A bad (h)air day

Spring represents a sort of renewal of nature, with many bushes and trees budding and blossoming, and bugs and insects flying around in droves. So many airborne triggers of people’s allergies; time to pop those Allium or Apis pills, whether for the fleeting sugar rush or for the real placebo effect that soothes both our body and our soul. At this time of the year, birds chirp, flowers bloom, and farmers carelessly spray thousands of litres of pesticide around to the dull drumming of the generator. It reaches the point where one does not know if the lingering smell is that of the cashew blossoms or of the million tiny droplets of pesticide. At this time of the year, everybody starts complaining about overwhelming fatigue, recurring headaches, itchy nose, swollen eyes… El Quasimodo – sorry, El Cashewmodo del Auroville! 

What does not help is the temperature change that never ceases to amaze with the promptness of its arrival. This is the second consecutive year now that the compulsory Covid mask becomes a mini-sauna for our noses in the heat, setting off respiratory unease and even panic attacks. Oh the bliss of taking off the mask when our errands are done!

There is ever more pollution in Auroville, including light, plastic and noise pollution, as well as electronic pollution from the various devices in our lives, cell phone towers and other sources. Perhaps one of the most pervasive and least understood forms of pollution is that of air pollution. Its effects on human health are dramatic: respiratory or cardiovascular problems, chest pain and congestion, skin irritations and rashes, hearing loss and high blood pressure, stress and sleep disturbance, headaches and tiredness. Probably the worst experience of air pollution we get in Auroville is that of burning trash from the open-air dump south of Auroville. Often, an awful smell creeps into our homes overnight, the stuff of nightmares. However, it is not the only source of air pollution we are exposed to.

So, what is air pollution?

Air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index, or AQI. It ranges from 0 to 500 and is expressed in micrograms per cubic metre. An AQI  of 0 to 50 is the standard for “good air quality” in most countries. The level is, however, higher in India. Ideally, we should not be exposed to more than 20µg/m3. AQI includes ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter, including PM 2.5 and PM 10), carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of soot, smoke, metals, nitrates, sulphates, dust, water, rubber. PM 2.5 refers to a category of particulate pollutant that is 2.5 microns (micrometres or µm) or smaller in size; that is to say about 3% of the diameter of human hair. These pollutants are especially dangerous to our health because they bypass many of our body’s defences and can then go into the lungs and blood. PM 10 are called fine particles, and are also known as respirable particulate matter.

On a good day in Auroville, the measurements are at around 20 µm per m3. This varies throughout the year, depending on the season and weather, with the worst numbers being recorded over winter and the best ones in summer. Right now, in spring, it varies between 10 and 40 during the day, with a spike at 80 if someone is burning a fire somewhere close by, and a drop if the wind picks up. Ideal weather for good air is windy in the early morning, not too fresh, with a clear blue sky.

Where does it come from?

Air pollution comes from combustion of any kind, such as man-made fires such as vegetable waste in paddy fields, vehicles (especially diesel), incense, firecrackers. On Diwali for example, measurements in Delhi can sky-rocket to a record-breaking 1,800 to 3,500 µg per cubic metre!!! Breath-taking, isn’t it?! Nevertheless, it also happens naturally, from forest fires, volcano smoke or by the seaside. Fires emit particulate matter, whether it is plastic, paper, tobacco or garden waste that is burning. An influential factor is the phenomenon of temperature inversion, which is when a layer of warm air develops on top of a layer of cooler air, acting like a cap that seals the cooler atmosphere beneath it, particulate matter included, thus preventing it from dissipating into the sky. Air pollutants do not remain 

static but generally form a “pollution cloche” or hub of smog over and around cities. It floats like a grey-red-purple haze, and is particularly good at trapping dust and chemicals that then hang around instead of dissipating into the sky.

A type of dust that is of direct concern for us in Auroville is granite because granite dust is scattered on our roads and there is a granite quarry which grinds rocks to dust quite close to Auroville. Granite can contain up to 70% silica, and these dust particles can cause scarring in the lungs. However, studies conducted around the world, notably in India, show that non-occupational exposure to the airborne silica happens mainly in the close vicinity of the granite quarry, and particulate matter quantities drop from around 50 to 3 µg/m3 within a five-kilometre radius.

Contrary to local belief, air pollution because of airborne particulate matter does not come from other types of sand that we come into direct contact with on our dusty roads, or even pesticides, despite the latter being a dangerous neurotoxin. Whatever is visible is not considered particulate matter, because PM 2.5 and PM 10 cannot be seen by the naked eye, and act as a gas. So the sandy dust on some of our roads that many complain about does not actually get ingested by the lungs, as a grain of sand measures around 90 µm. Our body would end up naturally ejecting it via mucus.

What can I do against air pollution?

When the air quality dips due to a high presence of air particles, one can feel slightly short of breath. Other symptoms are asthma, wheezing, blocked sinuses, pain around the chest area, headache, dizziness, and heavy body feeling. When this is the case, various sites warn against strenuous physical activity until it lifts!

There are several things one can do to help shield oneself from air pollutants, such as wearing “special” masks with HEPA filters, especially when visiting (big) cities, or single-use nose filter “stickers” from IIT Delhi which use nanotechnology. A social enterprise called Smart Air, operating in several countries in Asia, provides relatively cheap but good quality air purifiers. Several Aurovilians have already equipped their bedrooms with these air purifiers, and have suddenly recovered from years of asthma or sinus-related problems. However, all of these gadgets generate their own amount and kind of waste, such as the filters, so what is best is to raise awareness and prevent pollution, especially within Auroville and in the bioregion.

With regard to vehicle pollution, in India all new vehicles have very high emission limits, called Bharat Stage-6 norms, but it will take some time for all the old vehicles to be replaced by new ones. Within Auroville, instead of advising tourists and guests to rent petrol-driven mopeds or scooters during their stay, an eco-friendly alternative would be to encourage them to rent a Kinisi e-cycle, for example.

Another way to minimise air pollution within our communities would be to avoid burning anything. Instead, garden waste can be mulched and used as fertiliser for the plants. Compared to a big city like Delhi, our tree coverage in Auroville helps to a certain extent, as trees absorb and filter chemicals from the air, using them as nutrients. They also mitigate the greenhouse gas effect by trapping heat and reducing ozone levels. However, air pollution also injures and 

weakens trees by damaging living tissue and impairing photosynthesis. Furthermore, when it rains and the particles fall to the ground, known as atmospheric deposition, they can seep into and contaminate the soil and water.

So, on a “bad (h)air day”, not much more can be done other than pray for heavy rains or a good wind!

Start raising awareness

The pandemic resulted in a notable drop in many forms of pollution, including air pollution. All over the world, planes stopped flying, bikes and cars stopped rolling, and air quality measurements went straight into the green, the universal code for “awesome”. So there is no better time to start raising awareness and tackling pollution on all levels.