The current study aims to characterize and estimate the particulate matter (PM) exposure level of the population near an opencast coal mine. PM concentrations of different sizes were monitored at 32 locations distributed uniformly in the study area for spatial profiling and at 1 location for analysing the temporal variations and characterization of dust. Health impacts of PM to nearby residents were estimated using the air quality index (AQI) values and were cross-validated using the health survey data. The monitoring results indicated that the 15 min average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were 2.3–2.4 times of the corresponding 24 h National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in all the monitoring stations. Low wind speed during monitoring campaign that resulted in little PM dispersion is suggested to be the reason for this. AQI levels at five villages surrounding the mine were “moderate to severe” during morning-hours that improved to “satisfactory to moderate” during day-time. Eye irritation and respiratory problems were the two most adverse effects experienced by the residents living nearby to the mine. The health survey data and the corresponding AQI values indicate that respiratory problem is well correlated with the AQI values. The dust contains mainly six major elements in the order of O > C > F > Si > Al > Fe > Ca, accounting for 95% of the weight percentages of the 20 elements for which the characterization was carried out.

中文翻译：

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基于 GIS 的印度矿区颗粒物暴露评估和表征

目前的研究旨在表征和估计露天煤矿附近人群的颗粒物 (PM) 暴露水平。在研究区内均匀分布的 32 个地点监测不同大小的 PM 浓度以进行空间分析，并在 1 个地点监测灰尘的时间变化和特征。PM 对附近居民的健康影响使用空气质量指数 (AQI) 值进行评估，并使用健康调查数据进行交叉验证。监测结果表明，所有监测站PM10和PM2.5的15分钟平均浓度是相应的24小时国家环境空气质量标准（NAAQS）的2.3-2.4倍。监测活动期间的低风速导致 PM 扩散很少，这被认为是造成这种情况的原因。矿场周围 5 个村庄的 AQI 水平在上午为“中到重度”，而在白天则改善为“满意到中等”。眼睛刺激和呼吸系统问题是居住在矿山附近的居民所经历的两个最不利的影响。健康调查数据和相应的 AQI 值表明呼吸问题与 AQI 值密切相关。粉尘主要包含六种主要元素，顺序为 O > C > F > Si > Al > Fe > Ca，占进行表征的 20 种元素的重量百分比的 95%。眼睛刺激和呼吸系统问题是居住在矿山附近的居民所经历的两个最不利的影响。健康调查数据和相应的 AQI 值表明呼吸问题与 AQI 值密切相关。粉尘主要包含六种主要元素，顺序为 O > C > F > Si > Al > Fe > Ca，占进行表征的 20 种元素的重量百分比的 95%。眼睛刺激和呼吸系统问题是居住在矿山附近的居民所经历的两个最不利的影响。健康调查数据和相应的 AQI 值表明呼吸问题与 AQI 值密切相关。粉尘主要包含六种主要元素，顺序为 O > C > F > Si > Al > Fe > Ca，占进行表征的 20 种元素的重量百分比的 95%。