G Banumathi was shocked when she first found black spots in her phlegm over five years ago. After speaking to her neighbours, she said she realised that she was not alone. "It simply dissolved when I tried to touch it," she said.
The 39-year-old resident of Jothi Nagar in Thiruvottiyur, who was oblivious to the effects of air pollution in her area, could no longer stay ignorant. Nestled between petrochemical industries, fertilizer manufacturing units, thermal power stations and hundreds of heavy trucks, Thiruvottiyur, like many other settlements in North Chennai, has been a victim of air pollution for over a decade now.
Earlier this month, Chennai went into panic after it was covered by a blanket of toxic smog for over a week.
Weather experts attributed it to the wind-flow which brought polluted air from North Chennai into the heart of the city.
For residents of Thiruvottiyur and neighbourhood, inhaling smog and polluted air has become a way of life. Express interacted with its residents to understand the health consequences of long-term exposure to such toxic air.
"After examining my sputum, my general physician said that it was soot residue. He said that I had to shift-out from my area as fast as I could," said Banumathy, a housewife, who could not consider relocating, as her husband works as a tailor in the area.
The sporadic incidents of cough-bouts eventually snowballed into wheezing and allergic coughs for her and her family, she rued adding that nasal sprays other medication is not helping her much anymore.
K Devasena (43), a kindergarten teacher in Thiruvottiyur said that air pollution has affected kids more than adults.
"In my school, no child under Class 3, has won 100 per cent attendance award over the last few years. Even the most obedient kids with dedicated parents fall sick at least once or twice a month," she said.
Respiratory diseases, even as they were extremely common among residents of Thiruvottiyur, is not the only trouble. R Raja, a class 10 student, pointed to white patches on his skin and said he suffered from these rashes for about four or five months each year.
Pulling out a skin-care cream from his pocket, he said that his doctor has asked him to carry it with him at all times.
"My doctor said that I get these rashes because of prolonged exposure to air and water pollution. He said that I should not be out when the lorry traffic is high or play in the sun," he said.
Raja added that his rashes start vanishing when he goes to stay with his grandmother in Thiruvannamalai over summers.
Several residents Express interacted with, shared similar stories. They complained of unexplained coughs, early morning wheezing attacks, breathing difficulties, watery eyes and skin allergies. The effect of air pollution, stretches far beyond the scope of such visible symptoms, said a senior doctor who has practiced at a local government hospital in Thiruvottiyur for two decades. He agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.
He said that the blood oxygen saturation levels are relatively lower for residents of Thiruvottiyur. Lower saturation levels are usually indicative of poor functioning of lungs or lower oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
"In general, people have a 99 or 100 per cent saturation. While it is normal for some people to have 94-100 per cent saturation, it is abnormal that most people who come into the hospital have only 94 or 95 per cent," the doctor said.
He added that the incidence of adults with Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and kids with bronchial asthma was much higher than it is for an average population.
"Even as people do not immediately connect the dots, many cardiac diseases, strokes, conjunctivitis, pneumonia and even subsequent anaemia, is a result of prolonged exposure to air pollution," he said.
A recent study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu, showed that areas of North Chennai were worst affected by dust and heavy metal pollution owing to the high concentration of polluting industries, oil refinery and thermal power plants in Manali and Ennore.
"Four out of the five highest PM2.5 levels were recorded in North Chennai," the study said. It had also found hazardous levels of manganese, nickel and crystalline silica in the air.