Six times increase in deaths due to air pollution

Air of only two cities of India is pollution free

Our country and its cities are growing very fast in terms of technology, infrastructure, and environment and clearing but facing a great threat of air pollution.  Only in one decade, the deaths due to air pollution have increased six times. 

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010), which is the largest ever systematic effort to describe the global distribution and causes of a wide array of major diseases, injuries, and health risk factors, air pollution is the main reason for deaths during 2010, the results show that infectious diseases, maternal and child illness, and malnutrition now cause fewer deaths and less illness than they did twenty years ago. As a result, fewer children are dying every year, but more young and middle-aged adults are dying and suffering from disease and injury, as non-communicable diseases, such as Cancer and heart disease, become the dominant causes of death and disability worldwide. Since 1970, men and women worldwide have gained slightly more than ten years of life expectancy overall, but they spend more years living with injury and illness.

Central Pollution Control Board, out of 180 cities, the air of only two cities is fit for breathing whose air pollution level is of normal level – Malapuran and Pathnamtheeta in Kerala.

According to the institution working on the health of the Washington, indoor air pollution which is due to smoke, consumption of tobacco or its ill-effects is a great danger to India. A good number of people become victim of death.  According to report, in 2010, 6.20 lakhs people died due to indoor and outdoor air pollution which is six times more than of year 2000.

Aren Kohen, specialist of GBD, 20 per cent people die due to lung cancer and 6 per cent due to high blood pressure.  However, the policy makers in India hardly paying any attention on indoor air pollution but it are becoming a main reason of affecting the people.  The air pollution in the house itself has gone upto 350 microgram per cubit meter, which is ten times more than the fixed specifications of United States Environment Protection Agency. So far no programme has been launched  in India to control the indoor air pollution like that in the western countries. 

(Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of City Air News.)