Silica Particulate Pollution in Central India

Abstract

Asbestos exposure is known to cause asbestosis i.e. lung cancer (mesothelioma) with increased risk of diseases i.e. gastrointestinal, colorectal, throat, kidney, esophageal, and gallbladder cancer. Therefore, in the present work, the concentration of SiO2 associated to the coarse and fine particulates in the ambient air of most industrialized area of central India i.e. Raipur city (capital of Chhattisgarh state) is described. The concentration of SiO2 in ambient air associated to the PM10 and PM2.5 was ranged from 6.6 to 102 and 0.2 to 15 µg/m3 with mean value of 30.0 ± 6.0 and 4.3 ± 0.8 µg/m3, respectively. The seasonal, spatial and temporal variations of SiO2 in the air are described.