File photo is used for representational purposes only
Kolkata: Ozone levels in central Kolkata were 60 per cent above safe levels, posing a threat to public health and the iconic Victoria Memorial.
According to the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), the eight-hour average in the Victoria Memorial area on Sunday was 160 mg/m3.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the eight-hour average of ozone should not exceed 100 mg/cubic meter.
A WBPCB official said the high ozone levels were a result of common cold conditions and vehicular emissions particles accumulated in the lower atmosphere.
Once fog conditions improve, the ozone count will decrease, he said.
Environmentalist Somendranath Ghosh said proper monitoring is needed to find out the reasons for the spike in ozone levels in the eco-sensitive zone of the city, which is often referred to as the ‘lung of Kolkata’ because of the grassland .
He said that it is worrying that the ozone count has also eclipsed the PM2.5 level of 144 on Sunday afternoon.
“Many old diesel vehicles are plying. This pollution may cause the Victoria Memorial’s white stone to turn yellow, and in the future, the plaster on many chamber walls will come off,” he cautioned.
Ghosh said that ground-level ozone is a colorless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface.
It is a secondary pollutant because it is produced when two primary pollutants – nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – react in sunlight and stagnant air, he said.
Ozone can cause the muscles in the airways to constrict, trapping air in the alveoli, causing wheezing and shortness of breath.
“Depending on the level of exposure, ozone can cause cough and sore throat or rash,” the WBPCB official said.
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