Air pollution raising risk of asthma, lung cancer among children: Experts

Longterm exposure to air pollution may cause severe harm to the lung health of children and significantly raise the risk of lung cancer and respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis warned experts on Friday even as DelhiNCRs air quality remained severely poor for the third consecutive dayOn Friday morning the National Capitals Air Quality Index AQI reached a severe level of 409 while the readings in neighbouring cities in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were also above the 300 markTo safeguard children all primary schools in Delhi have been moved online Chief Minister Atishi announced in a post on X She said the online classes for primary school children will continue until further directionsChildren are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution which can increase their longterm risk of developing lung cancerldquoWhile lung cancer is rare in childhood polluted air containing toxic particles like carbon compounds and heavy metals can damage the cells lining their respiratory tracts This exposure often leads to chronic conditions like asthma and bronchitis which are alarmingly common in urban areasrdquo Dr Nithin SG Consultant Medical Oncology at the CK Birla Hospital Delhi told IANSldquoOver time repeated damage and inflammation from pollutants may set the stage for serious lung diseases including cancer as they age Reducing pollution is crucial to safeguarding childrenrsquos health and minimising their future cancer riskrdquo he addedAir pollution no longer remains an environmental concern It has now become a public health emergency impacting the whole country majorly the north The situation which annually peaks from October to December requires urgent attentionldquoThe impact on future generations is significant as a child exposed to high levels of pollution may inhale the equivalent of 10 cigarettes from their very first day of liferdquo Dr Arvind Kumar Chairman Institute of Chest Surgery Chest Onco Surgery and Lung Transplantation Medanta Hospital Gurugram told IANSA recent study conducted by Lung Care Foundation which performed spirometry tests in 3 Delhi schools covering over 3000 children found that onethird of the children under the age group of 1117 years were asthmatic with air pollution identified as a significant risk factorThe doctor added that ldquothere is a startling rise in respiratory issues around this time every year but itrsquos crucial to note that pollution affects not only the lungs but all organs in the bodyrdquoThe experts called for using preventive measures such as wearing face masks and limiting outdoor activities during peak pollution hoursPublic awareness is equally important especially in rural areas where knowledge about lung health protection remains limited and there is a myth that rural areas are less polluted we are now seeing an equal number of lung cancer cases come from villages and citiesrdquo Kumar saidThe experts also called for a focused national effort to control air pollution for the countrys healthAlso ReadAir pollution can cause digestive issues DoctorsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever