Formaldehyde In Atmosphere Surges Over India

India's Satellite View From Space Looks Like Orange Red Alert

Air Pollution is the raising global issue all over the world including developed countries while in developing countries like India, it is so high that at least 7 million people die every year due to air pollution as reported by World Health Organization (WHO). The reasons for such a critical health issue in India are well known for literates i.e., Industrialisation, Urbanisation, rising vehicles usage and decreasing trees count.

In these circumstances, a shocking satellite image of the atmosphere over India reveals the rise in formaldehyde content in the atmosphere over Indian sub-continent. Regions having a less human population like desert regions of Rajasthan have a lower amount of Formaldehyde content. 

The observation is based on the concentration levels of formaldehyde noticed in the four months data collected by Europe's Sentinel-5P satellite that was launched in October 2017 intentionally to monitor the air quality all over the world.

What is Formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a colourless gas consisting of organic compounds that are volatile in nature and when reacts with nitrogen dioxide in the presence of sunlight, a blanket is formed that causes health problems. They are usually very minimal in air quantity and originates from fires from the vegetation and coal burning. It gets enriched in the atmosphere over polluted areas due to such human activities.