Chennai chosen for pollution study

The Hindu , Monday, June 13, 2005
Correspondent : M. Dinesh Varma
The 3-year study will involve analysis of 50 parameters

· The exercise is scheduled to begin in July

· TNPCB will assist researchers

· Dose-response matrix for air pollution-related health threats

CHENNAI: A pioneering time series analyses or collation of observation data over a period of time for estimating health impacts related to air pollution in Chennai will be launched by Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Directorate of Public Health (DPH), Government of Tamil Nadu.

The study is part of multi-city coordinated effort across five Asian cities that include Bangkok, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The results of the three-year study are expected to throw up for the first time a dose-response matrix for air pollution-related health threats on the Indian population.

On a larger scale, the data will facilitate a coordinated Asian analysis of the issue.

The study is scheduled to begin in July and will involve exhaustive analysis of around 50 parameters, including place of residence, disease antecedents, socio-economic status, nutrition access and trigger habits such as smoking.

This data will be correlated with the data on pollution levels to evaluate for possible linkage.

"The basic question that the study will answer is whether air pollution can cause acute effects or mortality in the population," said Kalpana Balakrishnan of the Department of Health Engineering, SRMC, who is heading the study.

The first year of the study will involve a retrospective analysis of the existing pollution data followed by a two-year prospective study. The study will also be integrated with ongoing air quality surveys in New Delhi and Ludhiana. While there have been studies linking morbidity to exposure to increased air pollution, this is the first study that will definitively establish whether air pollution can be a cause for premature death. The baseline data expected from the study can guide future planning of pollution reduction measures and also help review existing surveillance measures for possible chinks.

Chennai's investigators were selected from 32 other Asian cities that applied for the grant from the Health Effects Institute, Boston.

 
SOURCE : The Hindu, Monday, June 13, 2005
 


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