PureEarthNow

My sympathies to you and the daily problem of air in Delhi. Through our partners in the newly formed Indian Alliance on Health and Pollution (www.indiahealthpollution.org) we are working to direct solutions to air pollution in Delhi, amongst other issues. The first steps are to change the quality of diesel fuel (this is underway we understand), and next to stop outdoor burning. There are cleaner technologies that can make the most difference. Changing driving practices alone can be quite impractical, as you pointed out. We need to continue to push for cleaner fuel, better catalytic converters, better controls on diesel emissions, and the like. There are success stories out there already - converting the two-stroke rickshaws some years ago is a good example. It needs so much attention, as the numbers are getting worse.

Many questions! OK, let me give it a shot.
1. and 2. Yes, the key to managing pollution is first of all to change to non-polluting technologies and techniques. Once done, then there is often a need to clean up the mess from earlier.

For mercury contamination in gold mining, for example, we train miners in mercury-free technologies that also increase yield. For polluting industries with a contaminated site, we will never work on the clean-up without the industry stopping the initial exposure. This usually requires technology, investment and enforcement on their part, which we often help to pull together with various partners.

1. Our organization is funded by donations from governments and international organizations (like USAID, European Commission DG DevCo, World Bank, ADB and others), some foundations like Rockefeller Brothers, and individuals as well. They fund us because the public health extent of pollution is simply enormous. So much needs to be done.

2. A number of times we have met with problems where local politicians have their hand out for donations, or are stalling for other reasons. We have never had opposition from the poor who are affected by the pollution. They are who we work for.

3. We expect and plan that the work we do is sustainable, and the programs expands to other regions in that country. So far we have not seen any backsliding. We do watch - staff in each country stay on top of old and new projects.

Thanks for all these great questions!

Neither worries me.

Living in the US, life is good, getting cleaner by the year. The ozone layer is getting better, our drinking water is clean and well protected, and our wildlife has so many caring for its wellbeing.

In low and middle income countries we find pollution to be a worry. The industrial areas of poor countries house millions who are poisoned. Lets hope you don't live in one of those areas!

BTW, my small investments are in tech stocks! Clean ones, tho...

My pathway into this area was not standard - check out the story in The Brown Agenda.

I think that volunteering for international work is a great way to go. Pure Earth, of course, but also Engineers Without Borders, and others too. Go for it

We have cleaned up many highly toxic substances, from radionuclides to TNT, MNCB, and hex chromium. Many of the toxicants we deal with are both acutely poisonous and carcinogenic.

All of our work is done with full protective gear (PPE) when it is called for, under the guidance of an expert with detailed understanding of that particular problem. We find experts throughout our Technical Advisory Board, and senior engineers will go visit sites, design projects with the best science and knowledge available, and then oversee the project from both an efficacy and safety perspective.

We generally follow USEPA guidelines for standards, or local guidelines if they are available and appropriate.

Sometimes the toxicant can be recycled - it depends on the concentration and toxicant itself.

I hope this answers your questions. Green chemistry is the way to go!