Contrasting Patterns in Ambient PM_2.5 Exposure Disparity Across Population Subgroups in Urban and Rural India.

ABSTRACT: Ambient PM_2.5 exposure poses the greatest environmental risk to public health in India. While several studies have quantified the changing patterns of exposure, the extent of inequality in exposure among population subgroups at the sub-national scale remains unknown. In this study, we examined the disparity in ambient PM_2.5 exposure across various population subgroups in urban and rural India and analyzed its changes in recent years by integrating satellite-derived PM_2.5 concentrations (1-km × 1-km) with sociodemographic information from the 4th (2015-2016) and 5th (2019-2021) rounds of the National Family Health Survey. We found a larger absolute disparity (60-90 µgm^-3) in high socio-demographic index (SDI) states compared to middle and lower SD

SUBMITTER: Sarkar D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12831208 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature