1 in 15 Lost Pregnancies in South Asia Is Due To Air Pollution, Study Finds 24/01/2021
A hazy morning in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: markus winkler/Unsplash.
That ‘air pollution is killing the next generation’ is no longer just a figure of speech. According to a recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, nearly 3.5 lakh lost pregnancies every year in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can be attributed to poor air quality.
The researchers who conducted the study analysed how the concentration of PM2.5 particles, which are not visible to our eyes, might contribute to pregnancy loss. The WHO air quality guideline recommends a standard PM2.5 concentration of less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter (10 µg/m3). However, different countries have their own ambient standards. The US, for example, draws the line at 35 µg/m3, and India, at 40 µg/m3.
Surat: At a time when the city is facing severe air pollution issues, the central government is yet to allocate the funds promised to improve the ambient air quality under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has been allocated grant of Rs 65 crore under the NCAP for taking measures to improve the ambient air quality in the city. Under this project, the civic body has proposed five air quality monitoring centres at various locations.
At present, Surat has just two air quality monitoring centres at Varachha and Limbayat. In the second phase, the new centres will come up at Rang Upvan at Nanpura, Pandesara Industrial Association (PIA) in Pandesara, water distribution centre at Phulpada, Sanjeev Kumar auditorium at Adajan and Narmad Library in Athwalines.
Residents of a slum near Sarai Rohilla Railway line, in New Delhi, September 13, 2020. Photo: PTI/Atul Yadav.
Climate change is threatening your health like never before, no matter which part of the world you live in, according to the fifth edition of
The Lancet Countdown.
This is an initiative to document the health effects of climate change, and enlists scientists of multiple disciplines from 35 academic institutions and UN agencies. The collaboration assesses governments’ actions on their commitments under the Paris Agreement, in which 197 countries have committed to limit global warming to well below 2º C, preferably to 1.5º C, by the 22nd century.
Air pollution is killing us: Why govt must go beyond lip service financialexpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from financialexpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The state recorded 1.4 lakh air pollution-linked deaths while UP recorded the highest with 3.5 lakh deaths
MUMBAI: Maharashtra, which has safer air parameters than many north Indian states, is second in the statewise list of premature deaths due to air pollution in 2019. The state recorded 1.4 lakh air pollution-linked deaths while UP recorded the highest with 3.5 lakh deaths. The all-India figure is 17 lakh deaths 18% of all the fatalities in 2019; corresponding percentage for state is 16.7.
Air pollution robs state’s GDP of nearly Rs 7,200cr
Maharashtra is second in the country after Uttar Pradesh on premature deaths caused by air pollution in 2019. The finding is part of a scientific paper published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in The Lancet Planetary Health. The study was conducted for ICMR’s State-Level Disease Burden Initiative along with Public Health Foundation of India and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.