This case study examines the effects of air pollution on the Taj Mahal in India. Rising levels of sulfur dioxide emissions from nearby industries have led to corrosion and discoloration of the white marble mausoleum. Environmental activists filed a court case in 1984 citing pollution and regulatory failure as responsible for damaging the monument. The Supreme Court later ordered the closure of polluting factories in Agra. However, industry groups have resisted compliance, arguing economic impacts. The Taj Mahal's deterioration shows the threats pollution poses to cultural heritage sites.

1. EFFECT OF POLLUTANTS, HUMAN HEALTH
AND POSSIBLE GENETIC EFFECTS.
RECENT CASE STUDIES ON AIR
POLLUTION.
By :
Sharma Ayushi (110990135007)
Raj Binjal (110990135009)
Karelia Nikita (110990135016)
Vasava Ruchita (110990135018)

2. OUTLINE…
 Effect of pollutants, human
health and possible genetic
effects.
 Gaseous pollutants
 Major pollutant emission
 Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
 Nitrogen oxides (NOX)
 Ozone (o3)
 Carbon monoxide (CO)
 Hydrocarbons (HC)
 Particulate matter
 Lead
 Nickel
 Cadmium
 Mercury
 Asbestos
 Effect on Environment
 Other Effects
 Case Studies on Air
Pollution
 Case Study on Effect
of Pollution on Taj-
Mahal
 Outdoor Air Pollution
Kills 2.5 Million
Each Year
 Study links low
birthweight to air
pollution.

3. 1. EFFECT OF POLLUTANTS,
HUMAN HEALTH AND
POSSIBLE GENETIC
EFFECTS.

4. GASEOUS POLLUTANTS
 The effects of gaseous pollutants on the
respiratory system depends on the
concentration, period of exposure, and the
solubility.
 Highly soluble gases such as sulphur dioxide
are absorbed on the upper part of the
respiratory system whereas relatively insoluble
gases like CO, ozone penetrate deep and reach
the alveoli of the lungs.
 Some of the adverse effects of these pollutants
are prevention of oxygen transfer to blood, eye
irritation, etc.

6. MAJOR POLLUTANT EMISSION
1991
(103 tonnes)
2005
(estimated)
Carbon monoxide 243 600
Hydrocarbons 82 198
Nitrogen oxide 139 330
Sulphur dioxide 10 23
Suspended particulate
matter
19 44

7. SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2)
 It is a colourless gas with a sharp pungent
smell produced by volcanoes and in
various industrial processes.
 The primary threat of SO2 to urban
atmosphere may arises not from SO2 itself
but from the changes it undergoes in the
atmosphere, such as the formation of
H2SO4 and sulphate aerosols.

8.  Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Causes acid rain
o Corrosion to metals
o Damage to agriculture
ii) Human health
o It causes cardiac disease
o Respiratory disease like Asthma
o Eye irritation
o Throat trouble

9. NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX)
 NOx are emitted as nitrogen oxide which is
rapidly oxidized to more toxic nitrogen
dioxide (NO2).
 NO2 is colourless, odorless gas present in
atmosphere.
 Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Precursor of ozone formed in the
troposphere

10. ii) Human health
o Irritation to nose and throat
o It leads to irritation of eyes and even lung
blocking
o Respiratory illness among children has
been reported in areas containing high
NO2.

11. OZONE (O3)
 Ozone is a pale blue gas, soluble in water
and non-polar solvent with specific sharp
odor.
 Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Ozone causes crack in car tires
o Ozone present in upper troposphere acts as
greenhouse gas

12. ii) Human health
o Aggravation of asthma
o Inflammation and damage to lungs

13. CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
 It is also called as carbonous oxide, it is a
colorless, odorless and tasteless gas which
is slightly lighter then air.
 Effect on:
i) Environment and property
o Causes global warming

14. ii) Human health
o It causes headache, visual difficulty, paralysis
and even death in human beings.
o Persons with heart disease are sensitive to
CO poisoning and may experience chest
pain.
o CO enters the bloodstream through lungs
and combines with hemoglobin forms
carboxyhemoglobin. This condition is known
as anoxemia, which inhibits blood’s oxygen
carrying capacity to organs and tissues.

15. HYDROCARBONS (HC)
 The major hydrocarbons in air are CH4,
ethane, toluene, acetylene, propane,
isobutane etc.
 Aromatic hydrocarbons are more reactive
then aliphatic ones and causes eye irritation.
 Aliphatic hydrocarbons produce undesirable
effects at concentration 102 to103 times
higher than those usually found in the
atmosphere.
 Hydrocarbons undergoes chemical reaction
in presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxide

16.  Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Cracking of rubber
o Extensive damage to plant life
ii) Human health
o Hydrocarbons reacts with substances
produce photo chemically forming
photochemical smog which results in
reduced visibility, irritation to eyes and lungs.

17. PARTICULATE MATTER
 Air born particles smaller than 2.5 µm called
fine particles.
 Composed mainly of carbonaceous
materials, inorganic compounds and trace
metal compounds.
 Effects on:
i) Environment and property
o Fly ash reduces pH balance and portability of
water
o Particulates accelerate corrosion of metals

18. o Causes damage to buildings, sculpture and
paints
ii) Human health
o Decreases lung function
o Chronic bronchitis
o Premature death in people with heart or lung
disease

19. LEAD
 Lead is a bright silvery soft, dense, ductile,
highly malleable, bluish-white metal that has
poor electrical conductivity heavy metal and
highly resistant to corrosion.
 Effect of lead are: i) causes blood disorders
like anemia increase in blood pressure
ii) Pb is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream
and cause adverse effects on central
nervous system, kidney, and immune
system.

20. iii) Growing nervous system of young children
are particularly vulnerable.
iv) Prolonged exposure can cause damage to
the digestive problems, and in some cases
cause cancer.
The body maintains about 15-25 µg of lead per
100g of whole blood. The body responds to
any increase in lead intake by excreting it in
the urine as much as possible and remaining
is stored primarily in the bones. Thus
production of hemoglobin is impaired
resulting in oxygen starvation and anemia.

21. NICKEL
 Nickel is a silvery-white lustrous corrosion
resistant metal with a slight golden in shade.
 Effect of this are: i) Nickel sulfide fume and
dust is believed to be carcinogenic.
ii) Within the lungs the carbonyl complex
breaks down and deposits finely divided
nickel, which may be main cause of cancer in
the lungs.
iii) Nickel carbonyl cause changes in the alveoli
of lungs, resulting in respiratory damage
symptoms.

22. CADMIUM
 The natural cadmium levels in air vary from
0.002 µg/m3 to 0.3 µg/m3.
 Cadmium inhibits the performance of certain
enzymes thereby producing hypertension in
humans.
 Exposure to fumes or oxides of cadmium is
known to cause cardiovascular disease.
 Cadmium can interfere with zinc and copper
metabolism in body.

23.  It has a very long biological half-life and,
therefore tends to accumulate in the human
body.
 Some of the chronic effect are kidney and
liver damage and even death.

24. MERCURY
 Mercury is present in gaseous form in the
atmosphere because of its relatively high
vapour pressure.
 The physiological effects of mercury
poisoning include neurological damage,
chromosomal aberrations and even death.
 Methyl mercury can penetrate the
membranes separating the bloodstream from
the brain, causing injury to cerebellum and
the cortex.
 The effects are blurring of vision and

25. ASBESTOS
 Inhalation of asbestos dust or fibers can
cause a disabling lung disease known as
asbestosis. The disease is characterised by
shortness of breath.
 Asbestos has also been implicated in lung
cancer.
 Asbestos in atmosphere comes from many
uses of asbestos products which include
insulating materials, asbestos cement, etc.

26.  It has been observed that the frequency of
cancer is eight times higher among asbestos
workers who smoke compared to that among
non-smoking workers.

27. EFFECT ON VEGETATION
 The most obvious damage caused by air
pollutants to vegetation occurs in the leaf
structure.
 Plugging of stomata may occur, resulting in
plant damage.
 Chemicals such as arsenic and fluorides
when deposits on the leaves can poison
animals.
 The adverse effects range from reduction in
growth rate to death of the plant.

29. Pollutant Level (ppm) and
exposure
Effects
SO2 0.3 to 0.5 for several days Bleached spots, chronic
injury to spinach and other
leafy vegetables
NO2 0.5 for 10-12 days Suppressed growth of
tomatoes
Ozone 0.03 for 8 hours Fleck on upper surface of
leaves
Peroxyacetyl nitrate 0.01 to 0.05 for few hours Glazing or bronzing of
underside of leaf, damage
to sensitive plants

30. OTHER EFFECTS OF POLLUTANT
 1. Environment Degradation : Environment
is the first casualty for increase in pollution
weather in air or water. The increase in the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere leads to
smog which can restrict sunlight from
reaching the earth. Thus, preventing plants in
the process of photosynthesis. Gases like
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide can cause
acid rain. Water pollution in terms of Oil spill
may lead to death of several wildlife species.

31.  2. Global Warming : The emission of
greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading
to global warming. Every other day new
industries are being set up, new vehicles
come on roads and trees are cut to make
way for new homes. All of them, in direct or
indirect way lead to increase in CO2 in the
environment. The increase in CO2 leads to
melting of polar ice caps which increases the
sea level and pose danger for the people
living near coastal areas.

32.  3. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is
the thin shield high up in the sky that stops
ultra violet rays from reaching the earth. As a
result of human activities, chemicals, such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were released it
to the atmosphere which contributed to the
depletion of ozone layer.

33. EFFECT ON MATERIAL AND BUILDING
 The main pollutants affecting materials are
sulphur dioxide and sulphates, nitrogen
oxides and nitrates, chlorides, carbon dioxide
and ozone.
 The materials most sensitive to pollutants are
calcareous building stones and ferrous
metals.
 Effects of damage include losses of mass,
changes in porosity, discoloration and
embrittlement.

35. 2. RECENT CASE STUDIES ON AIR
POLLUTION.
 Case Study on Effect of
Pollution on Taj-Mahal
 Outdoor Air Pollution Kills 2.5
Million Each Year
 Study links low birthweight to air
pollution.

36. CASE STUDY ON EFFECT OF POLLUTION
ON TAJ-MAHAL

37. CONSTRUCTION OF TAJ-MAHAL…
 The Taj Mahal was built on a
parcel of land to the south of the
walled city of Agra.
 Shah Jahan presented
MaharajahJai Singh with a large
palace in the centre of Agra in
exchange for the land.
 An area of roughly three acres
was excavated, filled with dirt to
reduce seepage, and levelled at
50meters above riverbank.
 In the tomb area, wells were dug
and filled with stone and rubble to
form the footings of the tomb.
 Instead of lashed bamboo,
workmen constructed a colossal
brick scaffold that mirrored the
tomb.

38. TAJ ONE OF THE 7 WONDERS…
 Mark Twain once remarked “the world is divided
between two types of people: those who have
seen the Taj Mahal and those who have not.”
 The Taj is one of the most recognizable land
marks in the world and the image most
associated with India. It is indeed the Taj of all
Indian monuments. One of the famous stories
about its grandeur goes as once a British couple
visited Taj , seeing its unparallel beauty the wife
said “if you promise to build a taj in my memory
I am ready to die now .

39. WHITE STARTS GOING YELLOW…
 “Pollution has managed to do what 350 years of
wars, invasions and natural disasters have failed to
do. It has begun to mar the magnificent walls of the
Taj Mahal,” declared U.S. President Bill Clinton during
his visit to the taj
 On repeated occasions, sulphur dioxide emissions
from industries have reached levels ten times above
the prescribed standard level. Combined with oxygen
and moisture, sulphur dioxide settles on the surface
of the tomb and corrodes the marble, forming a
fungus that experts refer to as “marble cancer”.

40. WHAT HAPPENED THEN…
 Blaming pollution and regulatory negligence
for the Taj’s decay, Mahesh Chandra Mehta,
a prominent environmental lawyer, filed a
case before the Supreme Court of India in
1984

41. GOVERNMENT DECISION…
 In August 1999, the
Supreme Court struck
ordering the closure of
53iron foundries and
107other factories in
Agra that had not
cleaned up their act. The
order has become a call
to arms for foundry
owners, workers, trade
union representatives
and small-scale industry.

42. DELAY TACTICS…
 In the meantime, Agra’s Iron Founders’
Association are building up their case. They
argue that 3,000 cottage and engineering
units depend on the foundries, and that
about 300,000 workers are directly
or indirectly employed by them. They hold
that the technology for using natural gas in
their industries is not yet ready. Mehta claims
that this is a “delaying tactic

43. PRESENT SITUATION…
 ALL INDIAN MONUMENTSARE NOT
AS LUCKY AS TAJ TO HAVE
SAVIOUR LIKE AD.MEHTA AND
MANAGE TO SURVIVE
SUFFOCATING IN POLLUTION ,
IGNORANCE OF CITIZENS AND
INEFFICIENCY OF JUDICIARY.

44. OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION KILLS 2.5
MILLION EACH YEAR

46.  Air pollution is now the fifth largest killer in
India, says newly released findings of Global
Burden of Disease report
 New Delhi, February 13, 2013: Outdoor air
pollution has become the fifth largest killer in India after
high blood pressure, indoor air pollution, tobacco
smoking, and poor nutrition – says a new set of findings
of the Global Burden of Disease report.
 The report says that in 2010, about 620,000 premature
deaths occured in India from air pollution-related
diseases.

47.  GBD has ranked air pollution as one of the top 10
killers in the world, and the sixth most dangerous
killer in South Asia.
 In fact, particulate air pollution is now just three
places behind indoor air pollution, which is the
second highest killer in India.
 “This is a shocking and deeply disturbing news.
This calls for urgent and aggressive action to
protect public health,” said Sunita Narain, director
general, CSE.

48.  A new study by an international team of scientists
has found that outdoor air pollution kills 2.5 million
people worldwide each year.
 According to BBC News, the researchers
calculated the vast majority of the deaths, 2.1
million, were linked with fine particulate matter, with
some 470,000 deaths from ozone.
 In addition to contributing to these deaths, outdoor
air pollution increased “respiratory and heart
disease risks, with the young, elderly and infirm
most vulnerable.”

49.  Other research has shown that indoor pollution,
particularly in developing countries, causes another
2 million deaths annually.
 The researchers wrote: “Epidemiological studies
have shown that PM2.5 (particulates with a
diameter of less than 2.5 microns – about 30 times
thinner than the width of a human hair) and ozone
have significant influences on human health,
including premature mortality.”

50.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), particulate matter is a “complex
mixture of extremely small particles and liquid
droplets.
 Particle pollution is made up of a number of
components, including acids (such as nitrates and
sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or
dust particles.”
 The EPA is most focused on particles 10
micrometers in diameter or smaller because “those
are the particles that generally pass through the
throat and nose and enter the lungs.”

51.  The World Health Organization (WHO) stated it’s
difficult to calculate the world’s most polluted areas
because “many cities with high levels of air
pollution do not have monitoring systems in place.”
Still, outdoor air pollution was seen to be very high
in China and India’s booming cities and in major
urban areas in Latin America and Africa.

52.  Overall, the WHO stated that mortality rates
in cities with higher levels of pollution are 15-
20 percent more than in relatively cleaner
cities. Indeed, a scary new study states that
outdoor air pollution in China is decreasing
the life span of the average urban Chinese
by 5.5 years. In comparison, in the European
Union, which has some of the world’s most
stringent air pollution standards, life
expectancy is reduced by just 8.6 months
because of fine particulate matter

53.  The key new findings -- India
 Shocking increase in Indian death toll: Air pollution is
the fifth leading cause of death in India, with 620,000
premature deaths in 2010. This is up from 100,000 in
2000 – a six-fold increase.
 Massive loss in healthy years: Air pollution is the
seventh leading cause behind the loss of about 18 million
healthy years of life due to illness. It comes after indoor
air pollution, tobacco smoking, high blood pressure,
childhood underweight, low nutritional status, and alcohol
use.
 Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases key reasons
for air pollution-induced premature deaths: These
diseases include stroke (25.48%), chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (17.32%), Ischemic heart disease
(48.6%), lower respiratory infections (6.4%), and trachea,
bronchus and lung cancer (2.02%).

54.  Trends in polluted cities
 Close to half the cities are reeling under
severe particulate pollution while newer
pollutants like nitrogen oxides, ozone and air
toxics are worsening the public health
challenge.
 More cities in grip of PM10: About 78% cities
(141) exceed the PM10 standard. 90 cities have
critical levels of PM10; 26 have the most critical
levels, exceeding the standard by over three
times. Gwalior, West Singhbhum, Ghaziabad,
Raipur, and Delhi are the top five critically
polluted cities.

55.  More cities in grip of NO2: About 10% of the cities
(19) exceed the NO2 standard. Of these, about nine
have critical levels. Howrah, Barrackpore, Badlapur,
Ulhasnagar and Asansol are the top five critically
polluted cities.
 State of SO2 pollution: One city -- Lote in
Maharashtra -- exceeds the SO2 standard. Moderate
levels of SO2 are noted in Jamshedpur and Saraikela
Kharsawan in Jharkhand; Chandrapur, Badlapur,
Ulhasnagar, and Pune in Maharashtra; Ghaziabad and
Khurja in UP, Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Marmagao
and Curchorem in Goa.

56.  Cities with double-trouble -- particulates and
NO2: Howrah, Barrackpore, Asansol, Durgapur,
Sankrail, Raniganj, Kolkata (West Bengal),
Badlapur and Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra) have
critical levels of NO2 and PM10. Delhi, Haldia,
Bicholim, Jamshedpur, Meerut, Noida, Saraikela
Kharsawan, Jalgaon and Raipur have high levels of
NO2 as well as critical levels of PM10.
 Stabilisation in some cities: Some mega cities
that have initiated some pollution control action in
recent years have witnessed either stabilisation or
some decrease in the levels.

57. STUDY LINKS LOW BIRTHWEIGHT TO
AIR POLLUTION

58.  Babies born to mothers who live in areas
with air pollution are more likely to have a
low birthweight and smaller head
circumference, according to a large
European study.
 The researchers, who included a team from
the UK, found that babies were smaller even
in areas with relatively low levels of air
pollution, well below the limits considered
acceptable in European Union guidance.

59.  For every increase of 5 micrograms per cubic
metre in exposure to fine particulate matter
during pregnancy, the risk of low birthweight in
the baby rose by 18%.
 Although they cannot establish from this
research that air pollution is the cause of low
birthweight, the authors of the study, published
in the Lancet respiratory medicine journal,
believe the link is strong enough to demand
action.

61.  "Our findings suggest that a substantial
proportion of cases of low birthweight at term
could be prevented in Europe if urban air
pollution, particularly fine particulate matter,
was reduced," said lead author Dr Marie
Pedersen from the Centre for Research in
Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona.

62.  Low birthweight in babies is a concern, because
it often predicts poorer health as children and
later as adults. A small head circumference
could indicate problems with neurodevelopment.
 The research pooled the results of studies from
12 countries in Europe, involving more than
74,000 women who gave birth between 1994
and 2011, living in a range of different settings,
from inner-city to semi rural. One of the biggest
cohorts, involving 11,000 women, was from
Bradford

64.  Dr John Wright, director of the Bradford
Institute for Health Research and chief
investigator of the ongoing Born in Bradford
study which is following the lives of more
than 13,000 families, said the findings
allowed for other aspects of the women's
lives that could have led to smaller
birthweight babies.

65.  "There tends to be social patterning – poor
people tend to live in inner-city areas where
there is more road traffic and poorer diet," he
said. But the study had achieved "very rich data
collection" on the lives of the mothers, and was
able to allow for other issues that could affect
the baby's development, such as smoking.
Mothers who smoked had a higher likelihood of
a low birthweight baby than those who did not,
but only a minority smoke, whereas everybody
is affected by air pollution in the area where they
live

67. THANK YOU…..