Leading Doctors and Health Practitioners from across Jharkhand and West Bengal issued an urgent warning on the growing number of cancer patients and impact of air pollution. Speaking on the occasion of the World Cancer Day on a Webinar organised by the SwitchON Foundation in association with the ‘Association of Radiation Oncologists of India’, Chest Council of India, West Bengal Doctors Forum, SAMSA, AMSA,Indian Medical Association, ASPIRE, GGMC RISE, GBMC Mumbai. Doctors explained the dangerous mixtures of ambient air pollution invariably containing specific chemicals known to be highly carcinogenic to humans. Beside the other health problems associated with PM2.5 and ultrafine particles can include: Heart and lung disease, bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and more intense flare ups.
The Air Quality Indices of cities across Jharkhand have been showing alarmingly poor air qualities for quite some time now, exposing a large part of the population to severe health impact. As per the experts there has long been concern that airborne carcinogens contribute to the global burden of cancer, especially of the lung, which receives the most substantial inhaled doses. Environmental pollutants are the risk factors for many cancers, and the most common is lung cancer followed by urological cancers, haematological malignancies, head and neck and gastrointestinal cancers. Lung cancer is the most often diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In India, lung cancer accounts for 5.9% of all cancers and 8.1% of all cancer-related deaths. Lung cancer is highly fatal, with an overall 5-year survival rate of only 18%.
In the year 2000 the US National Toxicology Program added diesel particulate matter (DPM) to their list of carcinogens and proclaimed that DPM is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” and according to a 2002 US Environmental Protection Agency report more than 100 carcinogenic of potentially carcinogenic components have been specifically identified in diesel emissions.
Dr. Namrata Agarwal Mahansaria MBBS, MS General Surgery, Fellowship in Surgical Oncology Surgical Oncology, Ranch saidi : “The growing pollution level due to the diesel-run autos and other vehicles, mines releasing coal dust and industrial smoke, and ever-growing rate of tobacco consumption are the primary reasons for the growing number of cancer patients across Jharkhand, particularly mouth and lung cancer tops among men and uterine cervix and breast cancer amongst women.”
Adding to this Dr. Atri Gangopadhyay National Spokesperson, Chest Council of India Consultant pulmonologist, Pulse hospital , said “The health impacts of Air Pollution need to be highlighted to protect the health of children and adults. It is a major health issue and not merely a chemical or environmental issue. Air pollution affects each and every part of the body besides lungs which are the first to get affected” He later added by saying “Now, there is enough epidemiologic and experimental evidence of the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of air pollution on human DNA, which is a key cancer driver.”
As per some global research the incidence of childhood cancers is also increasing, based on a recent report of data from 62 countries and more than 100 population-based registries.
Dr Nirupam Sharan Consultant Respiratory Medicine ,Interventional Pulmonology, The Happy Lungs, Ranchi attending the event stated: “There is correlation between level of ambient air pollutants and Lung Diseases among children. Evidence suggests that early-life exposure to air pollution increases the risk of childhood asthma. No level of particulate matter is permissible, hence we must work to bring them to negligible levels.”
Attending the event, Dr Subodh Kumar, Paediatrician, Rainbow Clinic Ranchi stated – “To prevent the effects of air pollution, we must use air purifiers, LPG, Bio gas or solar stores or ovens for cooking and should try to avoid air fresheners at home”.
The organiser of the webinar SwitchON Foundation’s on this occasion launched an important medical student engagement programme “Clean Air Medical Student Ambassador Programme”, with a mission to engage with the medical student fraternity in order to boost the awareness of the current health impact and damages caused by Air Pollution. Speaking at the launch, Vinay Jaju MD SwitchON Foundation said “The major global environmental movements are being carried by the Youth and Medical Students who are the future of healthcare experts, can make a significant contribution to the need for larger awareness in the society”
“Life expectancy has been drastically reduced in the presence of air pollution. But overall awareness on this menace is scarce. This is not only true for the general population, but also true for medical professionals. So to raise awareness we need an army of dedicated people. We also need a lot of research to delineate air pollution as a big killer. A big step to achieve this goal is forming the brigade, as planned by Switch ON foundation. I am with them at every step.
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