Air-O-Thon India Summit: Addressing air pollution challenges for sustainable environment

A one day ‘International Summit on Indoor Air Quality’ was today organised by Prospurs Pte. Ltd. along with Indian Pollution Control Association at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. The inception and need of the summit has been essential given that the capital city of New Delhi is now one of the most polluted city in the world leaving even some global capital cities behind.

While we cannot always monitor outside air quality we can take control of the air inside our homes. It is estimated that the air inside the house is at-least ten times more polluted than the air outside. Smoke from the kitchen, incense, pet dander, detergents, chemicals from paint, floor cleaners, dust, microbes, viruses, bacteria, suspended particulate matter, pollens, cigarette smoke, gases are commonly found that people inhale in closed environments.

Opening the conference Mr. Ashish Jain, Director, IPCA, Delhi welcomed the delegates and panellists, Dr. Radha Goyal, Deputy Director, IPCA, Delhi informed the gathering more about the summit. The inaugural address at the summit was given by Dr. T.K Joshi, head, centre for occupational and environmental health (COEH) Maulana Azad Medical College who praised the organisers lavishly “a very well organised meet on very important topic, Prospus India have assembled top class experts who delivered excellent talks” he added. Special address was given by Dr. Mukesh Khare, Professor, IIT Delhi. Keynote address was delivered by Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur. 

CPCB is very much open to accept the technologies for IAQ. Ministry of urban development and MOEF are trying to bring this agenda in 68 city plan. CPCB is in the process of considering IAQ as a mandate for national air quality monitoring plan”, said Dr. A.B Akolkar, Member Secretary, CPCB, Delhi.

TK Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, said while the focus has largely been on outdoor pollution, the same phenomenon plays out inside our dwellings as well.  "People often spray room freshners, oblivious of the fact that it contains methyl alcohol which is extremely toxic. Practically every air freshner brand uses that. They should be rather called air polluters. People have actually turned blind over prolonged exposure to it," Joshi said.

Mr. Syed Moonis Alvi, General Manager, Water & Air Purifier, Panasonic India said, “Quality of indoor air is all about health and comfort. Therefore, it is important that we breath healthy air when we are inside our homes and offices. With lack of ventilation in today’s houses, it is all the more important to monitor the air quality and take actions for indoor air cleaning. At Panasonic, it is our continuous endeavor to enhance the quality of life of our consumers as it is core to our principle values. Our wide-range of air-purifiers and its technology ensures that it monitors the indoor air-quality and improve it as per the requirement. Equipped with Nanoe technology, Composite Air Filter and Econavi technology, Panasonic air-purifiers make sure to filter out harmful particles, including PM2.5, out of the air and provide a healthy and safe environment to breathe in.”

Mr. Vinayendra Jain, Director, Marketing, Honeywell Environmental and Energy Solutions said, “Honeywell is a technology leader satisfying millions of customers globally, and we are delighted to be able to share that experience and expertise at Air-O-Thon. Rising air pollution outdoors is currently top of the agenda. However, there is a strong need to increase the awareness towards indoor air pollution and how it adversely affects human health – be it for kids, senior citizens, expecting mothers or the general health conscious citizen.  Air pollutants inside enclosed spaces of our homes, cars and offices are mostly invisible and people in India would need cost effective and efficient solutions across the spectrum to fight this new nemesis. With its HEPA and patented HiSiv^TM technology, Honeywell range of air purifiers help people deal with the unique indoor air pollution problem in India and hence help improve their lifestyle”

Mr. Rohit Chaudhary, PH Leader – Sri Lanka & Bangladesh and Head - Trade & Shopper Marketing at Philips India Limited said “Philips introduces “Aerosense” technology for indoor Air Purifiers, which measures real-time the quality of Air Indoors. Now consumers can monitor the quality of air indoors and the improvement thereafter, when the Air Purifier is switched on. Philips is also the market leader in India for Indoor Air Purifier & has the widest range of the air purifiers available across sell Points and suited for various room sizes.

“This summit has provided a platform for the researchers, experts, policy makers, engineers, designers, IAQ professionals, architects and other industry participants about what works and what really doesn’t work when tackling major improvements in indoor air quality”, said Mr. Sunil Bangwal, Director, Prospurs Pte. Ltd. the organiser of Air-O-Thon 2016.

More than 30 experts from leading institutes and companies also presented facts figures, held discussions, question answers rounds with audience throughout the day.  Prospurs India plans to hold similar events across India to increase awareness on indoor air quality.