Characterization of PM10 in the ambient air during Deepawali festival of Rajnandgaon district, India

Deepawali is one of the main festivals for Hindu religion which falls in the period October–November every year with great fireworks display. In this study, we investigated the levels of water soluble ions and heavy metals—during the fireworks festival in Rajnandgaon, Central India. The chemical compositions and noise level distributions are reported from the sampling site. First time during Deepawali, air quality was studied in this area, The Aerosol samples of PM10 (particle aerodynamic diameter <10 μm) are collected in October 24–28, 2011. Aims of the present studies are (1) To describe the particulate concentrations and associated chemical species during Deepawali festival, (2) To recognize the noise level in Deepawali festival. For study, the samples were collected in glass fiber filter paper and analyzed for the major water soluble ions F−, Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na2+, NH4+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ employing ion chromatograph. Concentration of heavy metals was analyzed by ICP-MS and was observed to occur in order Fe > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cd. The result revels that all concentration are above the permissible limit fixed by CPCB, USPEA, and WHO standard. It is concluded that the burning of fireworks during Deepawali festival was the main source of heavy metals and ion.