Pollution in Lucknow City and its health implication on exposed vendors, drivers and traffic policemen

In this pilot study, an exposure-response assessment (aged 16 to 60 years, n = 1,012) was carried out related to eye problems due to vehicular fumes during the winter of 2003. Inhalable particles < PM10 and Pb level were monitored at 12 locations of Lucknow using a Respirable Dust Sampler and EPM 2000 filter. The range of PM10 particles varied from 144 to 305, 211-366 and 141-242 mu g/m(3) while Pb levels were 0.02-0.93, 0.06-0.90 and 0.07-0.77 mu g/m(3) during 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively. The concentrations of PM10 exceeded alarmingly the prescribed standards by a factor of 1.3-3.2. A health survey demonstrated that symptoms were developed such as burning of eyes (in 20 % of drivers, 74.07 % of vendors and 77.47 % of traffic policemen), eye watering (in 51.45 % of drivers, 44 % of vendors and 72.77 % of traffic policemen), constant irritation and redness (in 33.49 % of drivers, 21.29 % of vendors and 26.12 % of traffic policemen) and impaired vision (in 25.01 % of drivers, 20.37 % of vendors and 23.5 % of traffic policemen). The main finding was the prevalence of symptoms of the eyes among the population exposed to automobile fumes.