Moneycontrol News November 6, 2023
With the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi reaching upto 999 in some regions, here's all you need to know about how high AQI can lead to multiple health problems.
Dr Piyush Ranjan (Additional Professor, Department of Medicine, AIIMS) told news agency ANI that there is scientific evidence that establishes a relationship between air pollution and different types of cancer. He also said that apart from causing harm to the respiratory system, air pollution has direct relations with coronary artery diseases like heart attack, brain stroke, and arthritis.
"It is important to understand that air pollution affects various systems of the body, apart from causing respiratory diseases. Pollution has direct relations with coronary artery diseases like heart attack, brain stroke, and arthritis. We have scientific evidence that establishes its relationship with different types of cancer," the AIIMS doctor said.
A senior cardiologist in Bengaluru also explained how exposure to highly polluted air -- similar to the current quality of air in Delhi -- increases the risk of death due to heart attacks. "Air pollution is an important and under-recognised risk factor for cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks). Higher levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) lead to endothelial dysfunction and slow flow in coronaries and systemic inflammation, leading to accelerated atherosclerosis and thrombus (clot formation)," Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, a senior interventional cardiologist at Sakra World Hospital, said.
"What is important to note is that even acute exposure to increased PM2.5 levels like we are seeing with Delhi air pollution increases the risk of death due to heart attacks. It is high time the govt takes concrete measures to curb this menace," he added.
The doctor also shared infographics that highlighted that 25 percent of deaths caused by heart diseases were a result of exposure to highly polluted air. Dr Krishnamurthy added that air pollution is a leading cause of global mortality, killing more people across the world than even diseases such as AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, road accidents, and alcohol abuse.