Air Pollution and Environmental Health (eBook)

Air pollution is an alarming problem, not only in terms of air quality, but also in relation to health issues. Toxic air pollutant concentrations produce harmful impacts on plant health and human health. Further, though there are various sources of air pollution, anthropogenic and biogenic sources are becoming increasingly problematic. A number of control methods have been applied to reduce the air pollutant concentrations so that their global environmental burden on plants as well as humans can be mitigated. However, as confirmed in numerous reports and studies, their concentrations continue to be very high and everyday cases related to air pollution have become exponentially high not only in developing countries but also in developed countries. In plants, toxic air quality has various adverse effects, including biochemical and physiological disorders, chronic diseases and/or lower yields. In humans, air pollutants affect the body's metabolism and immune system, lungs and central nervous system.

This book provides an essential overview of air pollution, its impacts on plant and human health, and potential control strategies. The respective chapters cover general monitoring and characterization techniques for air pollutants, air quality modelling applications, plant and human health effects, risk assessment, and air pollution control policy. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable and unique resource for students of Environmental Science, Biological Science, Medical Science and Agriculture; and for environmental consultants, researchers and other professionals whose work involves air quality, plant and human related research.

Dr. Pallavi Saxena is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Hindu College, University of Delhi, India. She was repeatedly selected for the DST Fast Track Young Scientist Award (2014-17) at the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, together with numerous other awards. She holds a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Delhi and completed her Post Doc at the Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, India. She has published 21 research papers in prominent journals. 

Dr. Anju Srivastava has been the Principal of Hindu College, University of Delhi since December 2018, after having served as the officiating Principal since 2014.  She has also been an Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Hindu College, for over 20 years. Holding a Master's degree and PhD from the IIT Delhi, she was selected as a Fellow of the ILLL (Institute of Lifelong Learning) - an organization at the University of Delhi  engaged in the development of e-content for undergraduates of the university. She was presented with the 'Distinguished Teacher' Award by Former President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, for her contributions to teaching and mentoring. She is an active member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London and the Green Chemistry Task Force set up by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. She has also published several articles on Green Chemistry and Environmental Sciences in prominent journals.