Exhaust, pigeons and faulty ACs cause lung problems

Exhaust, pigeons and faulty ACs cause lung problems

MUMBAI: The good news: Levels of pollutants in Mumbai's air —noxious traces of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide — are lower than three years ago.

The bad news: Levels of PM10 — the microscopic dust with deadly effects— is dangerously high. The worst news: The incidence of respiratory ailments in the city is higher than a decade ago. And given the galloping pace of construction work, it is unlikely to come down in a hurry.

These points were made at a conference on 'Strategies for air pollution control in Mumbai', organised by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

A study by KEMhospital, released on Tuesday, showed that cases of interstitial lung disease (inflammation of capillaries) have increased from 1,479 in 2000 to 1,871 in 2004. Cases of bronchitis have gone up as has allergic rhinitis. "The levels of lung functions were significantly low among those with respiratory symptoms like allergic rhinitis, bronchitis and other chest problems," said Dr Amita Athavale in her presentation.

Dr Athavale interprets the findings as follows. "People living near dusty roads and in poorly ventilated houses aremore likely to suffer from poor lung function," she said. Affluent classes have other problems likemalfunctioning airconditioning units. "Pigeons nest on top of airconditioners and they have a type of fungus that can cause lung diseases.We should regularly clean ACs and ensure that pigeons don't nest near windows," she said.

"People living along roads with heavy traffic such as P D'Mello Road which leads from the docks to Wadala are the worst off as they are constantly exposed to pollutants," says MPCB chief Dr D B Boralkar.

Some preferred to focus on the positive. "The lower levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), Sulphur oxides (SOx) and even suspended particulate matter prove that the steps taken in Mumbai over the last few years are bearing results, even though a lot still needs to be done," said Dr S Devotta, director of NEERI.He believes government policies leading to cleaner fuels, Euro II engines, better and broader roads, better traffic rules and the plethora of flyovers have contributed to cleaning up the