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Stop air pollution and environmental degradation

Published : Thursday, 4 February, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 887
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ
Bangladesh has been struggling with air pollution for a long time and Dhaka continues to rank among the most polluted cities in the world. Brick kilns and unfit old vehicles, as well as construction work, have been identified as major sources of air pollution. The air quality further declines during the dry months from October to April. Experts point out that five of the top ten causes of deaths in Bangladesh are related to air pollution. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution are causing significant health problems, especially for children.

A number of acts, legislations, constitutional amendments and pollution control measures have failed to check this threat. The factors responsible for air pollution must be addressed to protect environment. We should try to bring into the limelight the sources of pollution and its effects on human health. We can only hope this will awaken the authorities concerned to their role.

The main air pollutants in Dhaka City are particulate matter. Which occur due to emissions from brick kilns, motor vehicles? The harmful pollutants like PM10, PM 2.5, SO2, NOx, O3 and CO all is present in the City. The contribution of particulate matter causing many hazardous diseases like, vomiting, respiratory tract illness, different types of cancer and coronary diseases. Air pollution seems to be increasing day by day. The worst affected are our children. Various respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma, are increasing in an alarming rate.

Brick kilns located in different zones in Dhaka is the highest emitter of that pollutant during the dry season. These are thriving despite the catastrophe it is causing on human health. The motor vehicle is considered as the second-highest source of air pollution for all the year-round. Construction of roads, metro rail seems to be going for long, increasing the tally of the chronic source of air pollution. Air pollution may be harmful to every organ and virtually every cell in the human body, according to a comprehensive new global review. The research shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damaged skin. Fertility, foetuses and children are also affected by toxic air, the review found, reports The Guardian.  

The systemic damage is the result of pollutants causing inflammation that then floods through the body and ultrafine particles being carried around the body by the bloodstream. Air pollution is a "public health emergency," according to the World Health The organization, with more than 90% of the global population enduring toxic outdoor air. New analysis indicates 8.8 million early deaths each year making air pollution a bigger killer than tobacco smoking.  

There is now overwhelming evidence that air pollution results in serious harm not only to the lungs but also to the heart. Strokes, dementia and reduced intelligence are all conditions affecting the brain that have been linked to air pollution. Perhaps the most disturbing impact of toxic air is the damage to reproduction and children. Fertility is reduced and miscarriages increased by exposure to air pollution. The unborn are also affected, with a study finding pollutants in the placentas that nourish foetuses.

Bangladesh, one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, has long been struggling with air pollution, and Dhaka continuously ranks among the world's most polluted cities. Breathing polluted air puts you at a higher risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases. Ozone and traffic pollutants can trigger an asthma attack; there is also emerging evidence for the onset of asthma associated with exposure to pollution.

Government and common people will have to bear the cost of treatment. If this cannot be reduced, even with most sophisticated medical instruments, medicines will not be effective to control the detrimental effect on health. Air pollutants are mostly carcinogens and living in a polluted area can put people at risk of Cancer. Cancer risk increases with exposure to toxic air contaminants, such as benzene, formaldehyde and diesel particulate matter.

Brain requires a high amount of energy. Hence there is a high demand for oxygen supply. Decreased oxygen content in air leads to inadequate energy supply to the brain. There is also the risk of headaches, depression, anxiety, etc. Being in pollution can cause irritation in the throat, lungs, and eyes. For most healthy adults, ill effects of being in pollution clear up as soon as the air quality improves. Children, elderly individuals, and people with asthma, emphysema, angina, and other lung and, or heart problems may feel the effects more acutely.

For effective implementation of air pollution reduction strategies, different measures have been taken like, fiscal reform to enable the strategies effectively. Awareness and motivation about air pollution across different sectors can reduce the chance of mismanagement. Research and development are needed to address the knowledge and information gaps. So that future strategies can be made. Co-operation and coordination among various stakeholders for a more realistic approach have to be on regular basis. Capacity building and knowledge distribution have limitless benefits in curbing pollution.   

Indoor air pollution, resulting primarily from combustion of biomass(e.g., firewood, animal dung, crop residue) and fossil fuels (e.g., kerosene)in traditional cooking stoves in rural areas and urban slums, is a major concern in Bangladesh as well as many other developing countries. IAP causes acute respiratory infections, which is a major cause of death of young children in developing countries.

Through respiratory infections, IAP has been estimated to cause between 1.6 and 2 million deaths per year in developing countries, primarily affecting children in poor households. In fact, women and children in developing countries are disproportionately exposed to polluted air due to the use of biomass, fossil fuels for cooking and heating. It is well known in urban air pollution management that a small number of highly emitting vehicles are responsible for a disproportionately larger amount of emissions from motor vehicles. Often these high emitting vehicles are the oldest vehicles on the street, which were not subject to any emissions regulations. Rules were proposed to ban buses older than 20 years or trucks older than 25 years from Dhaka city.

Unfortunately, despite repeated attempts, successive governments failed to enforce the ban on older buses and trucks. Strong bus and truck unions, with backing from the owners, threatened to stop providing transport services and got the upper hand during each previous attempt to enforce the ban. Brick kilns around large cities of Bangladesh are one of the largest sources of air pollution.

They are also an important source of outdoor air pollution in smaller towns, where vehicular and other industrial sources of emissions are small. Their contribution to air pollution is especially important, since the kilns operate during the dry season when ambient air quality is already at its worst. There have been several initiatives to control emissions from brick kilns and their impacts.   

Respiratory diseases caused by air pollution warrant heavy health expenditure that can push many families into poverty. The authority concerned should take the issue with utter seriousness to stop air pollution and changing environmental degradation.
Dr Zubair Khaled Huq is a
Family Medicine, Gerontology,
Public Health Specialist





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