- Our country is at the top of the list of the most polluted countries in the world
- Due to severe air pollution, people in Dhaka city are constantly suffering from deadly infectious diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.
- The prevalence of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide in the air is increasing day by day
- Eating fruits or vegetables rich in vitamin C can prevent adverse effects of air pollution.
‘You can’t see with your eyes, if you don’t, you can’t go’, what is that? That is wind. The spirit of pure air environment. Air usually contains 21 percent oxygen, 6 percent nitrogen, 31 percent carbon dioxide, and a certain proportion of ozone, hydrogen, etc. If for some reason the lack of oxygen in the air causes the concentration of other gases to increase or the rate of sand particles to increase, then it becomes polluted.
Our country is at the top of the list of the most polluted countries in the world. There are two main reasons behind air pollution. One. Factory smoke, two. Vehicle smoke. Excessive fumes are emitted from fertilizer factories, sugar, paper, jute and textile factories, tanneries, readymade garment factories and chemical and pharmaceutical factories.
Poison floating in the air. For this, there is no chance for the people of the capital to breathe a sigh of relief. Because, the poison enters with the breath! At present poison is flying in the air of Dhaka. The source of this poison is cars, surrounding industrial areas, brick kilns and civil waste.
Our city has a lot of CNG-powered cars. Harmful benzene is emitted from these CNG-powered vehicles. Due to this benzene, the effect of cancer has increased in Dhaka to a great extent. In addition, lead emissions from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and aldehydes are polluting the air, along with car fumes due to sulfur and lead-containing gasoline, adulterated fuel oil, and faulty engines.
Not only that, sand and cement used in construction are being dumped in the open space on the side of the road. The amount of dust is increasing many times as many constructions have not been completed even after the scheduled time has passed. Excavation work has been going on for a long time over a large area and it is spreading around in various ways, causing severe dust pollution.
Due to severe air pollution, people in Dhaka city are constantly suffering from serious infectious diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.
How is asthma caused by air pollution?
Asthma is a recurrent inflammatory condition of the lungs, in which certain stimuli produce inflammation and temporarily narrow the airways. This makes it difficult to breathe. The dust that is constantly blowing on the roads is the main cause of asthma or shortness of breath. Dust enters the respiratory tract with human breathing and increases the amount of shortness of breath. The number of patients with this disease is increasing due to polluted air in the city. Free radicals damage body cells. Once the polluted air enters the lungs, free radicals can form there. It has been observed that these free radicals play a special role in causing respiratory diseases.
How is COPD?
Non-communicable diseases are on the rise in tandem with global warming, climate change, increasing environmental pollution and uncontrolled human lifestyles. A very important disease of the lungs, which is affecting millions of people in this country, is going on behind the scenes. The name of the disease in English is COPD. Bengali is a chronic respiratory disease of the lungs. It is a disease of the lungs which causes respiratory obstruction and the patient suffers from shortness of breath. It is also known as Chronic Obstructive Long Disease (COLD), Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease (COAD), Chronic Airflow Limitation (CAL) and Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Disease (CORD).
The suffocation process of the lungs continues to increase and it is mainly due to the inflammation caused in the lungs due to ingestion of polluted air. The lungs are damaged in two ways due to this inflammation.
The way the lungs are damaged in two ways
One. The inner walls of the small airways in the lungs are damaged, permanently constricted, and excess mucus builds up, increasing the airway process.
Two. The air in the lungs is damaged due to abnormal inflammation of the chambers. As a result, it loses its contraction-expansion capacity with respiration and reduces the flow of oxygen in the blood.
How does air pollution cause lung cancer?
The prevalence of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide in the air is increasing the inflammation of human lungs day by day. Once the polluted air enters the lungs, it can cause free radicals. It has been shown that these free radicals play a significant role in the development of lung cancer.
Vitamin C to prevent adverse effects of air pollution
Eating fruits or vegetables rich in vitamin C can prevent the adverse effects of air pollution. This is especially true for those who suffer from complex lung diseases. Studies have shown that people with asthma and COPD suffer from increased levels of vitamin C in their blood, which increases their risk of developing respiratory problems when the level of air pollution increases.
Lemons, mangoes, guavas, grapefruits, pineapples, mangoes, mangoes, grapes, green peppers, olives, plums, kamaranga, tomatoes, cabbage, oranges, etc. are important sources of vitamin C. All these are readily available. In addition, Vitamin C helps our body absorb iron. Eating lemons while eating fish or meat, i.e. non-vegetarian food, increases the body’s absorption of iron.
The air in Dhaka is so polluted that ordinary masks in the market cannot protect our lungs from this pollution at all. Ordinary masks are not capable of resisting the tiny ‘PM2.5’ particles in the air. So some special kind of mask is needed. Known as ‘anti-pollution masks’, these masks are able to block up to 99% of harmful particles and germs in the air in certain cases. Attached to the ‘filter device’, they are much more effective and protective than ordinary cloth masks.
N99 and N100 masks
These two special types of masks are capable of blocking small particles up to 99.98 percent. Its resistance is so good that it gives you 100% protection from particles and germs in the shape of 3 microns. Using it will protect your lungs from car and factory smoke pollution, dust and odors.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Azizur Rahman / Chest Disease and Medicine Specialist
Prothom Alo, 4 December 2020
