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Background

I moved from USA to Bangalore with my wife a few years back. Soon after moving to Bangalore, my wife developed Allergic Rhinitis. Allergic Rhinitis is essentially the younger sibling of Asthma. The problem started in September 2013 and continued on till April 2014 (September to April is the high allergy season in Bangalore). During this time, my wife suffered from constant runny nose and difficulty in breathing. This was also coupled with frequent infections. We met with several doctors, but they simply prescribed antibiotics for the infections. No one was able to really diagnose the underlying problem. Next allergy season, my wife started showing the same symptoms once again. This time, she was joined by our 1 year son, who had the exact same problems. This time, their problems were finally diagnosed correctly by a well known Bangalore doctor. He started both of them on daily dose of steroid inhalers.

Troubled by their debilitating problems, I started doing my own research into the reason my wife and son contracted this problem and potential solutions. I found that a lot of people in Bangalore suffer from similar issues due to high pollen concentration. There is a weed called Parthenium Hysterophorus (also called Congress Grass) which is responsible for high pollen concentration in Bangalore. A combination of this pollen along with high concentration of air pollutants, typically found in big cities, makes Bangalore a particularly bad place for people who are prone to respiratory problems.

Air Quality Measurements in India

One of the main focus of my investigation was to check how bad the air quality in Bangalore really was. Aqicn.org publishes real time air quality map for several parts of the world, including 70+ locations in India. As per this map, air pollution levels in Bangalore are actually better than most other major Indian cities.

Air Quality Measurements in Bangalore

To get direct data on air pollution that impacted my family, I decided to measure air quality in and around my house under different living conditions. I used Dylos Air Quality monitor for these measurements.

This monitor reports 2 numbers:

PM 2.5: These are small particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less. These small particles consist of things like vehicle exhaust, soot and ash from burning of garbage and small metal particles etc. Prolonged exposure of these is very very harmful.

These are small particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less. These small particles consist of things like vehicle exhaust, soot and ash from burning of garbage and small metal particles etc. Prolonged exposure of these is very very harmful. PM 10: These are larger particles measuring between 2.5 to 10 micrometers. Examples of these are pollen, dust and particles generated from grinding of rocks. These particles are relatively less harmful and usually only cause upper respiratory tract issues like allergic rhinitis and asthma. These particles are the reason for my family’s problems.

Table below reports the measurements I recorded for PM 2.5 and PM 10 in and around my house. The numbers are reported in the AQI scale (microgram / meter cube). All measurements were done at the same time of the day on a weekday using the same instrument (except one measurement, which was done during early morning hours). For each location, we have only made one or two measurements — thus, this is a completely unscientific report.

The table below provides the Indian AQI categories and ranges corresponding to different values of PM2.5 and PM10 and their resulting health impact.