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Thursday, April 8, 2021
Next pandemic after Covid will be due to air pollution: Doctors
Correspondent : TNN
Nagpur: The next major pandemic after Covid-19 will be due to air pollution, warn medical experts, highlighting that it kills around seven million people worldwide annually.

Senior medical practitioners from Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune and other cities participated in an online convention organized by Mumbai’s Waatavaran Foundation on World Health Day on Wednesday. The idea was to discuss impact of air pollution on health and its link with Covid-19.

Among several alarming submissions by the medical fraternity, doctors expressed fears that very soon prescriptions issued to patients would be recommending ‘access to clean air’.

Stating that a majority of people believe the source of problem is outdoors and ignore indoor air pollution, Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Pulmocare Research and Education, Pune, said, “It would be a mistake to ignore indoor air pollution. Burning of mosquito coil inside a house causes the same amount of hazardous pollutants as it does when we smoke about 100 cigarettes. An incense stick burnt in house is equivalent to the smoke coming from 500 cigarettes, causing dangerously high pollution levels indoors.”

Like Covid-19, air pollution has been observed as a major cause of lung disease, also responsible for affecting the overall immune system. Explained Dr Sameer Arbat, interventional pulmonologist at KRIMS Hospital, Nagpur, “Today, the Covid-19 pandemic has gripped the entire world. Although the direct link between air pollution and Covid is not clear yet, it cannot be ignored that the next major pandemic after Covid will be due to air pollution. Therefore, it is important to control this threat.”

Air pollution has not spared children too. Dr Aditi Shah, paediatrician at Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital, said infants and children are the worst affected since their lungs are not fully developed. “If they are constantly exposed to polluted air, they may end up suffering from chronic lung diseases. Polluted air also interferes with the brain development of children and as a result, they can have memory problems.”

Adding that there has been rise in incidences of such diseases in the last 10 years, Dr Shah said, “Cold, flu, and coughs are more common in children. However, in view of the rising air pollution, it is time to prescribe clean and pure air for all as a mandate.”

Dr Amita Athavale, professor and head of chest medicine at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, said apart from children, women and the elderly are most exposed to the health hazards associated with indoor air pollution. “Indoor air pollution is becoming a major cause for concern and we are ignoring it. It needs to be studied and addressed parallelly with outdoor sources,” she added.

Dr Salvi pointed out that one of the main causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural areas was use of stoves for cooking. “It would be wrong to assume that air pollution is caused by only vehicles and industries,” he said.

During the discussion, it was also highlighted that Maharashtra, with highest number (19) of non-attainment cities, is the second largest state in the country after Uttar Pradesh to have seen one lakh deaths due to air pollution between 2017 and 2019.

Infographics:

cost of neglect

Soon, prescriptions issued to patients would be recommending ‘access to clean air’ as a mandate, fear doctors

Infants and children worst affected as their lungs are not fully developed

Polluted air also interferes with brain development of children

Indoor air pollution major concern, but ignored

Pollution caused by burning of a mosquito coil = Smoke from 100 cigarettes

Pollutants caused from burning incense stick = Smoke coming from 500 cigarettes

 
SOURCE : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/next-pandemic-after-covid-will-be-due-to-air-pollution-doctors/articleshowprint/81957803.cms
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