Braving the Capital Pollution

Alarming pollution levels caused by increasing traffic in Delhi/NCR has become a cause for concern for all the people living in the Capital By Dr Animesh Arya

It was hugely hilarious to see a cartoon in the media recently that showed two ISIS jihadists talking about launching terror strikes in India. One jihadi says, “We will all die of pollution, even before we could launch a strike.” The media is replete with literally hundreds of cartoons and jokes on the capital’s dangerous levels of air pollution that threaten to kill us all. Jokes apart, the jokes are no more funny, as the danger level might as well scare even the jihadists from venturing out this side of the Himalayas.

Alarming pollution levelsmay cause lot of illnesses like breathing problems like asthma including lung cancer. A new study reveals that breathing polluted air may greatly increase the risk of lung cancer because of carcinogens in urban air which are toxic to our health.

A new study on pollution says that air pollution claims at least two million lives worldwide every year. Nearly 470,000 deaths occur every year due to hole in the atmosphere’s ozone layer caused by humans. Interestingly, climate change has only a minimal effect on air pollution and rising death rates, the authors concluded. Air pollution can aggravate heart and lung problems. A report finds that changes in the level of air pollutants specifically, ozone and black smoke, a major source of PM2.5 (particulate matter, in the 2.5 micron range or smaller) led to an increase in the rate of deaths from all causes, primarily due to an increase of 5 percent in cardiovascular and respiratory aging.

Air quality may also have an adverse effect on asthma, a disease that affects breathing as well as our daily life.

The researchers also examined previous epidemiological studies to determine how concentrations of air pollution relate to death rates around the world. It has been learnt that although climate changes may worsen the effects of air pollution, they do not significantly increase death rates. Climate changes have resulted in 1,500 deaths due to ozone and 2,200 deaths resulting from fine particulate matter air pollution every year.

Air pollution – mainly from vehicles, industry, and power plants – raises the chances of lung cancer and heart diseases in people who have been exposed for a long time. There is an excess risk of both lung cancer and cardio pulmonary diseases.

The Airnow app will let you check levels of pollutants by zip code. It now tracks more than 400 cities across the nation.

The risk comes when gas pollution from auto exhaust and smokestacks combine with oxygen in the air to form very small particles that are breathed in by the humans. Smoking is also a main cause of lung cancer. But breathing heavily polluted air for long can raise the risk of lung cancer as much as passive smoking, he added. It had the largest effect on nonsmokers who risked death from heart disease and lung cancer caused by air pollution. And, polluted air increased chances of death of all participants as if they were all “moderately” overweight. Earlier studies suggested air pollution might be linked to disease and death, but some studies were too small or didn’t follow people exposed to air pollution long enough for scientists to be sure of the connection.

Long-term exposure to the air pollution in some of India’s biggest metropolitan areas significantly raises the risk of dying from lung cancer and is about as dangerous as living with a smoker, a study of a half-million people found. The study echoes previous research and provides the strongest evidence yet of the health dangers of the pollution levels found in many big cities and even some smaller ones. The risk is from what scientists call combustion-related fine particulate matter — soot emitted by cars and trucks, coal-fired power plants and factories. The researchers first took into account other risk factors for heart and lung disease such as cigarettes, diet, weight and occupation.

There are 5.5 million registered vehicles in the city, which is one of the highest among all of the cities in the world, most of which do not follow any pollution emission norm (within municipal limits), while the Delhi NCR has 11.2 million vehicles.

Lung cancer death rates were compared with average pollution levels, as measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air. The lung cancer risks were comparable to those faced by non-smokers who live with smokers and are exposed long-term to passive smoking. Such risks have been estimated at 16 percent to 24 percent higher than those faced by people living with non-smokers. Some major cities had air pollution levels of 25 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter, which would confer a more than 20 percent increased risk of lung cancer mortality. For most of the nation’s major electric utilities, including operators of many coal-powered plants, industry challenges to the standards are ongoing.

The capital relies heavily on its transport infrastructure. The city has developed a highly efficient public transport system with the introduction of the Delhi Metro, which is undergoing a rapid expansion. There are 5.5 million registered vehicles in the city, which is one of the highest among all cities, most of which do not follow any pollution emission norm (within municipal limits), while the Delhi NCR has 11.2 million vehicles. Delhi and NCR lose nearly 42 crore (420 million) man-hours every month while commuting between home and office through public transport, due to traffic congestion. Therefore, serious efforts, including a number of transport infrastructure projects, are under way to encourage the use of public transport in the city.

Air quality may also have an adverse effect on asthma, a disease that affects breathing as well as our daily life. Recent data show how air pollution affects asthma, and it is quite surprising. Small air particles from the polluted air get deep into the lungs. Even though the immune system responds, the particles weaken the lung’s immune system. This allows infections to occur, which results in asthma.

The pollution does not cause asthma directly but instead causes dysfunction of the lungs that allows infections to damage the lungs, which in turn leads to asthma. Asthma rates are increasing in heavily populated urban areas like the inner city areas of Delhi and NCR suggesting that poor air quality’s ability to trigger the onset of asthma is a concern that actually can and does affect a large of number of people. Air quality also affects the number of sinus infections and respiratory illnesses that people suffer from. The climate change can affect air pollution in many ways, the researchers said. For example, rainfall can determine when pollutants accumulate. Rising temperatures can increase the emissions of organic compounds from trees, which react in the atmosphere and form ozone and fine particulate matter. Very few studies have attempted to estimate the effects of past climate change on air quality and health. The effects of past climate change are likely to be a very small component of the overall effect of air pollution.”

The heavy traffic in Delhi and NCR release a large quantity of nitrogen oxide from the vehicles. Even after old age, smoking habits, and occupation were factored in, exposure to high levels of nitrogen oxide from air pollution was a contributing factor to lung cancer. However, a similar association was not seen between lung cancer and sulfur dioxide levels. Exposure to either nitrous oxide or sulfur dioxide alone would not cause lung cancer. However, high levels of these compounds likely indicate a mix of unknown particles and carcinogens that could indeed cause lung cancer.

We hear about air quality from many sources, from the weather report to vacuum cleaner commercials. The air we breathe can carry many tiny particles that will affect our health, especially if we suffer from allergies. Common pollutants in the air include dust, pollen, and smoke. Air in wellinsulated houses can contain not only these contaminants but fumes and vapours from household chemicals like chlorine bleach and cleaners. Getting enough fresh air where you live may be as simple as opening a window or as complex as filtering and ensuring proper humidity in an apartment or office HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system. Use of smoke removers and air filtres (either electrostatic or HEPA) may improve indoor air quality.

The National Weather Service has developed a smartphone app that allows you to do just that. The Airnow app will let you check levels of pollutants by zip code. It now tracks more than 400 cities across the nation. The UV Index app offers ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels by entering your zip code as well. Having this information can be especially helpful to people who struggle with lung diseases, parents who want to be cautious about safety outdoors, and to seniors who may be more sensitive to air pollution. You might also motivate your kids to be more health conscious if you can impress them with this app.