Delhi’s polluted air has made global headlines in the past 10 years. Now, a new study has found that the national capital’s air is also polluted with mercury, a highly toxic metal.
The study, a first-of-its-kind one by scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, reported that Delhi’s air contained 6.9 nanograms of mercury per cubic metre on average.
This is much higher than the global average of the Northern Hemisphere (1.7 nanograms per cubic metre) and the Southern Hemisphere (1.3 nanograms per cubic metre).
The researchers analysed data from 2018 to 2024 on gaseous elemental mercury, a key atmospheric pollutant, NDTV reported.
Some 72 per cent to 92 per cent of mercury emissions in Delhi were due to human activities, primarily from fossil fuel combustion, industrial activities, and vehicular emissions.
Mercury is a toxic metal which is considered among the top 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concerns by the World Health Organization.