Context

According to a study that tracked mortality rates, Black Carbon was most associated with premature mortality.

• The study was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

About

About the Key findings of the study

• It has serious health impacts in terms of mortality due to BC aerosol exposure that have never been evaluated in India.
• The Indo-Gangetic plain has a high burden of black carbon with serious implications for regional climate and human health.
• Several cities in this belt routinely find themselves at the top of the list of the most polluted cities in India as well as the world.
• A 10-point increase in air pollution from black carbon led to an average 5% increase in mortality whereas a similar rise in PM 2.5 led to an average 1% increase in mortality.
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) were both associated with a 2.3% and 1.3% increase in mortality.
• The detrimental effect of pollutants was higher for males, age group 5-44 years and, in winter.
• The adverse effect of air pollutants was not limited to the current day of exposure but could extend to as late as five days after exposure.

What is Black Carbon? Black carbon(BC) is a component of fine particulate matter (PM ≤ 2.5 µm). Black carbon consists of pure carbon in several linked forms. It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass. It is one of the main types of particle in both anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot. Black carbon results from the incomplete burning of fossil fuel. It’s a relatively short-lived pollutant in the atmosphere but influences cloud formation and atmospheric heat absorption processes.