Air quality assessment in the central Indian State of Chhattisgarh.

Background: Era's one of the utmost scourges is air pollution, owing to not only its impact on climate change but also its impact on public and individual's health due to combined morbidity and mortality. Objectives: The current study was intended to monitor the air quality data from two districts of Chhattisgarh, namely Raipur and Korba, so that policymakers will be able to take corrective measures to control individual's health-related issues associated with polluted air. Methods: All air samples were collected from around Raipur and Korba city of Chhattisgarh and submitted to the Chester LabNet, a laboratory based in 3 Oregon, USA, for analysis. Particulate matter (PM2.5) was determined by using the gravimetry technique and used the X-ray fluorescence 4 technique to detect the presence of heavy metals. Results: PM2.5 levels in all samples in Raipur and Korba ranged from 131.4-653.8 µg/m3 to 150.3-1699.2 µg/m3 which is 2.18-10.88 and 2.5-28.3 times higher than standards prescribed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of 60 µg/m3. Heavy metals such as silica (Si), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn) levels were recorded higher than the standard level reported by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in locations of Raipur and Korba, Chhattisgarh. Conclusion: Although Chhattisgarh, a state in Central India covered with 45% forest, but it is suffering from low air quality due to developing township and industrial area, which is causing a lot of commotion in the local community. At this time, the government should approach to take immediate action and measures to control air pollution and to reduce the terrible impact on the health of local citizens.

Power, pollution, and ethics.

Environmental problems are more urgent and serious than ever: climate change, air pollution, water pollution, shortages of freshwater, deforestation, over-fishing, antibiotic resistance, and more. Discussions in public health address these problems because they affect people's health and life prospects so profoundly. In this work, we add to the discussion by exploring the ethical aspects of a case scenario that involves pollution from a coal-fired power plant. After we note how the plant contributes to pollution, we discuss ethical issues of justice and responsibility. We show how the burdens of pollution and the benefits of the activities that generate pollution are unfairly distributed in this case. We also suggest that social justice demands certain forms of respect, consideration, and participation. Then we turn to issues of responsibility. We focus on responsibilities citizens have to try to change the social structures, background conditions, economic systems, and accepted practices that underlie the problem. We also consider responsibilities that physicians have, both collectively and individually. Taking responsibility for pollution is not a matter of following a medical protocol or legal requirement. It involves creativity, judgement, and a sense of what the situation calls for.