City air thick with poison,say docs

The study points out that the two figures should not be higher than 140 and 60 respectively.

A group of city doctors,who carried out the study,said in a workshop at the Apollo Gleneagles hospital recently that when it comes to babies,“it is best to take them away from the city,for,the air that they breathe here is poison for their lungs”.

The air contains high level of pollutants like sulphur dioxide emitted from coal and petroleum combustion,nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust,radio-active pollutants,methane,toxic metals,aerosol and asbestos fibers.

“Burning eyes and cough are common with exposure to high level of air pollution. We see a large number of children with asthma,sinus infections. Nearly 20 per cent of our daily patients are children with asthma-related problems,” said Raja Dhar,consultant chest specialist,Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.

He said these children are unable to run,play or do moderately strenuous exercises due to easy exhaustion and breathlessness.

Lack of sufficient exercise increases the risk of obesity,high blood pressure,pre-diabetic status and so on while psychologically,they may become withdrawn and suffer from a sense of loneliness.

He said around 50 per cent of the SPM in the city’s air is contributed by the transport sector while 48 per cent comes from the industrial units.

“In Kolkata,asbestos is used rampantly in construction. Asbestos particles get stuck to the clothes of workers at the site and get released in the air at home when the clothes are washed,” said Dhar,adding that being resistant to chemical and heat,these “silent killers” remain suspended in air for days,causing asthma-like problems.

While the high concentration of noxious gases in the air may endanger adult lives,doctors say it is worse for children.

“Unless something is done to change the present situation,it will reach alarming proportions,” said ENT specialilst Dev Roy.

The only solution to the problem,say doctors,is a complete ban on adulterated fuel and increasing the use of green fuel and non-polluting vehicles.

There are around 30,000 auto-rickshaws plying on the roads of Kolkata and a majority of them use the adulterated mixture for fuel.

Till December 2008,the transport department had received around 12,000 applications from two-stroke autos for conversion into LPG.

The doctors advised the citizens that wearing protective masks is the best way to protect the lungs.