“People with no lung disorders also at risk”, say doctors on Mumbai’s poor AQI

Mumbairsquos air quality worsened to lsquovery poorrsquo category for three consecutive days this week as the System of Air Quality Forecast and Research SAFAR index recorded an overall AQI higher than 300 According to SAFAR an AQI above 300 reflects unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter in the air threatening vulnerable groups like children and pregnant womenEach year the winter season presents a myriad of respiratory and lung infections Amid the toxic air quality doctors stress that ldquopeople are at a risk of acquiring both short and longterm pulmonary ailmentsrdquoCity doctors are of the opinion that people with no lung disorders are also at risk of developing illnesses due to poor AQIMidday reached out to medical experts and scientists to delve deeper into the health consequences of Mumbairsquos poor AQISenior scientist and Project Director of SAFAR Dr B S Murthy said ldquoExposure to PM25 poses a higher danger than PM10 owing to its small size which penetrates deep into the lungsrdquoHe attributed the cause of air pollution to vehicular emissions and the rampant construction in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area Another theory was based on the circular humid winds which rise from the Bay of Bengal and travel towards the western coast These winds trap the particulate matter making the air denser and difficult to breathe inHealth consequences of air pollution on vulnerable groupsBabies and ChildrenDoctors say that exposure to toxic air can also be detrimental to the neurodevelopment and cognitive abilities of children in the long termDr Vikrant Shah consulting physician intensivist and infection disease specialist Zen Multispeciality Hospital Chembur said ldquoChildren are more prone to respiratory diseases due to the inhalation of the lethal particles looming in the air This can also lead to aggravation of childhood asthma which further results in recurrent cough wheezing and a loss of appetiterdquoPregnant womenIt is also a serious health concern for the prenatal condition of pregnant women amid the presence of harmful pollutants in the airldquoEvidence shows that pollution becomes a contributory factor in disrupting brain development and intelligence quotient in the fetus Prenatal outcomes get interrupted as the particulate matter like carbon monoxide nitrous oxide or methane etc inhaled by the mother gets passed onto the babyrdquo highlighted Dr ShahCases of heart and lung ailmentsWorsening AQI serves as a precursor to people suffering from asthmaldquoCases with a history of asthma or allergic rhinitis may develop symptoms like sneezing persistent running nose and itchy eyes as the air quality depletesrdquo said Dr Samir Garde pulmonologist Global hospital Parel MumbaiThe deadly air quality can exacerbate these symptoms manyfold Patients with lung problems may acquire intractable or chronic cough that could last up to eight weeksThe elderly populationWhile speaking on health issues faced by the elderly Dr Samir said that the health condition of the elderly worsens as they already have other comorbid conditions like diabetes cardiac issues or kidney problems which is a double whammyldquoA simple infection can push them into cardiac failure or renal failure We are experiencing a higher rate of hospitalization in elderly people exposed to the high levels of smogrdquo added Dr SamirThe General populationWhile vulnerable groups are at significant risk the impact of worsening AQI is no less for the general population Apart from lung disorders according to health experts ldquocommoners are also prone to various cardiac illnesses as wellrdquoldquoReports suggest that continual breathing of toxic air can lead to changes in the vasculature of the heart which affects the blood supply in the body In this case the lung conditions become responsible for cardiac problemsrdquo Dr Shah told MiddayldquoWhile the lungs are the primary organs to get affected by air pollution various other organs are also at risk of illnessesrdquo he addedAlso Read Want to protect your skin from pollution Follow these easy tipsThis 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