangerous air quality in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

The State Health Resource Center and Doctors For Clean Air – Chhattisgarh have released a new report assessing the air quality, particularly the heavy metal content, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The report was released by SHRC in a meeting of governmental officials, doctors and public health specialists, at the office of State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Chhattisgarh.

The report found that levels of iron, zinc, lead, nickel and manganese in Raipur were several times higher than in a large city in the U.S., indicating that the city’s overall air quality is poor. Furthermore, the levels of PM2.5 in all samples were 3.5 to 6.8 times higher than the standards prescribed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

“There is a clear indication that emissions from iron and steel manufacturing facilities in Raipur and Bhilai are a predominant cause of poor air quality. The exclusive cause of levels of manganese poses serious risk to the neurobehavioral health of residents of both locations,” states the report of Dr. Mark Chernaik, staff scientist at Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), US, who reviewed the air samples.

“As matter of public health, especially to prevent impairment of neurobehavioral function caused by exposure to manganese in ambient air, authorities should urgently institute measures to abate air pollution emissions from iron and steel manufacturing facilities in Raipur,” recommends Dr. Chernaik.

Read the report.

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