Air Quality and Human Health

The book is one of the outcomes of the SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) project titled "Fine particulates matters in the air environment and their cancer risks in human beings," sponsored by MHRD (now MoE), Govt. of India. The editors of the book are PIs and Co-PIs of the said project. The text deliberates on air pollution's health risks with contributions from well-known experts from diverse research fields (environmental science, toxicology, geology, public health science, biology, physics, chemistry, and geospatial technology). It explores it its control and mitigation strategies.

The book provides an up-to-date overview of the modern methods and tools used in air quality monitoring and human health risk assessment. Case studies from different global settings offer invaluable insights into air pollution-related regional health issues. It addresses all aspects of air quality, covering indoor-outdoor air pollution, gaseous and particulate pollutants; characterization of source and pathways of air pollutants; and the modeling and assessing of health risks (respiratory, epidemiological, and toxicological) with regional and global perspectives. It also addresses air quality management issues. The lucid explanation of the role of oxidative stress mechanisms and molecular biomarkers (genomics, proteomics) may be considered as inputs into the development of cancer therapeutics.

Along with providing a scientific basis for air pollution, this book will help readers appreciate the environmental determinants of public health and apply research evidence to improve the quality of life. It also delineates future research initiatives and policy actions needed to protect human health from air pollution, locally and globally. The book will be of great educational value and help for consultation and teaching.

Prof. Pratap Kumar Padhy is a Professor and Head at the Department of Environmental Studies, Institute of Science, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. Prof. Padhy is working on various aspects of Air Pollution and Health. He has published many research papers in internationally refereed journals and several chapters in books. He has supervised 12 doctoral students and three postdoctoral scholars. He has also undertaken four research projects, including one international collaborative project. He was awarded the President of India Gold Medal for General Proficiency from JNU from 1995-1996.

Prof. Soumya Niyogi is a Professor at the Biology & Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Canada. He is an Environmental Toxicologist with over 25 years of research experience specializing in the toxicology of metals/metalloids and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and presented atmore than 200 conferences. He has undertaken many sponsored research projects and supervised Ph.D. and M.Sc. students. He is an editorial board member in some reputed journals and a frequent reviewer in many journals.

Dr. Pulak Kumar Patra is an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Studies, Institute of Science, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. He has more than 20 years of teaching and research experience in Environment Science. His research interests include environmental geoscience, hydrogeochemistry, and medical geology. He has published more than 50 research papers in journals and edited books. He has also authored three books and edited two books. He has supervised 8 Ph.D. students.

Prof. Markus Hecker is a Professor & Canada Research Chair at the School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan. His research interest includes Ecotoxicology, Endocrine disruption, Environmental DNA, Exposure and hazard characterization of environmental contaminants, Mechanistic toxicology, and Toxicogenomics. He is serving as the editorial board member of many reputed journals. Markus has authored over 170 peer-reviewed papers, review articles, editorials, and book chapters. He is currently serving on the board of directors of the Society of Toxicology and Chemistry (North America).