Pollution chokes, kills you silently: Experts
NEWDELHI: Viral fever, infections with symptoms of cough, lung infection and fevers that usually end in September have persisted and steadily risen through October this year. The number of people complaining of throat and airway infections, in fact, have gone up by 20% in the past one week.
People with asthma and chronic bronchitis are having increasing trouble breathing over the past three weeks, with doctors estimating the numbers to go up by 30-40% of the normal after Diwali.
While short-term exposure causes airway and lung infections and aggravates breathing disorders, chronic exposure can lead to several life-threatening diseases. “Pollution kills. Every year thousands die of pollutionrelated ailments in Delhi and NCR during the winters when the air is extremely foul. Pollution is a silent killer; it does not directly kill anyone but aggravates existing diseases,” said Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS.
This year, there has been no respite from infections. “There is usually a rise in the number of people with upper respiratory tract infections in the end of August, when the rains stops and it starts getting colder. The next spike happens in October, when the temperature dips and the crop burning starts. There is a sharp increase after Diwali that continues to February of next year,” said Vikas Maurya, head of department of pulmonology at Fortis hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
The rains this year persisted for a fortnight longer and the end of the monsoon was quickly followed by farm fires that polluted the air. “This year, the rains lasted well i nto September because of which the season-end infections occurred late. These then sort of bunched together with infections and conditions associated with pollution, leading to more than the usual number of infections,” said Nevin Kishore, head of bronchology, Max Super speciality hospital, Saket.
FIRECRACKERS MORE HARMFUL
A single snake tablet can produce 64,500 μg/m3 of PM 2.5 within three minutes and a garland (ladi) of 1,000 crackers produces 38,540 μg/m3 of PM 2.5 within six minutes, according to a study conducted by the Chest Research Foundation, Pune. The permitted annual mean of PM2.5 is 40 μg/ m3, according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. But, it is not just the PM levels. “Pollution from fireworks is more harmful than that from vehicular emissions or crop burning. This is because the chemicals used in the crackers release harmful heavy metals into the atmosphere,” said Raj Kumar, director, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in Delhi.
“Increased particulate matter from burning fireworks mainly comprises fine and ultrafine spherical particles. Elevated levels of trace metals, ions and various forms of carbon are present in the particulate matter. Unique physical and chemical properties of ambient particulate matter during short-term firework burning can lead to substantial health damage,” states a study from National University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The recent Supreme Court judgement has set a two-hour window period for bursting ‘green’ firecrackers, which will produce less pollution. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) has to ensure that only fireworks with permitted chemical content are produced, sold, purchased and used.
As per PESO specifications, the highest allowed content is 20% for sulphur, 57% for nitrates and 24% for aluminium. Lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead and antimony containing crackers are banned, so are potassium chlorate-based crackers.
LONG-TERM DAMAGE
With Delhi’s air quality hovering between 300 and 400 on most days through the winter months, the long-term consequences of pollution cannot be ignored.
“Pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes,” said Guleria.
“It can also result in stunted growth of the lungs in children and cause respiratory problems later in life,” he said.
Long-term exposure also leads to people developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In India, 50% of all COPD is caused by ambient and household air pollution, a recent state-level burden of disease published in Lancet stated. Globally, 80% of COPD is caused by smoking.
Enters body through the lungs and alveoli, the tiny air-filled sacs in the lungs where oxygen replaces carbon dioxide in blood.
Children inhale more pollutants as they breathe twice as fast as adults.
They typically inhale through their mouth and bypass the nasal filtration mechanism, leading to more pollutants reaching their lungs.
Ultrafine particles (PM < 0.1 μm in diameter) can cross the alveoli, to enter the bloodstream and trigger heart disease and stroke in later life.
The mother’s exposure leads to pollutants reaching her unborn child through placenta.
Women breathe faster during pregnancy, increasing their own and their unborn baby’s exposure to pollutants.
Ultrafine PM and heavy metals in the mother’s blood can affect the unborn baby’s growth and development in utero.
Pollutants cause DNA damage. Can cause baby to have low birth weight.
Pollutants settle on surfaces at home, school, playground, from where it can be ingested by pregnant women, children.
Pesticides, fossil fuels, chemical byproducts, flame retardants, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, can enter bloodstream by ingestion.
Mothers exposed to pollutants can also transfer them to their baby through breastmilk. An N95 masks blocks 95% of the particles with diametres 0.3 micrometre or more, instead of handkerchief or a normal surgical mask to cover one’s nose and mouth.
Price: ~300 – 500 This mask offers better protection than the N 95 mask and filters 99% of the air-borne pollutants with diametre of 0.3 micrometre or more. Price: ~500 – 600 (disposable)
If masks are not for you, these invisible band-aid like filters which can be inserted into the nostrils can also keep pollution away. Do check the quality before purchasing though, some can only block pollens and bigger allergens. Price: around ~3,000 Vogmasks are reusable N 99 masks that can filters 99% of the air-borne pollutants, and are popular because of their vibrant and funky designs.
Price: ~2000- 4,000
A disposable nasal filter developed by at Indian Institute of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Stanford University. It comes with an app that calculates the amount of pollution one has walked through. Price: ~400 ( for a pack of 20) Ensure that the air purifier has a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that clears out small particulate matter - PM 2.5 and less
Air purifiers with activated charcoal can remove harmful gases as well as bad odours. Buy an air-purifier that has a pre-filter, which prevents the large particulate matter from reaching the HEPA filter thereby increasing its efficiency.
Indicates ability of a purifier to remove pollutants from a specific amount of air.
Dust from construction sites is a major polluter, so avoid exercising around places with construction activity. Keep your doors and windows shut in case there is a construction near your house.
If you have chronic respiratory problems like asthma, make sure you take your medicines regularly as directed by the doctor, especially during the winter months when symptoms tend to worsen. Make sure that your kitchen has ventilation to disperse the fumes from food.
Clean all your cupboards and shelves periodically to make sure there aren't any mites.
If you have dust allergy or chronic respiratory problems, use a vacuum cleaner to clean your house instead of a broom.
Get plants like aloe vera, spider plant, boston fern dracnae that reduce the pollution levels in the air.