HYDERABAD : “The IT belt has become the allergic hub of the city. There has been a drastic rise in allergy patients from this area, and allergy is interlinked with pollution,” said Dr Suman Kumar, paediatrician and neonatologist at a discussion on ill effects of air pollution on Wednesday.“Hyderabad is the 20th most polluted city in India today. If the public and government do not take immediate measures, the situation would soon be like Delhi,” he added.
Speaking about the air quality in the city, the doctor said: “The AQI at the centre of the city is 230, while in peripheral areas, it’s 15-200. If you are living in a relatively green area at Banjara Hills, you will still be affected because of the high AQI. People do not realise that majority of health issues are caused by pollution you cannot see. Air pollution is highest near traffic signals”
High pollution can have detrimental effects on expecting mothers too. “When inhaled by pregnant women, polluted air can affect the growth of the babies. These women might have low birth weight babies and pre-term babies.” Explaining how particulate matter affects the body, he said:“Particles heavier than PM 10 cannot enter our nose and are filtered out. The smaller the particles, the more dangerous they become. PM 2.5 can cause asthma, bronchitis and COPDS. When it enters bloodstream, it can cause heart attacks and strokes. When it enters brain, it can cause headaches, lethargy, memory loss, schizophrenia and other serious illnesses.”
Indoor pollution
Even as outdoor air pollution is under the scanner, people need to be aware of indoor pollutants too. “The main indoor pollutant is dust mite. They feed on our dead skin cells and are not visible to the naked eye. More the number of people in a house, the more is the number of dust mites. Inhaling the faeces of dust mites causes allergy. The only ways to reduce their number is to let sunlight inside houses and allow adequate air exchange.
Apart from these, cockroaches and fungal molds that grow in wet bathrooms are the sources of pollution indoors,” the doctor said.Talking about the effects of working in AC offices, he said: “Employees are indoors most of the time and they breathe recirculated air. A large number of them lack Vitamin D, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Sleeping late brings down immunity too. All these factors lead to a rise in allergy cases.”
Measures to reduce pollution
Houses and schools should not be near traffic signals
Lung spaces should be available near housing complexes. Adequate ventilation should be there inside houses
Keeping bathrooms dry
Eat food only at the dining table so that cockroaches do not appear everywhere in the house
Having indoor plants
Better public transport, Washing bedsheets and rugs regularly
Particulate matter composition
Diesel particles, pollen, organic and inorganic compounds, moisture
Air pollution sources
lIndustries
lTobacco smoke
lVehicular traffic