Exposure assessment of particulate matter during various construction activities in Kanpur City, India

• Published in: International journal of environmental science and technology (Tehran) Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 5219 - 5230
• Main Authors: Rathi, A. K., Parmar, D., Ganguly, R., Gurjar, B. R., Bhadauria, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2024
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Science and Engineering; Original Paper; Soil Science & Conservation; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Air quality; Building construction; Human health exposure; Construction activity; Particulate matter; Relative risk
• ISSN: 1735-1472; 1735-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s13762-023-05335-4

The study investigates the effect of emissions of particulate matter arising out of different construction activities from five construction sites in Kanpur city, India. Limited research studies on exposure assessments related to particulate matter (PM) emissions from construction activities in the Indian context contribute to the uniqueness of this study. It was observed that for all study areas the concentrations of particulate matter (PM
2.5
and PM
10
) exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) by a factor of 18–20. The highest concentration of PM
10
(1308; 1267 µg/m
3
) and PM
2.5
(1056; 1123 µg/m
3
) was associated with construction activity related to cutting and laying of tiles observed over the two monitoring campaigns conducted during November–December 2019 and January–February 2020. The human health risk exposure assessment assessed on relative risk (RR) determined on WHO methodology showed that the highest RR values of 2.669 and 4.13 were obtained for emissions of PM
10
and PM
2.5,
respectively, from laying and cutting of tiles. The attributable factor (AF) from both PM
10
(AF = 0.6253) and PM
2.5
(AF = 0.757) also showed higher possibility of respiratory diseases for workers associated with laying and cutting of tiles. Health impact assessment conducted using the International Council for Radiological Protection (ICRP) model also confirmed that maximum and minimum deposition rates of particulates occurred for construction activities associated with cutting and laying of tiles and painting and washing, respectively. This suggests potential occupational health hazards for workers involved in construction activities being exposed to high levels of PM concentrations.