Air pollution contributing to health problems

Air pollution contributing to health problems

Sahana Charan

Bangalore is experiencing rising levels of pollution from vehicle exhaust

‘Studies show that chronic asthma affects

36.5 per cent of population’

‘Many children have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to pollution’

BANGALORE: Did you know that on an average a person inhales up to 10,000 crores of suspended particulate matter (SPM) mostly from vehicular exhaust, industrial pollutants, construction material and waste, in a day on the streets of Bangalore? And that it does not take more than 30 seconds for these tiny particles to enter your bloodstream?

It means that some of the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), especially those less than 2.5 microns, can easily get into your respiratory system, cause extensive damage to your lungs and blood vessels. In a sensitive area such as Victoria Hospital surroundings, the amount of SPM in the air in February was around 245 microns/cubicmetres, which is way above the normal limit of 50 microns/cubicmetres. The sulphur dioxide and nitrous dioxide content was also very high.

That is what 55-year-old Gauri Nambiar found out. She has been visiting Bangalore for the last eight years but has never had a history of respiratory problems. But in the last two years she has been having bouts of cold and wheezing every time she visits the city. Ms. Nambiar was diagnosed with allergic bronchitis caused by pollutants in the air a few weeks ago.

“In the last 20 years, Bangalore has seen rising levels of pollution from vehicle exhaust and industrial toxins. This is leading to an increase in number of asthma, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis cases and other respiratory problems in the city. From studies that we have done, we found that in 10 years between 1994 and 2004, the cases of chronic asthma had gone up from 20 per cent of the population to 36.5 per cent,” said H. Paramesh, paediatric pulmonologist and Director of Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital.

Moreover, in summer, the number of asthma cases went up from 2 per cent to 20 per cent mainly because of the traffic congestion and toxins released in the air by vehicles with diesel engines, coupled with harsh sunlight that produces ground-level ozone, which is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory system, Dr. Paramesh, who is on a number of environment monitoring committees, told The Hindu.

According to S.S. Rewadi, senior chest physician at the SDS Tuberculosis and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, in Bangalore, said a large number of patients, especially children, have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in which the lung is damaged making it hard to breathe and bronchiolitis, because of the highly polluted surroundings that they live in. Bronchiolitis is caused by a respiratory infection that affects tiny airways - the bronchioles - that lead to the lungs.