Monitoring of PM10 Concentration and Evaluation of its Effect on Respiratory Diseases in Aizawl City, Mizoram

Particulate matter (PM), a primary component of air pollution has been implicated in various respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and was found to be the 13th leading cause of mortality worldwide by the World Health Organisation. The concentration of PM10 (Coarse particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter between 2.5–10 μm ) was assessed for Aizawl City, Mizoram for a period of two years from June 2014–May 2016. The annual mean concentration of PM10 was found to fall within the permissible limit of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard and was highest in Khatla station (71.67 µg/m3) followed by Bawngkawn station (39.75 µg/m3) and Laipuitlang station (33.25 µg/m3) and the lowest annual mean concentration was seen in Mizoram University station (0.85 µg/m3). Seasonal variations have been observed in the mean concentration of PM10 with the highest concentration in winter season (51.3µg/m3±28.27)and the lowest in monsoon season (22.58 µg/m3 ±2.37). Despite the low concentration of PM10, a strong association was found between PM10 exposure and three types of respiratory diseases namely Corrosion of respiratory tract (CORT), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and vasomotor rhinitis (VR).