A novel coronavirus has affected almost all countries and impacted the economy, environment, and social life. The short-term impact on the environment and human health needs attention to correlate the Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and health assessment for pre-, during, and post lockdowns. Therefore, the current study demonstrates VOC changes and their effect on air quality during the lockdown. The findings of result, the levels of the mean for total VOC concentrations were found to be 15.45 ± 21.07, 2.48 ± 1.61, 19.25 ± 28.91 µg/m 3 for all monitoring stations for pre-, during, and post lockdown periods. The highest value of TVOCs was observed at Thane, considered an industrial region (petroleum refinery), and the lowest at Bandra, which was considered a residential region, respectively. The VOC levels drastically decreased by 52%, 89%, 80%, and 97% for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene, respectively, during the lockdown period compared to the previous year. In the present study, the T/B ratio was found lower in the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period. This can be attributed to the complete closure of non-traffic sources such as industries and factories during the lockdown. The Lifetime Cancer Risk values for all monitoring stations for benzene for pre-and-post lockdown periods were higher than the prescribed value, except during the lockdown period. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10874-022-09440-5.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in many countries worldwide, including India, imposed several restriction measures, including lockdowns, to prevent the spread of the infection. COVID-19 lockdowns led to a reduction in gaseous and particulate pollutants in ambient air. In the present study, we investigated the substantial changes in selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and associations with health risk assessments in industrial areas. VOC data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021 were collected from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website, to identify percentage changes in VOC levels before, during, and after COVID-19. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations were 47.22 ± 30.15, 37.19 ± 37.19, and 32.81 ± 32.81 µg/m3 for 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. As a result, the TVOC levels gradually declined in consecutive years due to the pandemic in India. The mean TVOC levels at all monitoring stations declined from 9 to 61% during the pandemic period as compared with the pre-pandemic period. In the current study, the T/B ratio values ranged from 2.16 (PG) to 26.38 (NL), which indicated that the major pollutant contributors were traffic and non-traffic sources during the pre-pandemic period. The present findings indicated that TVOC levels had positive but low correlations with SR, BP, RF, and WD, with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.034, 0.118, 0.012, and 0.007, respectively, whereas negative correlations were observed with AT and WS, with correlation coefficients (r) of −0.168 and −0.150, respectively. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) value for benzene was reported to be higher in children, followed by females and males, for the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. A nationwide scale-up of this study’s findings might be useful in formulating future air pollution reduction policies associated with a reduction in health risk factors. Furthermore, the present study provides baseline data for future studies on the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the air quality of a region.
An unprecedented outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), leading to the pandemic, has affected almost all countries, adversely affecting human health and the environment. Nearly 2.3 billion people live in areas where air pollution levels are high, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and more likely in countries such as India. Prolonged exposure to air pollution is known to have adverse effects on humans and the environment at large. The impact of health hazards on the environment warrants investigation of the correlation between air pollutants and COVID-19 spread. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of COVID-19 on fine particulate matter (PM), gaseous pollutants, and its potential implications on human health by considering short- and long-term impacts associated with meteorological factors in the Indian context. The current review suggests that the PM level has reduced (40–80%) in various Indian cities, which has led to a significant link in COVID-19 severity and lethality through its impact on chronic diseases, such as cardiopulmonary diseases and diabetes. In addition, the review addresses the effect of meteorological and climatic factors on COVID-19 health outcomes. In the current reviews suggested that the relationships between meteorological factors and COVID-19 transmission ceases could be affected by season, geographical scale, and latitude. Thus, the current review might be useful for the public, local authorities, and the Government to develop control measures for meteorological properties for better understanding to combat COVID-19.
An unprecedented novel coronavirus has affected almost all countries and impacted the economy, environment, and social life. The short-term impact on the environment and human health needs attention to correlate the Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and health assessment for pre-, during, and post lockdowns. Therefore, the current study demonstrates VOC changes and their effect on air quality during the lockdown. The mean TVOCs concentrations for all monitoring stations 15.45, 2.82, and 19.25 µg/m3, respectively, for pre-, during, and post-lockdown periods. The highest value of TVOCs was observed at Thane, considered an industrial region (petroleum refinery and chemical industries), and the lowest at Bandra, which was considered a residential region, respectively. The VOCs levels drastically decreased by 52%, 89%, 80%, and 97% for Benzene, Toluene, Eth-benzene, and M-xylene, respectively, during the lockdown period compared to the corresponding period in 2019. In the present study, the T/B ratio was found lower in the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period. This can be attributed to the complete closure of non-traffic sources such as industries and factories during the lockdown. The Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR) values for all monitoring stations for benzene for pre-, during and post lockdown periods were higher than the prescribed value (1 x 10− 6), except during the lockdown period.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.