Kolkata: On the occasion of National Doctors’ Day, leading doctors from Kolkata raised an alarm bell on taking immediate measures on air p...
Kolkata: On the occasion of National Doctors’ Day, leading doctors from Kolkata raised an alarm bell on taking immediate measures on air pollution mitigation that is gradually emerging as the ‘Next big killer after COVID.’ A perception study conducted by SwitchON Foundation was presented at the doctor’s roundtable uncovered that children below the age of 10, elderly above 50 years, and people with low household incomes are the most vulnerable to health problems that can be attributable to air pollution. A virtual roundtable was organized with 5 leading doctors from Kolkata. The event was attended by over 30 educational institutions and more than 100 youth and citizens participated.
Like COVID-19, air pollution is
emerging as a serious health problem in fast urbanizing world cities. The
problem of rapidly declining air quality in Bengal is becoming gruesome with
each passing day, reaching its worst, particularly in the winter months. A
LANCET-ICMR report of 2020 revealed that air pollution deaths in Bengal were
almost 7 times higher than the total number of COVID deaths mourned by the
State.
“While we can protect ourselves from
COVID-19 by isolating and getting vaccinated, it is frightening to think we do
not have a remedy to the severe health risks posed by air pollution. Our immune
systems are not developed to breathe toxic substances,” said Dr. Arup Halder,
Consultant Pulmonologist, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospitals
As per CSIR NEERI, a massive 25% of
particulate matter pollution in Kolkata comes from vehicular emissions which
shows that while Kolkata’s pollution problem is increasing, it’s largely
anthropogenic and hence it is solvable through stringent measures.
Vehicles are the largest contributor to air pollution in Kolkata and we must
find ways to promote cycles, electric vehicles in the city at a rapid pace, or
we may be staring at another health crisis in the coming years with no easy fix
or anywhere to isolate. Said Vinay Jaju from SwitchON Foundation.
“Air pollution can further exacerbate
co-morbidities and like COVID-19 increase vulnerability to mortality from
pulmonary and cardiovascular problems. Prolonged exposure to high levels of
gaseous pollutants can increase the risk of developing asthma in children,
COPD, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases” said Dr. Kaustav
Choudhury, Pediatric Consultant Apollo Gleneagles Hospital
“Air pollution needs to be given
priority as Kolkata is going to see a surge of health problems linked to air
pollution in the coming years. There is an urgent need to address the issue,
sensitize the public and urge all sectors to take stringent measures on
priority” said Dr. Sanjukta Dutta, Consultant and Head, Emergency Medicine
Department, Fortis Hospital, Kolkata
“There is a need to sensitize the poor
and the marginalized who are most affected as pollution in Kolkata become
worse, Children, Infants and Elderly are the worst affected, and it is our
moral duty to protect them by stopping air pollution,” said Dr. Suman Mallick,
Clinical Director, Chief of Radiation Oncology, NH Narayana Superspeciality
Hospital
“We need to understand our health
systems are already stretched beyond their limits. If we do not treat air
pollution as a health emergency, we might be repeating the same scenario as was
seen in the case of the COVID19 pandemic” said Dr. MV Chandrakant, Consultant
Medical Oncology, Narayana Superspeciality Hospitals.
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