amiret Posted April 7, 2015 Posted April 7, 2015 From ill-equipped public hospitals to shortage of doctors, India’s public health system is in a comatose state, so much so that even tackling common diseases often seems like a challenge. Not surprising then that pollution-related health issues are brushed under the carpet. But statistics show that such an attitude is fraught with dangerous health consequences: Nearly 660 million people, mostly in north India, are living with annual levels of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 that exceeds national air quality standards. These extremely fine particles are linked with increased rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease. In 2014, a WHO report confirmed India’s worst fears. Without mincing words, it said that Indian cities were ‘death traps’ because of ‘very high air pollution levels’. The article reminded me of the Shocking conclusions of a study done a while back . Apart from refusing to accept the WHO report, the government did something even more sinister: It failed to take action on a report done by the Central Pollution Control Board and the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute of Kolkata, which showed that every third child in Delhi had reduced lung function due to air pollution. Hindustan Times Apr 7 2015 : LINK
amiret Posted April 7, 2015 Author Posted April 7, 2015 2012 : The findings of the new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) count, a global initiative involving the World Health Organisation, says air pollution has become one of the top 10 killers in the world. There has been shocking increase in global death toll due to outdoor air pollution. According to the latest tally, air pollution causes 3.2 million deaths each year worldwide. This has increased from 800,000, last estimated by GBD in 2000.Two-thirds of the death burden from outdoor air pollution occurs in developing Asia, including India. India cannot afford to ignore numbers anymore There is hard evidence now to act urgently to reduce the public health risks to all, particularly children, elderly, and the poor. No one can escape toxic air. India will have to take aggressive action to reverse the trend of short-term respiratory and cardiac effects as well as the long-term cancer and other metabolic and cellular effects. Toxic effects like cancer surface after a long latency period. Therefore, exposure to air pollution will have to be reduced today to reduce the burden of diseases. LINK
Mariyam Posted April 7, 2015 Posted April 7, 2015 India has launched an Air Quality Index. I don't know how much this is going to help, but definitely a step in the right direction. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/pollution/choking-india-gets-air-quality-index/articleshow/46830411.cms
amiret Posted April 7, 2015 Author Posted April 7, 2015 yes that is a step in the right direction .At least now we will be forced to face the terrible facts. But we also need to understand that Air pollution can have terrible consequences for health. Even short term exposure to toxic fine particulate matter can cause long term damage.
FischerTal Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Unless India significantly reduces it's population, nothing will change.
Cricket_Hacker Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Unless India significantly reduces it's population' date=' nothing will change.[/quote'] nuke a couple of states
gattaca Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 I was reading share on fb hyd has best air in terms of quality and surprise is Bangalore has worst . Don't know accurate that is.
surajmal Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 :cantstop: India hasn't even had its industrial leap yet. So good luck with your pollution control.
BlueBee Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 I was reading share on fb hyd has best air in terms of quality and surprise is Bangalore has worst . Don't know accurate that is. No it's Delhi. Someone shared it here sometime ago.
amiret Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 13 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities 13 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities are in India , And India's cities have much higher PM2.5 levels than China's: China's struggles with smog and air pollution have gotten a lot of attention over the years. But the air quality in India now appears to be even worse — with one new study finding that excess pollution is reducing the life expectancy of 660 million Indians by 3.2 years, on average The World Health Organization recently published data on pollution around the world, focusing on airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers (known as PM2.5). These particles come from coal plants and vehicles, and, at high levels, have been linked to serious respiratory problems. On this score, 13 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities are all in India. And India's cities have much higher PM2.5 levels than China's: LINK
amiret Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 Fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) The World Health Organization considers an annual average of 10 micrograms per cubic meter to be safe. India's air-quality standards set the limit at 40 micrograms per cubic meter. (Greenstone et al, 2015) Why is India's standard 4 times higher than WHO standards ? Is it because indian lungs are superior to european and american lungs :facepalm:
amiret Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 Very few regions meet the WHO standard in India.
amiret Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 How can PM2.5 affect my health? Particles in the PM2.5 size range are able to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. Exposure to fine particles can also affect lung function and worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. Scientific studies have linked increases in daily PM2.5 exposure with increased respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions, emergency department visits and deaths. Studies also suggest that long term exposure to fine particulate matter may be associated with increased rates of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease. People with breathing and heart problems, children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to PM2.5. The WHO advises that fine particles of less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM2.5) should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic metre. At the top of the WHO ranking, Delhi had 153 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre. Not far behind were Patna with 149 micrograms, Gwalior with 144 micrograms and Raipur with 134 micrograms LINK
amiret Posted April 26, 2015 Author Posted April 26, 2015 Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause damage to brain structure and impair cognitive function Scientists found that long-term exposure to air pollution could lead to smaller brain structure and covert brain infarcts, a type of "silent" ischemic stroke resulting from a blockage in the blood vessels supplying the brain. The evaluation included total cerebral brain volume, a marker of age-associated brain atrophy; hippocampal volume, which reflect changes in the area of the brain that controls memory; white matter hyperintensity volume, which can be used as a measure of pathology and ageing; and covert brain infarcts. The study found that an increase of only 2 microgram per cubic meter in PM2.5, a range commonly observed across metropolitan regions in New England and New York, was associated with being more likely to have covert brain infarcts and smaller cerebral brain volume, equivalent to approximately one year of brain ageing. New Delhi topped a list of 20 cities with the worst levels of PM2.5 ( fine particulate matter ) http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47047914.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
gs Posted April 26, 2015 Posted April 26, 2015 Just out of curiosity, what's the solution? Is there a way to recapture these fine particles already in the atmosphere?
amiret Posted April 26, 2015 Author Posted April 26, 2015 Just out of curiosity' date=' what's the solution? Is there a way to recapture these fine particles already in the atmosphere?[/quote'] Rainfall does remove concentration of Particulate matter , but other than that perhaps the only way to reduce would be to ensure strict adherence to emission norms for vehicles and industry and to ensure both invest in particulate matter filters. Also we should move to Bharat V emission norms which would mean moving to 10 ppm sulphur fuel. "Converting to higher versions of Bharat stage entails investment in better fuel refining process and more efficient motor engines. " Perhaps the first step would be to acknowledge the problem , educate the public and to set the right standards for the nation as a whole . Why is it that India's air quality standard for annual average of PM 2.5 is at 40 micrograms per cubic meter , while The World Health Organization considers an annual average of 10 micrograms per cubic meter to be safe. In USA it is 12 . If we can aspire to their standard of living , shouldn't we also aspire to their Air, Water and Food Quality Standards ? But Govt is scheduled to implement Bharat V guidelines across India only by 2020-2025. CSE http://justearthnews.com/environment-details/E/88/cse-calls-for-urgent-action-over-who-report-on-india-pollution.html http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-needs-stringent-norms-to-curb-vehicular-pollution-study/article1-1187165.aspx
Texan Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Very under-rated issue in India. Wish our Parliament spends more time discussing issues such as these instead of playing petty politics.
hhunaeh Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 In Bangalore along with pollution from vehicles, you have to deal with fine dust rising from crushed construction material. Every time a vehicle runs over construction debris, which is all over the city since it is perpetually under construction, you have a dust plume rising up and everybody starts coughing. I bet this is shaving years of people's lives and there is nothing we can do about it.
bulbul Posted April 27, 2015 Posted April 27, 2015 Very under-rated issue in India. Wish our Parliament spends more time discussing issues such as these instead of playing petty politics. To control such things we need T4/Euro IIIB norms..but i guess we are not even in T2 norms.. But its strange Beijing is nowhere in these lists....
amiret Posted May 5, 2015 Author Posted May 5, 2015 Children of Delhi have the weakest Lungs in India says Survey The Capital is home to the highest proportion of children with weak lungs in the country with over 40% students between eight and 14 affected by Delhi’s dirty air, a recent survey of over 2,000 youngsters across four cities revealed on Monday. The study said 21% of the city’s children reported poor lung capacity and another 19% fared as “bad” as over one in three kids across the nation showed weak lungs. Delhi was followed by Bengaluru at 36% (14% poor and 22% bad), 35% in Kolkata (9% poor and 26% bad) and 27% in Mumbai (13% poor and 14% bad), according to the Breathe Blue ’15 survey in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata by the Heal Foundation. I wonder how India compares with the rest of the world. BCCI should avoid picking fast bowlers from NCR region. http://www.hindustantimes.com/newdelhi/delhi-children-have-the-weakest-lungs/article1-1343966.aspx
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