Air pollutants causing serious damage to people’s health

Citizens of Delhi every year experience air pollution rise to ‘hazardous level’ especially during winter. Otherwise also, throughout the year, the concentration of gases, dust, fumes or odour remain in a harmful amount in the city’s air. These harmful gases, etc have a direct or indirect effect on people’s health.

Air pollution is basically of two types–Outdoor & Indoor air pollution. This is mainly due to Smog (combustion), Particulate Matter, Acid Rain, or Green House Gas effect. The natural source is due to smoke coming from wildfires, volcanoes eruption, methane and dust whereas human sources dominate in contributing air pollution and are because of thermal power plants, automobiles, fumes, aerosols, burning wood, stove, fireplaces and furnaces.

John Evely Fumifugium complained to King Charles II in 1661 that due to the greed of manufacturers, inhabitants of London were forced to “breath nothing but an impure and thick mist, accompanied by a fuliginous (sooty) and filthy vapour, which render them obnoxious to a thousand inconveniences, corrupting the lungs, disordering the entire habit of their bodies”. The same is true today.

As per standard rule, disease always depends upon various environmental factors such as—type of disease, vulnerability, genetics, population group & socioeconomic aspects, type of area people living in-Industrialized/developing countries and others.

Air pollutants have an adverse impact on the human body. Lungs are the vital organ for respiration and exchange of gases. It is the most effected system of our body. The impact of air pollution on respiratory system effects include irritation of airways, cough, decreased lung function (Vital Volume), airway inflammation, asthma attacks, bronchitis and chronic bronchitis among many others.

The pollution is also causing greater deposition with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) amongst older adults. Some groups are at greater risk such as children, elderly population and people with heart or lung diseases.

Children are having a greater prevalence of heart and lung disease because they are more likely to be active and breathe more air per kg and their bodies are still developing. Some studies suggest that mental retardation due to lead exposure was estimated to be nearly 30 times higher in regions where leaded fuel was still being used compared with regions where leaded fuel had been completely phased out.

There are several dangerous pollutants in the air including poisonous gases, metal and dust particles and particulate matter. Some of these gases are: Carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide, Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide.

Every effort must be taken to reduce air pollution so that we can give a clean and healthy future to coming generations. The government must ensure that there is chemical weather forecasting, besides weather forecasting, in every urban area and not just in Delhi. The state government must issue advisory in all the cities which are facing the problem of air pollution.