New Delhi: A study conducted by the Institute of Energy Policy at the University of Chicago for a period of two years has revealed the PM2.5 level in the room in Delhi became very high during the winter.
Track the level of pollution in your city, the average level of PM2.5 average for low-income households is 23 times the recommended safe limit of 10mg per cubic meter, it’s 29 times in high-income household cases.
The survey included around 3,000 households in the city between 2018 and 2020.
This finding was released on Wednesday.
This study also found that the average, the indoor PM2.5 levels were substantially higher than the value reported by the nearest government monitor.
This study shows that high-income households 13 times more likely to have air purifiers than low-income households.
However, the level of indoor air pollution in these houses is only 10% lower than living in disadvantaged settings.
“In Delhi, the point is – whether someone is rich or poor, no one can breathe clean air,” said Dr.
Kenneth Lee, the main author of this study.
“This is a complex demon cycle.
When you don’t know about the level of pollution in your home, you are not worried about it and tends to take corrective action.
Only with increased awareness can demand the momentum of profit of clean air.” Dr.
Lee said it was very important to overcome The gap of information related to indoor air pollution immediately.
“Accurate high frequency PM2.5 information communicated through government monitors or indoor monitors are the first step, but only when equipped with increased literacy surrounding the health consequences of pollution and the benefits of adopting various defensive actions.” He added.
The study said that the levels of PM2.5 in the room tended to surge in the morning and evening, the usual time cooking in the household.
It also found that at home with access to real-time pollution data, a decrease of 8.6% in the concentration of PM2.5 in the room was recorded.
This study said the household was offered a free trial, throughout the month for the monitor of indoor air quality during the peak pollution period, but only 15% was agreed upon.
This shows that demand for air pollution information and defensive technology may be low among residents in the city.