The Threat of Ambient Air Pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal

Hawks

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Prior studies document a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms among brick workers in Nepal, which may be partially caused by non-occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from cooking. In this study, we compared PM2.5 levels and 24 h trends in brick workers’ homes that used wood or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cooking fuel. PM2.5 filter-based and real-time nephelometer data were collected for approximately 24 h in homes and outdoors. PM2.5 was significantly associated with fuel type and location (p < 0.0001). Pairwise comparisons found significant differences between gas, indoor (geometric mean (GM): 79.32 μg/m3), and wood, indoor (GM: 541.14 μg/m3; p = 0.0002), and between wood, indoor, and outdoor (GM: 48.38 μg/m3; p = 0.0006) but not between gas, indoor, and outdoor (p = 0.56). For wood fuel homes, exposure peaks coincided with mealtimes. For LPG fuel homes, indoor levels may be explained by infiltration of ambient air pollution. In both wood and LPG fuel homes, PM2.5 levels exceeded the 24 h limit (25.0 µg/m3) proposed by the World Health Organization. Our findings suggest that increasing the adoption of LPG cookstoves and decreasing ambient air pollution in the Kathmandu valley will significantly lower daily PM2.5 exposures of brick workers and their families.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cookstoves and Wood Cooking Fires on PM2.5 Trends in Brick Workers’ Homes in Nepal

Hawks

et al. 2020

IJERPH

“…Air pollution is defined as the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by mixture of any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural atmosphere. [14,15] The majority of these components includes ozone, CO 2 , VOCs, PM 2.5 , and NO 2 . [14,15] Causal relationships between ambient air pollution exposure and various conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases or even cancer have been well documented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[14,15] The majority of these components includes ozone, CO 2 , VOCs, PM 2.5 , and NO 2 . [14,15] Causal relationships between ambient air pollution exposure and various conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases or even cancer have been well documented. [3,10,14,16] Linear physiological changes in the cardiovascular and autonomic nervous systems on exposure to CO 2 at concentrations ranging from 500 to 5000 ppm have been elucidated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[19] NO 2 exposure is associated with decreased pulmonary function and causes bronchitis or bronchopneumonia. [15,20] Attachment of CO to hemoglobin, preventing the transport of adequate oxygen and impairing release of oxygen from the remaining oxyhemoglobin, is presumed to be a major mechanism in CO-related health damage, and a high concentration of CO is associated with heart attack. [15,20] Ozone is formed by atmospheric chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides and VOC precursor gas emissions in the presence of sunlight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ambient air pollution in gastrointestinal endoscopy unit; rationale and design of a prospective study

Bang¹,

Lee

Choi³

et al. 2018

Medicine

Background: A gastrointestinal endoscopy unit is frequently exposed to gastrointestinal gas expelled from patients and electrocoagulated tissue through carbonation for the treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms or hemostasis of gastrointestinal bleeding. This can be potentially harmful to the health of not only the healthcare personnel but also patients who undergo endoscopic examinations. However, there has been scarce data on air quality in the endoscopy unit. This study aimed to measure the air quality in the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit. Methods: This is a prospective study using conventional portable passive air quality monitoring sensors in the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit. We will check the 6 main indoor air quality indices, as well as the atmospheric temperature, pressure, and humidity in the endoscopy unit of a single hospital in Korea. These indices are as follows: carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), total volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter that has a diameter of <2.5 μm, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) , carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone. The indices will be checked in the endoscopy unit, including the procedural area, recovery area, and area for disinfection and cleansing of equipment, at 1-minute intervals for at least 1 week, and the type and number of endoscopic procedures will also be recorded. The primary outcome of this study is to determine whether the air quality indices exceed safety thresholds and whether there is any association between ambient air pollution and the type and number of endoscopic procedures. Conclusion: The results of this study will provide evidence for health-related protective strategies for medical practitioners and patients in the endoscopy unit.

“…Our study focuses on the capital city-Kathmandu-of Nepal Mountains and hillocks of various heights ranging from 2300 to 2800 meters (m) surround the Kathmandu Valley [19]. These pristine hills surrounding the Valley used to be serene and look blue around two decades ago, but now appear gray and hazy because of the "stagnant smog that hovers over them" [20]. Consequently, motorized vehicles grew in large numbers each year to fill the void created by the lack of a mass transit policy or any implementation thereof.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-Aiding Transit-Tracker Methodology for Bus Scheduling Using Real Time Information to Ameliorate Traffic Congestion in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal

Bhattarai¹,

Yousef²,

Greife³

et al. 2019

JGIS

The bustling urban environment of Kathmandu Valley is characterized by unprecedented traffic congestion. Due to its bowel-shaped geography, gusty winds rarely remove vehicular emissions from the urban atmosphere, making Kathmandu one of Asia's most polluted cities, 100 th city in global pollution index. Over 500,000 vehicles travel daily on over 1600 km of roads covering over 675 sq•km urban area. Thousands of low occupancy vehicles are added each year to the urban public transit system (UPTS). Kathmandu faces worse and unreliable traffic from the current UPTS mostly with low occupancy vehicles. Around 4.5 million urban denizens, both permanent and transient residents, suffer from unreliable UPTS. Traffic rules and daily transportation schedules are rarely followed, resulting in frequent traffic jams and accidents. Once experienced, visitors try avoiding the UPTS. Tourism, annually contributing almost 8 percent to Nepal's total annual GDP, also suffers from poor UPTS. Planners, policy makers, and politicians (P-actors) are seeking ways to improve sustainable UPTS to ameliorate stresses to family life and working hours for the urban majority. Aiming to help P-actors, we propose a transit-tracker model that uses real time information (RTI) in mobile phones and web-embedded devices to inform travelers, drivers, government authorities, and sub-admins. We argue that unreliability in the UPTS motivates urban elites to add more low occupancy vehicles, which in turn reduces already shrunken urban spaces and contributes more per capita air pollution than multi-occupancy vehicles. Since mobile and smart phones are capable of processing RTI to generate meaningful information and inform various How to cite this paper: Bhattarai, K., Yousef, M., Greife, A. and Lama, S. (2019) Decision-Aiding Transit-Tracker Methodology for Bus Scheduling Using Real Time Information to Ameliorate Traffic Congestion in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal.