GURUGRAM: At a time when the levels of particulate matters — PM 2.5 and PM 10—witnessed a slight decline on Diwali this year, levels of other harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and benzene in the air saw a spike, which was dubbed as “a worrying trend” by experts.Around 60% increase has been recorded in the level of nitrogen dioxide on Diwali as compared to last year. While last year the level was recorded at 31.82 micrograms per cubic metre, it rose to 51.77 this year. On the other hand, the level of benzene crossed the permissible limit of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, and touched the mark of 6.4 on the day of Diwali. Even though the levels of nitrogen dioxide and benzene came down by Thursday evening, both experts and doctors called it a worrying trend, saying that long-term exposure to these pollutants causesacute bronchitis and even lung cancer “Benzene is a cancer-causing substance. Vehicular pollution and cracker bursting increases benzene levels in air. It was shocking to note that the level of benzene was as high as 10 micrograms per cubic metre at a few places in Delhi on Diwali,” said Priyanka Kulshreshtha, former professor of environmental management and sustainable development at Delhi University and a member of Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA).Talking about the impact of rise in the nitrogen dioxide levels, Vivek Chattopadhyay of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “The primary pollutant is still PM2.5 but nitrogen dioxide is an irritant and can have serious implications on respiratory organs. Usage of commercial vehicles and firecrackers increases its levels.”

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