By Kira Welter2021-02-03T09:30:00+00:00
A new study suggests that high levels of chloride from industry and burning plastic waste could be responsible for enhanced haze and fog formation in Delhi and Chennai,
1 leading to around half the reduced visibility in India’s capital city and having serious implications for health and the economy. The results could help researchers understand why some polluted regions are more prone to smog and cloud than others.
Many cities in India are affected by pollution, with air quality being particularly bad in winter. Particulate matter – a mixture of suspended solid and liquid particles – is a key atmospheric contaminant that affects millions of people across the country. ‘The low visibility associated with haze and fog can cause air traffic delays and increase motor vehicle accidents,’ notes Pengfei Liu, an atmospheric chemist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, who led the study together with Sachin Gunthe of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. ‘The severe air pollution also causes increases in cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases,’ he adds. ‘We can’t tackle this air pollution problem unless we understand the chemical mechanism behind it.’