Online continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring India was listed fifth amongst the poisonous gas emitting nations in the world. With pollution levels rising across the country, revised National Ambient Air Quality standards for twelve pollutants were notified in 2009 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests(MOEF). Pollutant includes gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and particulate matters below 10 micron, below 2.5 micron size. As per revised norms, residential and industrial areas have the same standards. The revised ambient air quality standards provide a legal framework for the control of air pollution and the protection of public health which has provision for any citizen to approach the court for better air quality. In India, these norms are governed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and implemented by the state pollution control board (branches of CPCP). Fig 1: Air modeling National ambient quality standards (annual) for Industrial, residential, rural and other areas: Pollutant Concentration in Pollutant Concentration in Ambient air (annual) Ambient air (annual) Sulphur Dioxide 50 µg/m3 Nitrogen dioxide 40 µg/m3 Particulate matter less 60 µg/m3 Particulate matter less 40 µg/m3 than 10micron size than 2.5micron size Ozone 100 µg/m3 Lead 0.5 µg/m3 Carbon Monoxide 2 mg/m3 Ammonia 100 µg/m3 To transboundary atmospheric pollution, to limit polluting emission, to exchange the information on atmospheric pollutants, to protect forest against atmospheric pollution, legislative and scientific studies recommended that pollutants be measured at the place where they occur - so called toxic Hotspot monitoring i.e a location where emissions from specific sources may expose individuals and population groups to elevated risks of adverse health effects - including but not limited to cancer - and contribute to the cumulative health risks of emissions from other sources in the area. Hotspot sources are vehicular exhaust, major industrial emission, major events and are typically found in densly populated areas. To keep a tab on air quality, online monitoring of notified pollutants at each hotspot location is a must. These online monitoring stations give the environment department real time data on several gases and pollutants at each of the site. At present apart from the cities many other major polluting industries in India like power, cement, steel, oil and gas, fertilizer , chemical, pharmaceutical are being asked to continuously monitor their pollutants by using Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) and submit daily, monthly and annual reports on specified pollutant criteria to the authority. Forbes Marshall, having been in the Instrumentation and Control business for more than six decades realized the importance of CAAQMS, its huge business potential in India and hence in the year 2008 tied up with M/s Recordum Messtechnik, Austria. M/s Recordum with overall 30 years of experience in a similar field, specialized in the design and manufacture of high technology instrumentation for Ambient Air Quality Monitoring stations, developed airpointer® - world’s first out-of-the-box, plug and play Online Ambient Air Quality Monitoring system in the year 2001. The airpointer® is a comprehensive solution for continuous monitoring of O3, CO, SO2, NOx, H2S, NH3, VOC(BTEX), Particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5) in ambient air alongwith meteorological parameters like wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, relative humidity, temperature, barometric pressure etc. The airpointer® as a leader of a new generation of monitoring systems, offering a unique fully integrated, most compact (10% of others) , mast/wall mounted, low power consuming(10% of others) system with powerful monitoring concept from basic analysers to their built in calibration verification packages to remote communications, data logging and automatic reporting via standard internet connection and web browser making the airpointer® - “live on air” airpointer® key features : Access the monitoring and raw data without special software - standard internet connection and web browser will suffice. Reduce maintenance effort based on remote diagnostics and update capability as well as automatic data back-up services, easy on-site maintenance access while still offering a burglar proof design. airpointer® being a new concept compared to other shelter based CAAQMS, and to update the CPCB about the merits of airpointer®, for the period of 10 months we installed and demonstrated the airpointer® unit at their Delhi head office and also near the ITO building, an area which is highly polluted due to heavy vehicular traffic. The demonstration was successfully carried out at both these places, which in turn boosted our confidence. Our first order for three sets of airpointer® unit : Finolex Industry, is a giant petrochemical plant in the sleepy town of Ratnagiri, the only industry amidst orchards of the famous Ratnagiri Hapus mango. When they put up a coal based captive power plant of 44MW , there was a huge and cry from the nearby villages and protests from mango farmers who feared that their orchards would get spoiled due to the stack emission. This is when MEOF and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board also became very strict and came down heavily on Finolex. Mr. K P Chabria, the Chairman of Finolex himself remembered us due to the excellent sales and service we have been providing to them from Forbes Marshall. And we were also lucky to give then a solution since we had the airpointer® to offer. When they floated the enquiry, all major competitors were in the fray. However our goodwill, relationship, professionalism, new hi-tech product technology and excellent service support decided the large order in our favour, knowing that this would be the first installation in India. After commissioning the product, there were some hiccups due to tropical problems and extreme weather conditions in which the airpointer®s were installed. However with our back up team, we came out with flying color. Finolex has invited us to give this reference to customers in India and welcomed visits to their installation. The road ahead CAAQMS is a highly competitive market and what differentiates us from the rest is our focus on offering AAQMS services and the monthly reports we provide to our customers. Pollutants and their effects on Health and Environment Carbon Monoxide Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic and flammable gas, which is a major product of the incomplete combustion of carbon and carbon-containing compounds. Environmental tobacco smoke in dwellings, offices, vehicles and restaurants can raise the average carbon monoxide concentrations as well High degree of exposure to carbon monoxide can reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain, to the point that the person becomes unconscious and can suffer brain damage from shortness of oxygen. Carbon monoxide may contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming Sulfur Dioxide and Hydrogen Sulfide Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is an acid tasting, colorless, pungent smelling and toxic gas. Major sources are heat and power generation facilities that use poor quality oil or coal containing sulfur. The effects observed include reductions in pulmonary volume, increases in breathing resistance and symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath. It also could lead to headache and nausea. Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic and Sulfur dioxide is one of the major precursors of corrosive gas with a bad smell. H2S is a product of acid rain, which accelerates corrosion of buildings biogenous digestion. It can be found in refineries, and monuments as well as it acidifies soils, lakes blast furnaces, pulp and paper industry, gasworks, and streams. Furthermore, it leads to reduced coking-, wastewater treatment- and biogas plants visibility. H2S destroys hemoglobin and paralyses intracellular respiration. In contact with humidity at mucus membranes it converts to alkaline sulfides causing heavy irritations in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. H2S is a neurotoxic. The bad smell of H2S is unbearable. The lower limit of detection by humans may be as low as 2 ppb. Because of its acidity H2S is a very corrosive gas. It damages switchpanels and other electronics in the plant Nitrogen Oxides The nitric oxide (NO) molecule is quite reactive and unstable. In ambient air, it reacts with oxygen to form the toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Human activity has drastically increased the production of nitric oxide in combustion chambers, e. g. car engines and power plants. Nitric oxide has a multitude of effects, primarily in the lung but also in other organs, such as the spleen and the liver. In the blood it leads to the creation of meta-hemoglobin, which cannot transport oxygen. Nitric oxide in the air may later convert to nitric acid in acid rain. Furthermore, both NO and NO2 contribute to a reduction in the The phase-in of new NO2 thresholds values will ozone layer. make the nitrogen oxides a subject of major public interest. Particulate matter (PM10 / PM2.5) PM10 and PM2.5 are not a single compound but the mass concentration of all particles smaller than 10μm (PM10) or 2.5μm (PM2.5) in diameter, suspended in the ambient air. Especially in areas with high traffic related pollution the threshold values for this pollutant are frequently exceeded, which makes them pollutants of major public interest A number of studies have shown short term cardiovascular effects related to PM, a direct relation between the number of heart attacks and the PM-concentration has been proven. Long term effects are the toxicity of the particles itself, their potential to carry and hold toxic compounds in the respiration system and irritation of the immune system due to their continuance deep in the lungs. Samir Bhandarkar