In Velachery and Manali in Chennai, ozone pollution is now high
Posted on: 18/Nov/2019 9:46:38 AM
In the past few days, ozone was the prominent pollutant in places like Velachery and Manali in Chennai. On Thursday and Friday, Velachery had high ozone level and on Saturday the major pollutant in Manali was also ozone. This has been shown by the real time monitors of the Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality index.
It must be noted that the pollution levels in the Chennai city might not be alarming any more but ozone and nitrogen dioxide pollution has been grabbing many eyeballs. The chemicals in the automobile exhaust, industrial emission and other compounds react with sunlight and this leads to ground level ozone. The point is ozone level would be high on bright and sunny days. In the Chennai city, ozone at the ground level is high in the evening.
In Manali on Sunday, the ozone level was in the range of 100 to 190 dobson unit (one Dobson is equal to a layer of gas with one hundredth of a millimetre) and at Velachery on Saturday the ozone level was 45 to 60 between 6pm and 8pm. In the Alandur bus depot, the ozone level was low but in Manali the ozone level was 90 to 102 from 8 am t 11am. Throughout Friday, nitrogen dioxide was the prominent pollutant in Velachery. Information got is on Sunday the ozone and other pollutants were low but particulate matter level was high.
In the lower atmosphere, the natural amount of Ozone is around 0.04 parts per million. It is known that ozone level of more than 500m would be harmful.
It has been pointed out by World Health Organisation in the report that ground level ozone is a health risk increasing the asthma rates and chronic respiratory illness and other breathing issues with reduced lung function. For the purpose of understanding how automobile emissions as well as the industrial emissions are contributing to the pollution, experts want the level of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide to be monitored.
It is worthy to mention that the particulate matter 2.5 was above 100 in Numgambakkam and this was according to US consulate’s monitor.
