The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in India set a 24-hour average PM2.5 standard of:

• A 15 µg/m³
• B 60 µg/m³ ✓
• C 40 µg/m³
• D 100 µg/m³

Explanation

India's NAAQS (revised 2009) for PM2.5 is 60 µg/m³ as a 24-hour average and 40 µg/m³ as an annual mean. The WHO Air Quality Guideline (2021) is far more stringent at 15 µg/m³ (24-hour) and 5 µg/m³ (annual). India's PM10 standard is 100 µg/m³ (24-hour). Many Indian cities routinely exceed NAAQS standards, with major health impacts including respiratory disease, cardiovascular events, and lung cancer.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.