Status of respirable dust particle (RDP) concentration--a case study in Chennai city

Air pollution has been aggravated by developments that typically occur, as countries become industrialised and higher levels of energy consumption. Respirable dust particles (RDP) is a general term for tiny air borne particles (under 10 microns PM 10) and it is categorised as critical primary air pollutant. Finer particulate matter less than 10 micron size have been identified as potential health hazard for human beings. A case study was carried out to assess RDP concentration present in the ambient air in Chennai city during the year 2000-2002. The study was conducted at Theagaraya nagar (T. Nagar), a most important commercial shopping place. The observed RDP concentrations are made statistical analysis and a high value of 607.1 microg/m(3) is recorded during October 2001. It is also found that 90% of the observed values exceed the recommended values of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The important finding of this research work is that the RDP data collected every year from this sampling station were found to give best fit for cubic equations which are very useful for analysing future trends.