Monitoring Nitrogen Dioxide Levels in Urban Areas in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Nitrogen dioxide is an important gaseous air pollutant. It plays a major role in atmospheric chemistry, particularly in the formation of secondary air pollutants, and contributes to environmental acidification. A comprehensive assessment of NO₂ levels in the atmosphere is required for developing effective strategies for control of air pollution and air quality improvement. Air pollution is a serious problem in all major cities of Pakistan and needs to be addressed to minimize detrimental effects on human health and urban vegetation. In this research, we focused on the monitoring of NO₂ levels in the urban environment of Rawalpindi city. Because of the lack of expensive continuous sampling devices and to get a good spatial coverage of the NO₂ concentrations in the study area, NO₂ passive samplers were exposed at 42 different sites within the city limits of Rawalpindi from January to December, 2008. Samplers were exchanged every 10 days and the associated meteorological conditions like temperature, wind speed, rainfall and relative humidity were also monitored. The average NO₂ concentration was found to be 27.46?±?0.32 ppb. The highest values of NO₂ were measured near to main roads and educational institutions due to intense flow of road vehicles. Moreover, the study showed that the values obtained for NO₂ for all sampling points exceeded the annual limit value set by World Health Organization. So, this is very important to take different steps to control this before it becomes a serious hazard for people living in those areas.     

Impacts of Air Pollutants on Vegetation in Developing Countries

The predicted increases in emissions of primary pollutants in many rapidly industrializing countries may have severe consequences for the health and productivity of forest trees and agricultural crops. This paper presents a review of air pollution impacts on vegetation in developing countries by summarising information describing the direct impacts to vegetation caused by a number of air pollutants (sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O₃) and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)). This information has been collected by experts from a number of rapidly industrializing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa and includes observations of visible injury in the field and the use of transect studies and controlled experimental investigations to ascribe damage to different pollutant concentrations. The ability to synthesise this information to define exposure-response relationships and subsequent air quality guidelines similar to those established in North America and Europe is assessed. In addition, the use of regional and global models describing pollution concentrations is discussed with reference to assessing the extent of adverse impacts and identifying regions likely to be most at risk from air pollution, both for the present day and in the future. The evidence summarised in the paper clearly shows that current pollutant concentrations experienced in many developing countries, particularly Asia, can result in severe damage to vegetation and that without appropriate control measures such damage is likely to worsen in the future as pollutant emissions increase.     

A Synoptic Climatological Approach to Assess Climatic Impact on Air Quality in South-central Canada. Part II: Future Estimates

Using within-weather-group air pollution prediction models developed in Part I of this research, this study estimates future air pollution levels for a variety of pollutants (specifically, carbon monoxide – CO, nitrogen dioxide – NO₂, ozone – O₃, sulphur dioxide – SO₂, and suspended particles – SP) under future climate scenarios for four cities in south-central Canada. A statistical downscaling method was used to downscale five general circulation model (GCM) scenarios to selected weather stations. Downscaled GCM scenarios were used to compare respective characteristics of the weather groups developed in Part I; discriminant function analysis was used to allocate future days from two windows of time (2040–2059 and 2070–2089) into one of four weather groups. In Part I, the four weather groups were characterised as hot, cold, air pollution-related, and other (defined as relatively good air quality and comfortable weather conditions). In estimating future daily air pollution concentrations, three future pollutant emission scenarios were considered: Scenario I – emissions decreasing 20% by 2050, Scenario II – future emissions remaining at the same level as at the end of the twentieth century, and Scenario III – emissions increasing 20% by 2050. The results showed that, due to increased temperatures, the average annual number of days with high O₃ levels in the four selected cities could increase by more than 40–100% by the 2050s and 70–200% by the 2080s (from the current areal average of 8 days) under the three pollutant emission scenarios. The corresponding number of low O₃ days could decrease by 4–10% and 5–15% (from the current areal average of 312 days). For the rest of the pollutants, future air pollution levels will depend on future pollutant emission levels. Under emission Scenarios II and III, the average annual number of high pollution days could increase 20–40% and 80–180%, respectively, by the middle and late part of this century. In contrast, under Scenario I, the average annual number of high pollution days could decrease by 10–65%.     

Air pollution levels: Difficulties of assessment of area values and trends

An analysis of both the current levels and general trends of two major air pollutants (smoke and SO₂) for the County of Merseyside has been attempted. The difficulties associated with use of the National Survey monitoring sites (as published by the Warren Spring Laboratory) to resolve values and trends on this county scale are described. The highly flexible nature of the co-operating body scheme by which most air pollution monitoring in the U.K. is undertaken results in extremely ‘noisy’ data especially in the light of continuing improvements in air quality and the changing emphasis and priorities in pollution control programs. It is also emphasized that evaluation of meteorological variables on this spatial scale is extremely questionable although it appears that temperatures can be well represented by a typical station's record. All discussions of air pollutants: levels, control and dispersion on the county-scale should be treated with considerable caution.     

Mapping critical levels of ozone,sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide for crops,forests and natural vegetation in the United States

Air pollution abatement strategies for controlling nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone emissions in the United States focus on a ‘standards-based’ approach. This approach places limits on air pollution by maintaining a baseline value for air quality, no matter what the ecosystem can or cannot withstand. In this paper, we present example critical levels maps for the conterminous U.S. developed using the ‘effects-based’ mapping approach as defined by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, Task Force on Mapping. This approach emphasizes the pollution level or load capacity an ecosystem can accommodate before degradation occurs, and allows for analysis of cumulative effects. We present the first stage of an analysis that reports the distribution of exceedances of critial levels for NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ in sensitive forest, crop, and natural vegetation ecosystems in the contiguous United States. We conclude that extrapolation to surrounding geographic areas requires the analysis of diverse and compounding factors that preclude simple extrapolation methods. Pollutant data depicted in this analysis is limited to locationally specific data, and would be enhanced by utilizing spatial statistics, along with converging associated anthropogenic and climatological factors. Values used for critical levels were derived from current scientific knowledge. While not intended to be a definitive value, adjustments will occur as the scientific community gains new insight to pollutant/receptor relationships. We recommend future analysis to include a refinement of sensitive receptor data coverages and to report relative proportions of exceedances at varying grid scales.     

Study on Winter Air Pollution Control in Lanzhou,China

Air pollution control is one of the most important issues in thecities of the developing countries. Based on an analysis of the local economic and technological development the paper puts forward 9 air pollution control schemes. They are 4 briquette schemes, 2 coal gas schemes, 1 centralized heating system and 2 comprehensive schemes. A comprehensive diffusion model combined with a 3-D advection-diffusion equation and the Gaussian puffmodel is developed and verified. According to the calculation ofpotential reduction of pollutant discharge and the correspondingair quality improvement made by each air pollution controlscheme, the paper then works out a feasible and comprehensiveair pollution control scheme, which is characterized by lowinvestment and better environmental benefits. When the scheme isefficiently carried out, 19.3% SO₂ and 24.4% sootdischarge is to be reduced annually in the city. There is aclear descent of air pollution concentration. The daily mean concentration of SO₂ and TSP declines 24.6–75.4%and 10.4–45.4%, respectively. SO₂ concentation of the whole city does not exceed the second grade of the Ambient Air Quality Standard of China except at a few grid points.     

Investigating the Real Air Pollution Exchange at Urban Sites Based on Time Variation of Columnar Content of the Components

As a new approach, urban air pollution was characterised by the variation of columnar content of the pollutants. Columnar content (CC) was estimated as the product of the pollutant??s mixing ratio and the mixing height. Mixing ratio data of the Metropolitan Air Quality Monitoring Network of Budapest were used, whilst mixing height was calculated by the meteorological AERMET model code. Time variation of CC refers to the real pollution exchange in the atmosphere that allows direct investigation of the emissions as well as post-emission modifications of the pollutants (such as chemical degradation or production). The diurnal urban CO cycle was found to be determined by two or three main influx peaks according to the traffic pattern of the site. The diurnal variation of NO _x level was found to be driven by traffic emission as well. Variant ratios of NO _x to CO influxes obtained for the different locations of the city range from 0.12 to 0.23, probably according to the vehicle composition of the traffic. The daily balance of photochemical production, chemical degradation and deposition of ozone yielded negative or positive depending on the location. Negative balances imply that the polluted urban atmosphere is a net ozone neutraliser source. Entrainment from the free troposphere yielded the major contributor to the diurnal ozone level at each site. The diurnal urban PM₁₀ cycle was found to be determined by traffic emission during the morning and evening rush hours whilst secondary aerosol formation around noon. In the evening, high PM₁₀ level rise was observed due to direct traffic emission as well as rapid conversion of the fine aerosol fraction to the coarse fraction.     

Characterizing Groundwater Dynamics Based on Impact of Pulp and Paper Mill Effluent Irrigation and Climate Variability

Automated synoptic weather typing and robust orthogonal stepwise regression analysis (via principal components analysis) were applied together to develop within-weather-type air pollution prediction models for a variety of pollutants (specifically, carbon monoxide – CO, nitrogen dioxide – NO₂, ozone – O₃, sulphur dioxide – SO₂, and suspended particles – SP) for the period 1974–2000 in south-central Canada. The SAS robust regression procedure was used to limit the influence of outliers on air pollution prediction algorithms. Six-hourly Environment Canada surface observed meteorological data and 6-hourly US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data of various weather elements were used in the analysis. The models were developed using two-thirds of the total years for meteorological and air pollution data; the remaining one-third (randomly selected) was used for model validation. Robust stepwise regression analysis was performed to analytically determine the meteorological variables that might be used to predict air pollution concentrations. There was a significant correlation between observed daily mean air pollution concentrations and model predictions. About 20, 50, and 80% of the 80 prediction models across the study area possessed R ² values ≥ 0.7, 0.6, and 0.5, respectively. The results of model validation were similar to those of model development, with slightly smaller model R ² values.     

Establishing critical levels for the effects of air pollution on vegetation

In recent years, international air pollution effects research has focused on setting critical levels of pollutants, above which adverse effects occur on sensitive receptors. Once established, these levels are used to determine the geographical extent of exceedance for different vegetation categories and ultimately in the development of international protocols for pollution control within the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Ideally, the critical level for each pollutant and vegetation category should have a relatively simple definition to allow ease of mapping. Nevertheless, the definitions need to be sufficiently robust to apply to sensitive vegetation growing in a diverse range of climates. The restrictions imposed by these criteria have led to complex and delicate negotiations between scientists from the UN/ECE* region. Data for the direct effects of air pollutants on vegetation have been carefully reviewed for applicability to critical levels. To date, critical levels have been set for the effects of SO₂, ozone, NOx and NH₃ on crops, trees and natural vegetation. The use of effects data to establish these levels is critically assessed in this paper in relation to current and future requirements for mapping.     

A Cost-Effective Methodology for Spatial Concentration Distributions of Urban Air Pollutants

A methodology to determine economically the spatial concentration distribution of the air pollutants of carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and traffic rates (TR) is described. It involves the immediate transfer of samples from field to analysers for measurement and a subsequent statistical treatment. The proposed methodology has been applied in Patras using 5 and 50-l Teflon air sample bags, sampling at least 12 to 36-l actual volumes within a 20-min time interval. Totally, 221 pairs of 5-l and 112 single 50-l samples were randomly picked in morning rush hours of working days from 64 locations of a 40.0-km² area during a winter period, when peaks of primary air pollutants usually occur due to high traffic rates and systematic inversions. Measurements were used to statistically calculate spatial average levels approximating 1-h mean concentrations with acceptable mean probable errors less than 25 % for indicative random sampling. The 1-h levels were strongly correlated to the corresponding traffic rates. Iso-concentration diagrams indicated possible zones susceptible to high pollution levels and helped to check the location appropriateness of the existing monitoring stations for (a) fixed urban-background measurements at the Vas. Georgiou A’ Sq., which was ideal, and (b) fixed traffic-oriented measurements, which should be relocated to the Ipsilon Alonion Sq. In addition, data helped to determine other points where indicative measurements should be performed. Data could be very useful for the Patras air quality assessment in conjunction with model predictions and/or objective estimation methods.     

Estimation of air quality degradation due to Saharan dust at Nouakchott, Mauritania, from horizontal visibility data

It is now irrefutable that air pollution caused by large amounts of Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) and respiratory particulates or Particulate Matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀) has numerous undesired consequences on human health. Air quality degradation far from the African continent, in the US and in Europe, caused by high concentrations of African dust, is seen as a major threat even though most of these countries are very distant from the Sahara. Surprisingly, no estimates of TSP or PM₁₀ levels near the Saharan dust source are available. Based on horizontal visibility observations which are reduced by the presence of dust in the atmosphere, TSP and PM₁₀ levels are estimated throughout the year 2000 at Nouakchott-Airport, Mauritania, using relations found in the literature. It appears that concentrations of particles are significant both in terms magnitude and frequency, as the 24-hour PM₁₀ thresholds established by the US EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards and the EU Limits Values for Air Quality were exceeded 86 and 137 times, respectively. The average annual concentration is far above air quality standards and estimated at 159 μg m^?3 for TSP and 108 μg m^?3 for PM₁₀. These very high particulate levels are likely to represent an important public health hazard and should be considered as a major environmental risk.     

固体废物处理厂地下水污染预测及控制模拟

[目的]以江苏省镇江市新区大港片区某固体废物处理厂为研究对象,对地下水污染情况进行模拟研究,为同类建设项目及企业的地下水污染预测和防治提供参考。[方法]通过系统分析该固体废物处理厂野外水位和水质观测数据以及水文地质条件等资料,利用Visual Modflow软件构建了地下水水流和溶质运移模型。[结果]对厂区污水处理站防渗破损后特征污染物CODMn和氨氮运移情况以及地表硬化污染控制措施对污染物的阻隔效果进行预测评价,数值模拟预测污染物的影响范围、超标范围和最大运移距离。预测时间20a后,污染物影响范围最大,运移距离最远,且CODMn影响范围较氨氮大,运移距离较远;地表硬化后,20a后污染羽未超出评价范围。[结论]污染物主要沿水流方向迁移,对水环境的影响随时间逐渐增大,污染物浓度随着迁移距离的增加而减小,不同污染物在地下水含水层中的溶质运移范围和迁移距离不同。地表硬化措施能有效控制污染物扩散。     

The Effect of Changes in European Anthropogenic Emissions on the Concentrations of Sulphur and Nitrogen Components in Air and Precipitation in Lithuania

Sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) components are of great concern because acidification and eutrophication still remain an important environmental issue in many regions of the world. Continuous monitoring (1981–1999) of S and N components both in air and precipitation in Lithuania (LT) has allowed us to evaluate the regional and temporal variations in relation to the pollutant emission changes. Despite of inter-site variability in concentration of pollutants within the regional scale, data showed a marked decrease in S concentrations both in air and precipitation over the Lithuania as a whole. Non-seasalt sulphate (nssSO₄ ^2?) concentrations in precipitation and air decreased from 2.06 to 0.52 mgS/l and from 3.97 to 1.07 µgS/m³, respectively. The number of acidic (pH<5) precipitation did not exceed 50 % during 1995–1999. The observed trends for S species are consistent with those for sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emission in Europe and Lithuania. Although nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentration in air decreased by 17 %, significant changes in nitrate (NO₃ ^?) concentrations neither in precipitation nor in air have been observed. Three-day backward air isobaric trajectories were used for the identification of the source region of air pollutants     

Efficacy of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons emissions controls in ozone attainment strategies as predicted by the Urban Airshed Model

The primary object of this paper is to provide a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of NO _x vs Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions control options in improving O₃ air quality over the New York metropolitan area. To this end, we have applied the Urban Airshed Model (UAM) with the Carbon Bond IV (CB-IV) chemical mechanism utilizing the results of the Regional Oxidant Model (ROM) for the specification of initial/boundary concentrations and wind fields to the UAM. After examining the sensitivity of the predicted O₃ concentrations to initial/boundary conditions and biogenic emissions, we have evaluated the impact of various hypothetical emissions reduction options on O₃ air quality. Nested ROM/UAM simulations with an across-the-board reduction of 75% in the NO _x and VOC emissions from sources located within the New York metropolitan area indicate that the option of VOC-only control is superior to the NO _x -only control in reducing not only peak O₃ levels over the entire modeling domain but also population exposure to unhealthy O₃ levels. The model predicts that the combined 75% NO _x and VOC control option also reduces the peak O₃ concentration, but the improvement in O₃ air quality is less than that predicted for the 75% VOC-only control strategy. Additional modeling analyses with different mix and levels of emissions control and meteorological conditions are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.     

Twenty-Year Road Traffic Emissions Trend in Greece

Air pollutants emissions from traffic are very closely connected to urban air quality, in a local scale, as well as to global problems like climate change, in a large scale. Road transport air pollutants emissions represent, in most cases, a critical parameter for a comprehensive and successful understanding of the mechanisms governing the air pollutants concentrations. Hence, reliable estimations and comprehension of road transport emissions are indispensable in order to set reliable strategies in the direction of air pollution abatement and management of air pollutants and greenhouse gases emissions. In this framework, in the present work, the emissions of air pollutants from road transport in Greece will be presented for the whole period 1990–2009 as it was found that a detailed, accurate and reliable emissions inventory was missing. The whole period emissions variation has clarified the impact of the change in the vehicle fleet, the engine technologies and the fuel quality. The calculated results have revealed that the age of the vehicles and the corresponding engine technology are the critical parameters determining the amount of the pollutants emitted. This was mainly observed in both passenger cars and heavy duty vehicles demonstrating the importance of a renewal programme of the old circulating vehicles in order to set an effective air pollution abatement strategy. Passenger cars were found to be responsible for the major part of most air pollutants emissions except from nitrogen oxides and particulates emissions. Heavy duty vehicles contribute more than 66% to nitrogen oxides and particulates emissions. For the whole time period, all calculated pollutants present a decreasing trend, with the exception of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide which increase constantly, ranging from −96% for sulphur dioxide to −1% for PM10.     

Effects of gaseous air pollutants on secondary chemistry of Scots pine and norway spruce seedlings

Plant secondary compounds have an important role in defense responses against herbivores and pathogens. This study summarises published and some unpublished data from a series of fumigation experiments where Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings were exposed to different concentrations of gaseous air pollutants, ozone (O₃), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) or nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), in growth chambers. Concentrations of monoterpenes, resin acids and total phenolics were studied. Overall, needle monoterpenes were not affected by pollutants. Only very high level of O₃ (600 ppb) decreased concentration of some individual monoterpenes in pine needles. O₃ did not have effect on concentrations of resin acids in pine needles. In contrast, the concentration of some individual resin acids increased in O₃-exposed pine shoots and in O₃-exposed needles of one spruce clone. The highest dose of SO₂ decreased concentrations of resin acids in pine needles, but low exposure levels did not have effects. However, SO₂ had no effects on the resin acids concentrations of spruce needles, except some minor individual compounds were affected in clonal spruces. Increased concentrations of resin acids was found in pine shoots exposed to NO₂. Total phenolics of needles were not affected by pollutants. These observations suggest that among secondary compounds there is variation in sensitivity to air pollutants and genetically different trees have different responses to air pollutants.     

Chemical Composition of Air, Soil and Vegetation in Forests of the Silesian Beskid Moutains, Poland

For the first time concentrations of trace nitrogenous (N) air pollutants, gaseous nitric acid (HNO₃), nitrous acid (HNO₂), ammonia (NH₃), and fine particulate nitrate (NO₃) and ammonium (NH₄), were measured in the montane forests of southern Poland. Determinations were performed in two forest locations of the Silesian Beskid Mountains in the western range of the Carpathian Mountains, and in an industrial/urban location in Karowice, Poland. The measurements performed in summer 1997 with honeycomb denuder/filter pack systems showed elevated concentrations of the studied pollutants. These findings agree with the low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios and the results of ¹⁵N analyses of soil and moss samples. High concentrations of N air pollutants help to explain previously determined high levels of NO₃ and NH4 deposition to Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) canopies in these mountains. Ambient concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3) were elevated and potentially phytotoxic. Deficiencies of phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) in Norway spruce foliage were found while concentrations of other nutrients were normal.     

Testing trends in environmental compliance

Many environmentalregulations are based on threshold levels. Such a level is generally set such that exposure to a toxin above the level is considered a hazard to health. In many instances, the level may be exceeded a certain number of times before regulatory action is taken. Such is the case with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with the 1990 amendment of the Clean Air Act of 1970. This set of standards sets threshold levels for several pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, and lead. Many areas of the United States, which the EPA designates as nonattainment areas, persistently exceed the air pollution levels set by the NAAQS. Progress in these areas is of ten slow but can be studied through data collected on the elapsed time between violations. The purpose of this article is to present a relatively easy but flexible statistical method for assessing whether an area is making progress with compliance to the NAAQS. The method presented in this article is based on a randomization test of a general model for the mean time between violations of the standard. The modeling-type approach of this method makes it flexible enough to study many types of trends. The use of the randomization test makes the method simple to apply and requires fewer assumptions than many other proposed methods. We discuss some general theoretical conditions for which the method is well suited and study the performance of this method empirically, Finally, we apply the method to a well-known set of interviolation times corresponding to data collected on ground-level ozone in Houston, Texas.     

Background pollution in the Arctic air mass and its relevance to North American acid rain studies

The Arctic air mass is a unique meteorological feature of the northern hemispheric atmosphere. Possessing well-defined meteorological characteristics, it occupies not only the polar region but also a large fraction of the Canadian and Eurasian land masses during the period November to April. Poor pollutant removal by precipitation and dry deposition within the air mass and a strong transport pathway between Eurasian mid-latitudinal sources and the north, result in elevated levels of acidic anthropogenic aerosols and gases in the air mass during winter. In summer, weak north/south transport and strong pollutant removal between the Arctic and mid-latitudes and within the Arctic, results in lower airborne concentrations of acidic pollutants. Due to the presence of the relatively polluted Arctic air mass, ‘background’ air concentrations of SO₄ ⁼, SO₂ and total NO₃ ^? are elevated in western Canada during winter. Typical mean monthly concentrations from December to March are 0.8 to 2.1, 1.0 to 2.4 and 0.1 ? 0.6 μg m^?3, respectively. In the absence of the neutralizing influence of alkaline soil dust, the acidity of snow forming in western Canada during winter is expected to range from 5 to 20 μeq l ^?1.     

The Effect of Air Pollution on Yield and Quality of Mung Bean Grown in Peri-Urban Areas of Varanasi

There is growing concern that air pollution may have adverse impacts on crops in developing countries, yet this has been little studied. This paper addresses this issue, for a major leguminous crop of the Indian sub continent, examining the effect of air pollution in and around an Indian city. A field study was conducted using a gradient approach to elucidate the impact of air pollutants on selected production characteristics of Vigna radiata L. cv. Malviya Jyoti (mung bean) plants grown from germination to maturity at locations with differing concentrations of air pollutants around peri-urban and rural areas of Varanasi. The 6 -h daily mean SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ concentrations varied from 8.05 to 32.2 ppb, 11.7 to 80.1 ppb and 9.7 to 58.5 ppb, respectively, between the sites. Microclimatic conditions did not vary significantly between the sites. Changes in plant performance at different sites were evaluated with reference to ambient air quality status. Reductions in biomass accumulation and seed yields were highest at the site experiencing highest concentrations of all three gaseous pollutants. The magnitude of response indicated that at peri-urban sites SO₂, NO₂ and O₃ were all contributing to these effects, whereas at rural sites NO₂ and O₃ combinations appeared to have more influence. The quality of seed was also found to be negatively influenced by the ambient levels of pollutants. It is concluded that the air pollution regime of Varanasi City causes a major threat to mung bean plants, both in terms of yield and crop quality, with serious implications for the nutrition of the urban poor.