Abstract
To the Editor:
Air pollution is directly linked to rapid urbanization, which is now acknowledged as a public health concern due to growing range of health hazards associated with it. The smog contains nitrogen oxides, ozone, and extremely small particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, that is, 10 µm and 2.5 µm diameter, respectively. Major sources of this “invisible killer” include combustion of fossil fuels, open fires, road transport, power grid stations, and factories.
According to the US AQI (Air Quality Index), 447 was recorded for Lahore, Punjab, on November 8, 2019. This AQI is categorized under hazardous range (US AQI 301-500); falling in hazardous range, it is ranked as the second most polluted city in the world. This resulted in official closure of all schools on November 8 and 15, 2019, for the first time in Pakistan. The PM2.5 according to the World Health Organization standards are estimated to be more than 6.8× the acceptable range. 1
The annual deaths from air pollution are also recorded to be 212 433 deaths in Pakistan. Both outdoor and household air pollution are classified as leading causes of this death toll. Ischemic heart disease is the main disease outcome in both categories mentioned above; however, household air pollution also resulted in child deaths (0-5 years), with approximately 25 933 annual deaths rate. 2 Air pollution is highly associated with reduced life expectancy, cardiovascular diseases, increased respiratory morbidity, reduced lung functioning, extreme asthmatics, ischemic heart diseases, heart strokes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 also leads to atherosclerosis and preterm birth, with emerging data highlighting its linkage with diabetes, neurodevelopment, and cognitive function. 3
The initial steps to overcome this issue includes prevention of the following: burning of used tires in brick kilns, smoke from steel mills, rice stubble burning (traditional practice), urban waste, and large-scale tree losses in expanding cities with excessive vehicular usage on roads. Initiatives are needed to be taken by the Environmental Protection Department to minimize the pollution on a national level. Nation-wide improvements can not only reduce the air pollution but also will result in reducing the greenhouse effect. 4
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
