Ultrafine PM 2.5, considered the most potent air pollutant, was responsible for about 1.85 lakh premature deaths in Kolkata during 2011- 19, says the latest report by US research organisation, Health Effects Institute.
According to the report, Air Quality and Health in Cities, Calcutta is positioned fourth in terms of gross number of PM 2.5 triggered deaths — 1,85,390 — within the most populous cities during 2011-19.
Delhi, with 2,43,370 deaths, topped the list followed by Shanghai (2,41,310) and Beijing (2,10,170).
“Deaths from six diseases were included to estimate the burden on health associated with PM 2.5: ischemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” stated the report, a copy of which is with The Telegraph.
However, the data has a silver lining for Kolkata as well, with its gross mortality number because of PM 2.5 exposures increased only moderately — 13.7 per cent — over 2011-19; far less than many of the other polluted populous cities.
Dhaka, in Bangladesh with 46.8 per cent mortality rise, leads the pack while Mumbai with 40.5 per cent and Delhi with 27.4 per cent are next in the growth list linked to PM 2.5 exposures.
“Air pollution is responsible for 1 in 9 deaths worldwide and accounts for 6.7 million deaths in 2019 alone. Of these, more than 4 million deaths were linked to exposure to outdoor fine particle pollution worldwide” said the report.
“Breathing polluted air increases a person’s risk of heart disease, lung diseases and respiratory infections, type 2 diabetes. Even mothers’ exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of their infants being born too small or too early,” said Pallavi Pant, a senior scientist of HEI, associated with the report.
Physicians vindicate the trend mentioned in the report and rue the absence of adequate infrastructure to counter this health crisis.
“My experience shows that air pollution is definitely pushing up air pollution-linked mortality and morbidity in Kolkata, particularly from cardiac diseases, cancer and COPD,” said A.G. Ghoshal, head of the National Allergy Asthma Bronchitis Institute (NAABI).
“The tests to detect the relationship of air pollution with pulmonary diseases are scantily available and the primary prevention is unheard off. Though the air pollution triggered diseases impact people of all categories; still there is large scale ignorance to tackle this public health emergency,” said pulmonologist Arup Haldar.
Kolkata protests against release of Bilkis Bano's rapists
The release of 11 rapists and murderers in Gujarat sends a message that criminals from the majority community will be given impunity, said a rights activist at a demonstration against the release on Saturday. “The remission policy under which the rapists of Bilkis Bano were released is faulty on many grounds.
But the biggest fault is that it sends out a larger message. It says that if you are from the majority community, even if you do wrong, you will be given all kinds of impunity” said Sujato Bhadra, one of the speakers (in picture). The demonstration, near the Academy of Fine Arts, was organised by a cluster of organisations like the Bandimukti Committee and the Jamaat-E-Islami Hind, West Bengal. “The release of the convicts is sheer mockery of justice. It exposes the hypocrisy of the guardians of women’s honour and dignity,” said Shadab Masum, secretary of the Jamaat-E-Islami Hind, West Bengal.
