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Every breath you take is deadly: WHO
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| Deccan Herald , Thursday, September 29, 2016 |
| Correspondent
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| Air pollution has assumed alarming proportions. So serious is this problem and so lethal is the air that we breathe that it has become a major public health hazard worldwide. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report points out that 92% of world’s population lives in areas where air pollution levels are above acceptable levels. The problem is particularly severe in low and middle-income countries but the rich are not free from its impact; 58% of cities in advanced countries are seriously polluted as well. The impact on human lives is immense. An estimated three million people are dying each year on account of air pollution; 94% of these deaths occur due to non-communicable diseases like lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is a matter of grave concern that India is among the countries bearing the brunt of the pollution problem. The WHO report points out that in 2012 alone, some 6,00,000 people died in India due to air pollution, second only to China which topped with 8,00,000 pollution-related deaths that year. The WHO report admits that its figures are “conservative” as its study was confined to the impact of fine particulate matter from industries, cars and biomass on mortality rates. Had it studied the impact of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, for instance, or looked into the link between air pollution and pre-term births and low birth weight, the picture would have been even more alarming. Besides, this WHO report dealt with ambient air only. It did not include indoor air pollution which is worrying too.
An earlier WHO report had warned that around 1.4 million Indians have died due to indoor pollution.Clearly, the problem has assumed crisis proportions. So far, much of the global response to the problem has focused on finger pointing. Countries are busy blaming each other for high emissions. We have also heard a lot of rhetoric on clean energy. It is time the world’s response shifts from sloganeering to robust and cooperative action. This would require advanced countries to share clean energy technologies with the developing world and adopt lifestyles that cut pollution.
While the link between air pollution and climate change is still hotly debated and this impact expected to unfold over the coming decades, the impact of air pollution and human health is already evident. It is a clear and present danger. The economic and other costs of treating cardiovascular diseases and cancers caused by air pollution are high and a burden on people, families and the economy. This burden could be reduced by making the air we breathe less lethal.
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/572992/every-breath-you-take-deadly.html |
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