Assessment of seasonal variability of PM, BC and UFP levels at a highway toll stations and their associated health risks.

As a part of their occupation, workers at toll stations are exposed to traffic emissions during the working shift, which sometimes stretches to 12 h. To assess the exposure and subsequent health risk of these workers, a study was performed on a highway toll station in India. PM, PM, PM, BC and UFP concentration were determined inside a toll collectors' cabin and outside in a free-flowing traffic section (125 m from the toll cabin).

Did unprecedented air pollution levels cause spike in Delhi's COVID cases during second wave?

The onset of the second wave of COVID-19 devastated many countries worldwide. Compared with the first wave, the second wave was more aggressive regarding infections and deaths. Numerous studies were conducted on the association of air pollutants and meteorological parameters during the first wave of COVID-19.

Association of air pollution and meteorological variables with COVID-19 incidence: Evidence from five megacities in India.

Although lockdown of the industrial and transport sector and stay at home advisories to counter the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that the air quality has improved during this time, very little is known about the role of ambient air pollutants and meteorology in facilitating its transmission. This paper presents the findings from a study that was conducted to evaluate whether air quality index (AQI), three primary pollutants (PM, PM and CO), Ground level ozone (O) and three meteorological variables (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed) have promoted the COVID-19 transmission in five megacities of India. The results show significant correlation of PM, PM, CO, O concentrations, AQI and meteorological parameters with the confirmed cases and deaths during the lockdown period.

In-vehicle PM personal concentrations in winter during long distance road travel in India.

During travel, passengers are exposed to high concentrations of PM which constitute a significant fraction of daily personal exposures. We carried out comprehensive mobile monitoring for a distance of 400km on an Indian National Highway during the winter season to evaluate the PM Personal Concentrations (PC) and mass exposure in three traffic microenvironments (public bus, car with AC (Car CW) and car without AC (Car OW)) and to quantify the key factors that influence it. The mean concentrations were highest inside Car OW (175.

A comparison of personal exposure to air pollutants in different travel modes on national highways in India.

People often travel a long distance on highways to the nearest city for professional/business activities. However, relatively few publications on passenger exposure to pollutants on highways in India or elsewhere are available. The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of different travel modes to passengers' pollutant exposure for a long distance travel on a national highway in India.