PM2.5 exposure in an urban slum community of Mumbai

Abstract

Particulate pollution in Kumbharwada exceeds World Health Organization and United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Particulate matter (PM) air pollution consists of a complex mixture of small and large particles of varying origins, sizes, and compositions. Recent evaluations of worldwide releases of PM2.5 indicate that the urban areas of South Asia experience a particularly high burden of exposure. India’s financial and commercial capital, Mumbai, is also its most heavily industrialized city and home to Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. Pottery firing in Kumbharwada, the largest pottery colony in Dharavi, relies on biomass burning and as such contributes to local emissions of PM.