Study on the Impact of Firecrackers on Atmospheric Pollutants during Diwali Festival in Tamil Nadu, India

The current study focuses on the impact of firecrackers emission on particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and the noise was analyzed on pre, during, and post-Diwali 2022 period (5 days) in a residential area of Tamil Nadu state of India. The findings demonstrated that, for 24-hour mean values of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations over the study period were consistently higher than the NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standard) permitted limit. On the day of Diwali, the mean CO concentration reaches 2.5 mg/m3, exceeding the NAAQSrecommended allowable limit of 2 mg/m3. The CO2 concentration during Diwali day is 1.8 times higher than the pre-Diwali day. In addition, the 24-hour mean concentration of TVOC during pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali was found to be 915.21 µg/m³, 1513.52 µg/m³ and 1617.12 µg/m³ respectively which is quite higher than normal days. Furthermore, the average noise level in the study site during pre, during, and post-Diwali was found to be 57.71 dB (A), 75.5 dB (A), and 63.66 dB (A) respectively which were higher than the safer limit on the residential zone. As a result of the widespread usage of firecrackers during Diwali festivities, these pollutants are significantly increased, which may have a negative influence on the general public’s health.