The two air pollutants that are of grave threat to residents are the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5). These particles are so small that they get ingested deep into the lungs and stay there to cause damage, said experts.
As Delhi's air pollution is deteriorating each day, with the onset of winter and accumulation of smog, these air pollutants can shoot up the health woes for the younger population, elderly and pregnant women.
The latest report on air pollution by World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted nearly 6 lakh deaths which occur in India due to health complication triggered by air pollution. This year, the WHO in its recent report has found that 92 per cent of the world's population lives in places where poor air quality levels exceed WHO limits.
India is second among all countries in the absolute number of deaths caused due to exposure to air pollution. Talking to The Pioneer, Dr (Prof) Naresh Gupta, Head of Department of Medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, said, “Environment pollutants are more often invisible, and 'What you do not see is worse than what you see!' is more dangerous! This creates morbidity and mortality by critically affecting several organ-systems such as nervous system, kidneys, liver, intestines, skin, and blood. The younger population and the pregnant mothers are more vulnerable.” He said the unborn baby/ infants are the worst hit.
Dr Gupta said anthropogenic pollutants of air come from release of chemicals, gases and small particles from several activities like the vehicles, construction, mining, industrial discharge, power units, fossil fuel/ crop burning, agriculture and household chores. “The two air toxic pollutants like gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5), particles so small they get ingested deep into the lungs and staying there to cause damage. Ozone adds to the Smog formation,” said Dr Gupta, president at Health Environment Foundation.
Dr Mukesh Goel, consultant (Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery) at Apollo Hospital said over time pollutants aggravate or increase the process of disease in the arteries. “Acute short-term effects of air pollution tend to strike older people more aggressively or those with heart disease. Pollution is also believed to have inflammatory effects on the heart, causing chronic cardiovascular problems,” Dr Goel.
Dr Upendra Kaul, Executive Director and Dean Cardiology at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said medical studies have shown that air pollution can trigger heart attacks, abnormalities of rhythm of heart and paralytic strokes, with very small particles found in smoke and haze the culprits of greatest concern.
These pollutants which are inhaled pass through the lungs. The larger particles are caught by the alveoli in the lungs and get deposited there, causing irritation to respiratory pathways and leading to bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses, Kaul said.
The fine and tiny particles pass through the filters of the lung and enter blood and can lead to excessive clotting and damage to the walls of the arteries supplying the heart and brain. This can lead to unstable angina, heart attacks and brain strokes with their catastrophic consequences, he said.
Air pollution is killing nearly eight lakh people annually in the South East Asian Region with India alone accounting for over 75 per cent of the casualties caused by cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, said WHO said in its latest report.
In September 2015, the Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) by United Nations had sought to reduce the deaths and illness prompt by air pollution should be reduced by 2030. Earlier, in May, WHO came up with a roadmap for an accelerated action on air pollution, its causes and preventive measures.
Health experts said air purifiers can be a temporary solution to avoid respiratory diseases caused by the indoor and outdoor air pollution.