Physician P.S. Shankar has said that global warming and its effects on the environment had a direct impact on the health of human beings and gave rise to serious health complications. Inaugurating the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy (KSTA) Conference on Energy, Climate Change and Environment hosted for the third year in succession by the Central University of Karnataka (CUK) in Kalaburagi city on Friday, Dr. Shankar, two-time winner of the B.C. Roy Award, said that global warming leads to an increase in the concentration of radon in the lower layers of the atmosphere. This radioactive gas is likely to increase the occurrence of bronchogenic carcinoma (cancer).
Experimental studies have shown that higher concentration of carbon dioxide leads to an increased production of pollen of ragweed and the doubling of levels of CO2 from 300 to 600 ppm is likely to cause a four-fold increase in the levels of this highly allergenic pollen. Volatile organic compounds from power plant emission and automobile exhaust decrease pulmonary function, irritate conjuctiva and mucosa of the upper respiratory passes and induce asthma and pulmonary oedema, leading to death.
“A rise in local air pollution and the presence of warm weather act as risk factors for rising incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” he said.
Dr Shankar said that since Anopheles mosquitoes have no control over their temperature regulation system, a rise in humidity or ambient temperature can have sustained influence on their activity, dispersal and spread.
Rise in air pollution may lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, says physician
