Kalbande, Ritesh and Bano, Shahana and Beig, Gufran
(2021)
Benzene and Toluene from Stubble Burning and Their Implications for Ozone Chemistry and Human Health in the Indo-Gangetic Plain Region.
ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 5 (11).
ISSN 2472-3452
Full text not available from this repository.
| Abstract: |
The crop residue burning activity in Northern India during the postmonsoon season leads to serious environmental issues including the release of carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene and toxic toluene. These pollutants not only threaten the health system but also play an important role in surface ozone chemistry. We hereby present the impact of stubble burning during the most intense period of October–November 2019 on the levels of benzene and toluene in two of the most polluted megacities of Northern India, Delhi and Lucknow, and their implication to ozone formation potential (OFP) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR). The level of these pollutants is found to increase significantly during the stubble-burning period because of long-range transport and favorable meteorology. A significant Pearson correlation (>50%) was found between benzene/toluene and the fire counts at Delhi and Lucknow. Results indicate that stubble burning is responsible for around 30–40% of the air mass of these VOCs during the period. The OFP of both the pollutants is found to be higher in Delhi (combined 51.5 μg/m3) as compared to Lucknow (combined 28.6 μg/m3). The K-means clustering method identified the vehicular and stubble-burning source in separate clusters. The LCR for both the locations was found to be higher than the recommended limit (1 × 10–6). The increased LCR during the stubble-burning period for Delhi was found to be 3(7) per million, while for Lucknow, it was 3 (8) per million for adults (children). This study highlights yet another stubble-burning menace besides deteriorating the overall air quality. |
| Item Type: |
Journal Paper
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| Subjects: |
School of Natural and Engineering Sciences > Environment |
| Divisions: |
Schools > Natural Sciences and Engineering |
| Date Deposited: |
20 Feb 2026 11:06 |
| Last Modified: |
20 Feb 2026 11:06 |
| Official URL: |
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsearthspace... |
| Related URLs: |
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| Funders: |
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| Projects: |
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| DOI: |
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00283 |
| URI: |
http://eprints.nias.res.in/id/eprint/3185 |
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