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Cr(VI) is considered to be potentially carcinogenic to humans. Removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution under different conditions was investigated using activated alumina (AA) and activated charcoal (AC) as adsorbents. Batch mode experiments were conducted to study the effects of adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, temperature and initial concentration of Cr(VI). Results showed that the adsorption of Cr(VI) depended significantly on pH and temperature. Equilibrium studies showed that Cr(VI) had a high affinity for AA at pH 4 and AC at pH 2. For AA, maximum adsorption was found at 25 degrees C, indicating exothermic adsorption, while for AC, maximum adsorption was at 40 degrees C. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were also applied and they showed good fits to the experimental data. The results suggest that both AA and AC could be used as effective adsorbents for the removal of Cr(VI) ions.

There has been a significant increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in India during the last few decades and its management has become a major issue because the poor waste management practices affect the health and amenity of the cities. In the present study, various physico-chemical parameters of the MSW were analyzed to characterize the waste dumped at Gazipur landfill site in Delhi, India, which shows that it contains a high fraction of degradable organic components. The decomposition of organic components produces methane, a significant contributor to global warming. Based on the waste composition, waste age and the total amount dumped, a first-order decay model (FOD) was applied to estimate the methane generation potential of the Gazipur landfill site, which yields an estimate of 15.3 Gg/year. This value accounts to about 1-3% of existing Indian landfill methane emission estimates. Based on the investigation of Gazipur landfill, we estimate Indian landfill methane emissions at 1.25 Tg/year or 1.68 Tg/year of methane generation potential. These values are within the range of existing estimates. A comparison of FOD with a recently proposed triangular model was also performed and it shows that both models can be used for the estimation of methane generation. However, the decrease of the emission after closure is more gradual in the case of the first-order model, leading to larger gas production predictions after more than 10 years of closure. The regional and global implications of national landfill methane emission are also discussed.

Considering the mounting evidences of the effects of air pollution on health, the present study was undertaken to assess the ambient air quality status in the fast growing urban centres of Haryana state, India. The samples were collected for total suspended particulate matter (TSPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), and oxides of nitrogen (NO(2)) during different seasons from 8 districts of Haryana during January, 1999 to September, 2000. The four types of sampling sites with different anthropogenic activities i.e. residential, sensitive, commercial and industrial were identified in each city. The ambient air concentration of TSPM and PM(10) observed was well above the prescribed standards at almost all the sites. The average ambient air concentrations of SO(2) and NO(2) were found below the permissible limits at all the centres. Comparatively higher concentration of SO(2) was observed during winter seasons, which seems to be related with the enhanced combustion of fuel for space heating and relatively stable atmospheric conditions. Air Quality Index (AQI) prepared for these cities shows that residential, sensitive and commercial areas were moderately to severely polluted which is a cause of concern for the residents of these cities. The high levels of TSPM and SO(2) especially in winter are of major health concern because of their synergistic action. The data from Hisar city reveals a significant increase in the total number of hospital visits/admissions of the patients with acute respiratory diseases during winter season when the level of air pollutants was high.

Leachate and groundwater samples were collected from Gazipur landfill-site and its adjacent area to study the possible impact of leachate percolation on groundwater quality. Concentration of various physico-chemical parameters including heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) and microbiological parameters (total coliform (TC) and faecal coliform (FC)) were determined in groundwater and leachate samples. The moderately high concentrations of Cl-, NO3(-), SO4(2-), NH4(+), Phenol, Fe, Zn and COD in groundwater, likely indicate that groundwater quality is being significantly affected by leachate percolation. Further they proved to be as tracers for groundwater contamination. The effect of depth and distance of the well from the pollution source was also investigated. The presence of TC and FC in groundwater warns for the groundwater quality and thus renders the associated aquifer unreliable for domestic water supply and other uses. Although some remedial measures are suggested to reduce further groundwater contamination via leachate percolation, the present study demand for the proper management of waste in Delhi.

A low-pressure gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (LPGC-ITMS) method was investigated to shorten the analysis time for 18 US Environmental Protection Agency priority listed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Their elution was optimised with a short, wide-bore column coupled to a deactivated capillary at the inlet end and with a long, conventional column to compare their analytical performance. The analytical figures of merit under optimal LPGC-ITMS conditions were determined with respect to chromatographic separation, S/N ratio, limit of detection and precision. The peak width at half height of 1.5s matched the ITMS duty cycle. Up to 16 PAHs in the molecular weight (MW) range of 128-278 Da could be separated in a very short time, i.e. less than 13 min using LPGC-ITMS, whereas with conventional GC-MS, it took approximately 40 min. However, LPGC-ITMS has a limited loss of separation power compared to that of conventional GC-MS due to the occurrence of three critical pairs for high-MW PAHs. For a practical evaluation, the LPGC-ITMS approach was applied to the determination of PAHs in gas and aerosol phase samples collected in the ambient air of Hasselt, Belgium.

Groundwater samples collected either from the bore-wells (forms a part of municipal water supply) or from the hand pumps (direct consumption) were analysed for fluoride in Hisar city, India. The results indicate considerable variations among the analysed groundwater samples and the concentration of fluoride ranged from 0.03--16.6 mg/l. In most of the groundwater samples the concentration of fluoride was found to be moderately higher, when compared to the WHO standard for drinking water, which may lead to associated health risks in urban population, if the groundwater is being used without proper treatment. Furthermore, it is suggested that the sources of municipal water supply must be established in a region where an adequate level of fluoride was observed.

Public transport in Delhi was amended by the Supreme Court of India to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) instead of diesel or petrol. After the implementation of CNG since April 2001, Delhi has the highest fraction of CNG-run public vehicles in the world and most of them were introduced within 20 months. In the present study, the concentrations of various criteria air pollutants (SPM, PM(10), CO, SO(2) and NO(x)) and organic pollutants such as benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were assessed before and after the implementation of CNG. A decreasing trend was found for PAHs, SO(2) and CO concentrations, while the NO(x) level was increased in comparison to those before the implementation of CNG. Further, SPM, PM(10), and BTX concentrations showed no significant change after the implementation of CNG. However, the BTX concentration demonstrated a clear relation with the benzene content of gasoline. In addition to the impact of the introduction of CNG the daily variation in PAHs levels was also studied and the PAHs concentrations were observed to be relatively high between 10 pm to 6 am, which gives a proof of a relation with the limited day entry and movement of heavy vehicles in Delhi.

Landfilling is one of the most common ways of municipal solid waste disposal. Degradation of organic waste produces CH(4) and other landfill gases that significantly contribute to global warming. However, before entering the atmosphere, part of the produced CH(4) can be oxidised while passing through the landfill cover. In the present study, the oxidation rate of CH(4) was studied with various types of compost as possible landfill cover. The influence of incubation time, moisture content and temperature on the CH(4) oxidation capacity of different types of compost was examined. It was observed that the influence of moisture content and temperature on methane oxidation is time-dependent. Maximum oxidation rates were observed at moisture contents ranging from 45% to 110% (dry weight basis), while the optimum temperature ranged from 15 to 30 degrees C.

The photoluminescence (PL) studies of powder phosphors are under rigorous study in view of the applications they have in the field of technology. Different methods are available for the preparation of rare earth ions doped in different host environment of powder phosphors. In the present work, a novel route known as sol-gel technique is employed to prepare spinel phosphor MgAl(1.8)Y(0.2-x)O(4):Eu(x) (x = 2-6 mol%). Then the studies have been carried out to optimize the dopant concentration in the host lattice with the help of photoluminescence spectra. These phosphors have displayed bright red color under UV source. The emission intensities were determined and the relative fluorescence intensities have been estimated. The richness of the red color has been verified by determining their chromaticity coordinates (X, Y) from the CIE standard charts. With the help of XRD, electron spin resonance (ESR), and photo-acoustic (PA) spectra of the samples prepared are also used for the confirmity of the host and analyzing of the data.

Sugar cane burning in Brazil causes remarkable amounts of organic compounds to be emitted amongst which the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent serious health hazards. Therefore, 24-h aerosol samples (< 10 microm aerodynamic diameter) were collected in Araraquara city (São Paulo state) during the harvest season using a Hi-Vol sampler. PAHs were recovered using an Accelerated Solvent Extractor and analyzed by low-pressure gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (LP-GC-IT-MS). The fully automated extraction process was performed in less than 25 min with a solvent consumption of approximately 20 ml. The use of a deactivated 0.6 m x 0.10 mm i.d. restrictor coupled to a 10 m wide-bore analytical column allowed most of the 16 PAHs in EPA's priority list to be identified and quantified in only 13 min. Concentrations of PAHs in Araraquara aerosols ranged between 0.5 and 8.6 ng m(-3).

Accumulation of platinum group elements (PGEs) in the environment has been increased over the time. Catalytic converters of modern vehicles are considered to be the main sources of PGE pollution, since the correlation is between the Pt:Rh ratios in various environmental compartments and in converter units. The present literature survey shows that the concentration of these metals has increased significantly in the last decades in diverse environmental matrices; like airborne particulate matter, soil, roadside dust and vegetation, river, coastal and oceanic environment. Generally, PGEs are referred to behave in an inert manner and to be immobile. However, there is an evidence of spread and bioaccumulation of these elements in the environment. Platinum content of road dusts can be soluble, consequently, it enters the waters, sediments, soil and finally, the food chain. The effect of chronic occupational exposure to Pt compounds is well-documented, and certain Pt species are known to exhibit allergenic potential. However, the toxicity of biologically available anthropogenic Pt is not clear. Hence, there is a need to study the effect on human health of long-term chronic exposure to low levels of Pt compounds.

Spatial patterns of various criteria air pollutants, like SO2, NO2, O3, and TSP were studied at Shahdara National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring station in Delhi (India) in July 1999. The minimum pollutant concentrations were observed during morning hours, whereas the highest concentrations were found during the late night hours, which seem to be related with the vehicular emission. Pre-monsoon daily ambient air quality spatial pattern was compared with the spatial pattern during initial and subsequent rain shower of monsoon. These spatial patterns were found to be essentially the same before and during rain, however a significant decrease in SO2, NO2 and TSP concentrations (40-45%) was observed after initial and subsequent rains of the monsoon, demonstrating the importance of rainfall in the scavenging of these criteria air pollutants.

Various physico-chemical characteristics of the River Yamuna flowing in Haryana through Delhi were studied in the summer (April 1998) and winter (Jan.-Feb. 1999). Ecological parameters like dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, nitrate (NO3-), sulfate (SO4(2-)), and phosphate (PO4(3-)), were analyzed and compared with standard permissible limits to assess the best-designated use of the river water for various purposes. The river in Delhi upstream was of better quality whereas the Delhi downstream stretch was polluted as indicated by very low DO and high total dissolved solids (TDS), electric conductivity (EC), total hardness, Na+, K+, Cl-, F- and SO4(2-). The differences in various parameters were statistically significant (p < 0.01) when compared for the Delhi upstream and downstream stretches of the river, particularly in summer. DO and TDS were found to be two important parameters, which showed strong correlation with several other parameters and hence can serve as good indices of river water quality. The river tended to recover from the pollution stress after flowing through a distance of about 80 km downstream of Delhi.

The effect of fireworks on air quality was assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants (SO2, NO2, PM10 and TSP) during Diwali festival in Hisar city (India), in November 1999. The extensive use of fireworks was found to be related to short-term variation in air quality. During the festival the concentration of SO2 was observed to be increased approximately 10-fold at few sites, whereas the concentrations of NO2, PM10 and TSP increased 2-3 times, compared to the data collected on a typical winter day in December 1999. The maximum NO2 concentration was observed a day after the festival. The diurnal pattern of the above pollutants showed a slight increase in the night. The levels of these pollutants observed during Diwali were found to be moderately high, which can be associated with serious health impacts.

A short 6-item version of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-6) was evaluated for its validity of a sample of STD patients in the hands of a non-psychiatrist untrained in psychiatry in comparison to independent and detail psychiatric assessment. The GHQ-6 was found to have a moderate sensitivity of 55%, but high specificity rate of 87%.