AHMEDABAD: Polluted air can be as dangerous as passive smoking warned medical experts at a public seminar held on Sunday at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). Air heavy with particulate matter - PM10 and PM2.5 - can increase chances of heartstroke. Polluted water, contaminating fruits and vegetables, is already causing a number of gastric problems. These were some of the observations made by the experts on hazards of polluted environment.
HCG Hospitals had organized the seminar on 'Effect of Pollution on Human Health' at AMA where speakers included Dr Bhupesh Shah, Dr HansalBhachech, Dr Kaustubh Patel, Dr Parthiv Mehta, Dr Sunil Mehta and Dr UrmanDhruv.
The organizers said that their primary concern was the ever-increasing toxicity in air, soil and water that has already increased inflow of patients in the city. The speakers said that the only safeguard is better lifestyle and habits, and understanding that it was everyone's responsibility to save the environment.
Speaking about pollution and cancer, Dr Kaustubh Patel, city-based oncologist, said that around 20% lung cancer patients the world over are non-smokers, and experts believe that rising pollution levels have a role to play.
"International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has already identified air pollutants including benzene, asbestos, radon and formaldehyde as carcinogenic, whereas it puts diesel engine exhaust, tricholrothlene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the list of probables," said Patel.
Dr UrmanDhruv, a consulting physician and diabetologist, said that exposure to air pollution puts in danger all who are already susceptible to stroke and have irregular heart rhythms. "There is evidence for short-term associations between PM10 and hospital admissions for ischemic strokes," he said.
The speakers elaborated that while Ahmedabad has not yet become as bad as Delhi, where smog is a common phenomenon, the time to change is now if we wanted to ensure better future for the next generations. Dr Bhupesh Shah, in his talk on pollution's adverse impact on the human heart, said that the city air already features high in PM10 and PM2.5 pollution.
"Exposure to pollution causes issues including vascular spasm, chest inflammation and hypertensive nephropathy to a person," said Shah.
