Hospital critical

victoria hospital in Bangalore is the most polluted of all areas recently studied in several cities of Karnataka. The 2007-08 report of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (kspcb) described air pollution in the hospital area from "high" to "critical".

Sulphur dioxide was measured at 16.1 microgramme per cubic metre (g/cu m) in the air at the hospital, oxides of nitrogen were measured at 38.7 g/cu m, respirable suspended particulate matter at 66 g/cu m and suspended particulate matter at 196 g/cu m.

"Bangalore emerged the most polluted without surprises. Gulbarga came next," said B Venketesh, member secretary, kspcb. "The high level of air pollution is because of vehicles and construction activity," added H C Sharath Chandra, the chairperson of the board.The study was conducted across 14 monitoring locations in Bangalore, Mysore, Dharwad, Mangalore, Hassan, Gulbarga and Belgaum under the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme.

Of the six locations studied in Bangalore four were found to be high pollution zones.

kspcb also monitored heavy metals in the air at four traffic intersections in Bangalore. At all the places the pollutants' concentration exceeded the national levels. Cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, zinc and lead were the heavy metals detected.