Lung diseases rising 3 times faster in women

Data on COPD cases in women shows that it is growing three times faster than in men.

In India, data collected by government hospitals showed that 5.54 million rural women were at risk of COPD compared to 1.97 million urban women. In many cases it was found that incense sticks and mosquito coils contributed to COPD in urban women.

In poorly ventilated and small rooms, even six hours of exposure to mosquito

BIOMASS FUEL used for cooking and heating purposes in poorly ventilated kitchens increases the particulate matter in the room which is extremely harmful.

SIMILARLY IN poorly ventilated and small rooms, even six hours of exposure to the mosquito coils at night is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes.

coils at night is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes.

Similarly biomass fuel used for cooking and heating purposes in poorly ventilated kitchens increases the particulate matter in the room which

is extremely harmful.

The disability adjusted life years due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is as high as 33.6 per cent and it is found that 25.8 per cent of these cases are due to household air pollution. cause of COPD in women which are biomass fuel and passive smoking.

Biomass fuel is found to affect women in rural areas and most of them who come to hospitals have used it for more than

15 years.

In urban women, passive smoking affect 34 per cent females at the workplace and 54 per cent at home. Various studies have found that passive smokers were exposed to 85 per cent of the smoke present in the room while active smokers who were mostly men were exposed to potentially toxic components.

Dr Khan said, “Passive smoking has several subtle as well as explicit effects on the lungs. It leads to poor lung function, small airway dysfunction, and increased cough while inhaling cold air in non-smokers.”

Indoor and outdoor pollution are the risk factors for COPD and quality of air plays a major role in healthy living.

Continuous long term exposure reduces life expectancy. Recent evaluations of the toxic air quality with particulate matter

2.5 levels reported to be more than 300 ug/m3 has stated that it can reduce life expectancy by 10 years.

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