Mumbai’s air is weakening your heart

Exposure to such high level of pollution – equal to four cigarettes a day – for 25 years can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, say doctors

Mumbai:agreeing to the findings of a phone application, Shoot! I Smoke, that breathing Mumbai’s air is equivalent to smoking four cigarettes a day, doctors from Mumbai said exposure to such high pollution levels over the next 25 years can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

The international app, which was launched in Paris last month based on a study by the University of California, Berkeley, calculates real-time equivalence between air pollution and cigarette smoking.

“Our studies in areas close to the sea such as Juhu showed that the lung function of non-smokers was poor. The situation worsened as we moved into the city,” said Dr Sanjeev Metha, pulmonologist and senior specialist, Lilavati Hospital in Bandra. “In one of our studies, we found that the lungs of people in the age group of people of 22 to 30 were performing 30% less than expected. They were non-smokers and not exposed biomass burning, so the main reason for the poor performance was particulate pollution.”

“With increase in vehicles and biomass emissions in major urban cities, air pollution will lead to diseases such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. The comparison with the number of cigarettes smoked is accurate because the situation is getting worse by the day,” said Dr Nilkanth Awad, head of department, pulmonary medicine, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion. “The earlier generation was prone to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders (COPD) owing to exposure to biomass burning. The current generation is under threat from exposure to particulate matter. Those inhaling this air for more than 25 years will easily develop COPD over time,” said Dr Mitali Agrawal, chest physician and MD, pulmonary medicine, SRV Hospital, Goregaon. “We have been researching it and are planning

THE MATH BEHIND IT

million people die every year from average exposure of 52 µg/m3 of PM2.5, according to Berkeley Earth review of deaths in China

µg/m3 of air pollution is equivalent to smoking 2.4 cigarettes a day

cigarette is equivalent to air pollution of 22 µg/m3 for one day

“To kill 1.6 million people would require, assuming 1.37 x10-6 deaths per cigarette or

1.1 trillion cigarettes. Since the population of China is 1.35 billion, that comes to 864 cigarettes every year per person, or about 2.4 cigarettes per day. Thus, the average person in China, who typically breathes 52 µg/m3 of air pollution, is receiving a health impact equivalent to smoking 2.4 cigarettes per day,” the study said. a lung function test to establish this comparison.”

Environmentalists expect the readings to be worse during winter. “This confirms that Mumbai is becoming not livable as far as the air quality is concerned and

MUMBAI FOURTH MOST POLLUTED CITY IN THE WORLD, SAYS WHO

PM10 LEVELS

DELHI

GREATER CAIRO

DHAKA

MUMBAI

BEIJING people are unaware of it. We are not seeing this as a serious problem and shrugging it away by popping pills. This app will help people realise that we are in serious trouble,” said Stalin D, director, NGO Vanashakti. (Source: World Health Organisation, data calculated for PM10 levels between

2010-2016)

Air quality experts, however, said there can’t be any comparison between cigarette smoking and air quality. “Such apps and studies only create panic. There is a difference between something being inhaled from the

(Source: Shoot! I Smoke app, all values from May 27, 2018)

HOW MAHARASHTRA CITIES FARED AS PER WHO

PM10 LEVELS IN 2016

MUMBAI

CHANDRAPUR

NAGPUR

PUNE environment and something that is carcinogenic. It should not be compared. The impact of the environment may vary depending on the constituents of the particulate matter, but cigarette smoking is altogether

LONDON

WHY THE APP WAS CREATED

“I lived in Beijing for some years. In the beginning, I could see blue skies and there were not many cars. But the city changed before the 2008 Olympics. It was not liveable – the air was horrible, and I just couldn’t stand to live there any longer. I experienced how air quality influences life quality and wanted people to be aware of that too,” said Paris-born app developer Amaury Martiny. “My co-creator Marcelo Coelho and I met in Paris in March 2018. We discussed about a study by Dr Muller from Berkeley Earth. We decided to create a mobile application based on Dr Muller’s research. The app was officially launched on Google Play Store and the Apple Store in April.” harmful. Factors such as age, biochemistry, exposure, location, food habits need to be considered before comparing it,” said D Saha, former additional director, Central Pollution Control Board.