Journal of Integrated Science and Technology J. Integr. Sci. Technol., 2021, 9(1), 1-8 1 J. Integr. Sci. Technol. 2021, 9(1), 1-8 . Article . Journal of Integrated SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Assessing impact of Air Pollution on behavior of school children in Greater Noida, India Vinod K. Shanwal * Department of Education and Training, University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Gautam Buddha University Greater Noida-201312. India. Received on: 14-Apr-2021, Accepted and Published on: 31-May-2021 ABSTRACT Pollution has become one of the most prevalent issues faced by all the countries around the world. Air pollution, the leading form of pollution, is known to cause many diseases like lung problems, early stroke, pulmonary diseases, and respiratory infections. Along with physical problems, pollution leads to numerous behavioral and psychological issues. Children are the most vulnerable population that are effected by prolonged exposure to pollution. The relevance of worst effects of pollution on children is evident from number of studies that have been conducted over the decades. Despite the availability of vast literature about effects of pollution, there are less studies that focus on an in-depth analysis of psychological effects of pollution on children. There is lack of structured measures that can be followed to deal with harmful effects of pollution on children. The current study intends to evaluate the psycho-social implications of air pollution on the behavior of adolescents. It was a descriptive observable cohort study conducted on a sample of 85 school children by using structured interview schedule. The findings of the study indicates significant influence of air pollution on the behavioral aspects of the children including dependency, confusion, cries a lot, required attention, restlessness and hyper-activeness. Keywords: Air Pollution, Behavior, Psychosocial, PSI, AQI, Mental Health, Child behavior INTRODUCTION Over the decades, various studies have assessed the clinical implications of air pollutions. All of these studies majorly focused on physical problems and a broad range of diseases that are caused by exposure to pollution. A very less number of studies relate to psychological implications of exposure to air pollution. The earlier research reports indicate that certain psychological reactions like mood swings, motivation, and interpersonal relations are affected by air pollutants besides other neurological and psychological reactions. 1 The children are more vulnerable and comparatively affected more by the air pollution. 2 Air pollution is expected to be main threat for health and environment. It has worst impact on the children’s health. D.A. Vallero (2019) 3 defined air pollution as all ruinous impacts of any sources which add to the contamination of the climate or potentially weaken the biological system. 3 Air contamination is carried out by human impedances and various other factors. It's a combination of a variety of toxic materials for solid, liquid, and gaseous stages. The Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) is a mathematical worth and marker of toxins that is regularly used to work with hazard appraisal. It is a numeric worth between zero to 500. 4 PSI is a rule for detailing air quality which was first presented by Thom and Ott in 1974. 5 Consequently, it will give a technique for looking at Corresponding Author: Dr. V K Shanwal Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, UP, India. Tel: 9650544210 Email: vk.shanwal@gbu.ac.in Cite as: J. Integr. Sci. Technol., 2021, 9(1), 1-8. ©ScienceIN ISSN: 2321-4635 http://pubs.iscience.in/jist