Kolkata: Abnormally high PM2.5 (particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micron in diameter) levels in Kolkata's air nearly all through the year, except monsoon, is a major killer and may assume epidemic proportions if not contained immediately, a study by the World Bank and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has warned.
The study also reiterated the findings of the Indian Council of medical Research(ICMR), conducted as part of the National Cancer Registry Programme 2009 and 2011, which showed that Kolkata has the highest number of new lung cancer cases.
The study also points out that India is not only one of the worst polluters in the world, but also loses 7.96% GDP because of air pollution. In 2013, air pollution was associated with 5.5 million deaths - that translates to 1 in 10 deaths globally, an increase from 4.8 million in 1990.
In particular, the report has shown how the tiny PM2.5 plays havoc with lives, more so in Kolkata, where this pollutant is a major concern. "Kolkata, like the national capital Delhi, has a very high percentage of PM2.5 in its ambient air, making the city the lung cancer capital," said auto emission expert Somendramohan Ghosh. The ICMR study had found that Kolkata has the highest number of new lung cancer cases among men - 20.5 per every lakh - followed by Delhi (13.9) and Chennai (12.6).
An earlier study, conducted in 2006-'07, 14.9 cases per a lakh of Kolkata's population. But the study shows India now has 90 deaths per every lakh people due to PM2.5 alone. The PM2.5 pollution is a major public health risk and an economic burden, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Pollution, the report says, is the fourth-most important health risk in terms of attributable deaths and premature mortalities since 1990, despite the fact that nearly all countries have reduced the number of deaths caused by air pollution through improved health services.
PM2.5 invades the innermost recesses of the lungs. Kolkata air has not only well above the national standard of the pollutant, but the count has also been increasing steadily and rapidly. Except monsoon, the PM2.5 count taken by the US Consulate in Kolkata remains highly hazardous. Often, the count overtakes that of Delhi.
Data available with the state pollution control board show that the average concentration of PM2.5 was 190 micrograms per cubic metre in December and January. This is more than triple the national standard of 60 micrograms. "It has been proved that all particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in size are sucked into the deepest parts of the lungs and are mainly responsible for inducing permanent changes in cellular life cycles," said preventive health care specialist Dr DebasishBasu.
