Worsening air pollution in the capital has led to increasing rates of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases especially in children, health experts say.
The estimated cost of health problem due to air pollution in Dhaka comes to about Tk 2,500 crore per year, according to a study by consulting firm VisionRI.
Asthma and respiratory-tract infections have gone up by 15 percent due to emissions of hazardous particulate matters from cars and intensive road and building constructions in Dhaka, according to the experts at National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital (NIDCH).
They said cases of children suffering from respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and chronic cough have also shot up with the increasing air pollution.
Currently around 70 lakh people across the country are suffering from asthma and more than half of them are children.
Dhaka’s current annual average of particulate matter-10 (solid particles) is 265 micrograms per cubic metre (mcm) compared to the 70mcm recommended by World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG), 2005.
By reducing the particulate matter-10 level to 20mcm from 70mcm, air quality related deaths could be cut by around 15percent, according to the WHO AQG.
Dr Saifuddin Ben Noor of NIDCH said asthma should be a priority for health experts as it ranks second among the lung diseases in Bangladesh behind tuberculosis.
“Air pollution leads to Interstitial Lung Disease in which the lung cannot function properly, ultimately turning into lung cancer. At the same time, due to the lung’s inappropriate functioning the excessive pressure on the heart leads to heart disease,” said Noor.
However, he cited greater awareness and better diagnosis as reasons for a higher rate of admission of asthma patients.
Local health experts also say that if mothers are exposed to air pollution over a long period, their children’s health is also at risk.
“If pregnant mothers come across excessive pollution, it may cause premature death of their child,” said Prof Soofia Khatun of the Institute of Maternal and Child Health.
The former director of the now-defunct Air Quality Management Project Nasiruddin suggested passing a Clean Air Act. He said he is encouraged by the creation of the government’s Clean Air Project, which starts from July 1 this year.
Categories: Bangla, Bangladesh, Bangladesh News, Daily Bangladesh News, News
