EPIC India believes UP residents can increase their life expectancy by 8 years by following WHO's latest guidelines

The air pollution study at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago in India (EPIC India) on Wednesday said that more than 63 per cent of India's population lives in areas that exceed the national air quality standard of 40 micrograms per metre cube.

Residents of Uttar Pradesh could add more than 8 years to their life expectancy if they breathed cleaner air that met the latest WHO guidelines.

According to the EPIC-India's bio, it works hand-in-hand with government leaders to implement large-scale, pioneering projects in the nine states of the country, such that they could become models for the rest of the world.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) new guidelines recommend the air quality levels for 6 pollutants, where evidence has advanced the most on health effects from exposure. When action is taken on these so-called classical pollutants - particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), it also has an impact on other damaging pollutants.

"The health risks associated with particulate matter equal or smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns (um) in diameter (PM10 and PM2.5, respectively) are of particular public health relevance. Both PM2.5 and PM10 are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs but PM2.5 can even enter the bloodstream, primarily resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory impacts, and also affecting other organs. PM is primarily generated by fuel combustion in different sectors, including transport, energy, households, industry, and agriculture. In 2013, outdoor air pollution and particulate matter were classified as carcinogenic by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)," the new guidelines suggest.

The guidelines also highlight good practices for the management of certain types of particulate matter (for example, black carbon/elemental carbon, ultrafine particles, and particles originating from sand and dust storms) for which there is currently insufficient quantitative evidence to set air quality guideline levels. They are applicable to both outdoor and indoor environments globally and cover all settings.

Emphasizing the need to pay attention to the climate change in the Air Pollution Study at EPIC India on Wednesday, the Pulmonologist of Fortis Hospital Dr Richa Sareen said that air pollution is a menace in India, especially in the Delhi- National Capital Region (NCR) and tier 1 cities of the country.

There are as many as tier -1/metropolitan cities in India-- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Pune.

"Air pollution is a menace in India, specifically in the Delhi NCR region and tier 1 cities. Air pollution increases the risk of respiratory infections, including coronavirus. Prolonged exposure to air pollution increases the risk of Asthma, Emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Lung Cancer even in the non-smokers," said Dr Richa Sareen.

"Polluted air is not conducive for the growth of young children and pregnant females. Air pollution exposure also predisposes to heart diseases and stroke. So it has a negative impact on the health of individuals who are exposed to it on daily basis and might even be reducing the life expectancy," she added.

Chairman of the Institute of Liver, Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences at Sir Gangaram hospital, Dr Anil Arora, also remarked on the Air Pollution Study that it is the biggest threat to humankind.

"Air pollution is the biggest threat to the humankind because of the increasing concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, especially in the thickly populated northern parts of India as it has been shown to have more detrimental and unsparing effects on the longevity of life as the deleterious effects are far more glaring than even smoking, alcohol consumption, and road traffic accidents," he said.

"It shortens the lifespan from an average of 2.5 years to ten years by causing and aggravating a multitude of problems like Asthma, Lung Cancer, Ventricular Hypertrophy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Psychological complications, Autism, Retinopathy, Fetal growth, and low birth weight etc. It's high time we heed the climate change warning sincerely before it is too late," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )