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This special report from Health360 investigates the severe, multi-organ health crisis triggered by air pollution in India's cities. 'Living in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 30 cigarettes a day and what happens when you actually smoke 30 cigarettes a day? Cancer,' an expert warns in the program. The report features doctors who break down the alarming and often invisible damage caused by pollutants, detailing the links between toxic air and a rise in cancer among the young, severe cardiac ailments, and a surge in eye-related problems like dry eye disease. Experts explain how fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, penetrates the bloodstream, leading to inflammation, DNA damage, and blockages in arteries. The report highlights vulnerable populations and outlines crucial preventive measures to mitigate the devastating long-term health consequences of breathing India's polluted air.

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00:00Music
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00:24Music
00:28Music
00:32How would you describe the chatter around air
00:34pollution? Well I'd say it's cacophony.
00:36It's frustrating
00:38to say the least. Year after year
00:40the same conversation around
00:42who's to be blamed, what could have been done
00:44right and then we forget all about
00:46it. Well the fact of the matter
00:48is that the problems associated
00:50with air pollution do not
00:52go away even if the visible
00:54air in front of us
00:56is presumably clean.
00:58In the sense that if you can't
01:00get the stench of air
01:02pollution, if you can't get the
01:04stink and don't see the smog
01:06doesn't mean the problem associated
01:08with air pollution have vanished
01:10magically, that doesn't happen.
01:12The long term impact of air pollution
01:14is very serious and it
01:16impacts not just our lungs, the
01:18impact is way deeper, it
01:20affects way too many organs.
01:22It in fact has an impact on our fertility,
01:24on our heart health as well.
01:26Our eyes for example
01:28need protection, special
01:30care in these months of
01:32pollution. Smog
01:34affects our eyes in ways you can't
01:36even imagine. Remember
01:38the first thing to get affected when you
01:40step out, when there is extreme pollution
01:42is your eyes. They start to
01:44water, that's a response of your
01:46organ to in fact deal with
01:48the situation in which they feel
01:50they are going to get harmed.
01:52So what do you do to protect
01:54your eyes? Here's
01:56more.
02:02Our eyes, our window to the world
02:04overwhelm and pollution levels
02:06so.
02:08Polluted air is full of harmful particles
02:10like dust, smoke and chemicals.
02:12These tiny particles irritate the
02:14eyes, leading to redness and a
02:16constant urge to drop them.
02:18A 2021 Ames
02:22Delhi study found a 30%
02:24rise in dry eye cases
02:26during peak pollution months.
02:28Data from the
02:30WHO suggests air pollution
02:32related eye irritation
02:34affects millions annually
02:36in urban Asia.
02:38When the air is polluted with
02:40lot of these PM 2.5 particles
02:42they go and touch on the tear film
02:44and the eyes and if there is dryness
02:46then the eyes start to have a burning sensation
02:48some irritation, foreign body sensation
02:50sometimes even redness can come
02:52and reflects watering from the eyes can happen.
02:54Pollution lowers the natural
02:58defenses of your eyes.
03:00Our eyes are protected
03:02by the eyelids which we can see outside
03:04as the skin and then by the tear film
03:06which is a layer, a three layered film
03:08which is covering the corneas of the eyes
03:10whether it is in the form of severe dry eye
03:12or some kind of a scarring of the eyelid
03:14or if some foreign object gets into the eye
03:16and this barrier breaks then infections and irritations in the eye can happen.
03:20Prolonged contact with polluted air may lead to more serious problems like corneal damage
03:28or even cataracts over time.
03:32Air pollution reduces tear film stability
03:34increasing evaporation
03:36urban residents especially those exposed
03:38to heavy traffic zones
03:40report higher prevalence of dry eyes.
03:44When you are within close confined areas
03:46overall
03:48because of the conditioned and controlled environments
03:50like air conditioning or sometimes even air purifiers
03:52there is a decreased humidity
03:54and that causes dryness
03:56because of the higher pollution that is there in the atmosphere
03:58because of the increased amount of dust
04:00that is there in the atmosphere
04:02a lot of construction activity that is going on
04:04all this is also irritating the ice surface.
04:06So how does one protect the eyes?
04:12Try to stay more indoors particularly on very heavily polluted days.
04:16Use purifiers inside to reduce the amount of suspended particulate matter.
04:20Drink more water. Remain hydrated.
04:22You can even wash your eyes or face once a day with clean cool water.
04:26If you are somebody who is going to be in the open riding maybe a two wheeler
04:30then you must wear some protective glasses
04:32so that there is no direct contact
04:34that the eye has with the dry
04:36and polluted environmental air.
04:38Research after research indicates that
04:40air pollution is impacting your heart
04:42adversely.
04:44It is shooting up your blood pressure.
04:46It is leading to inflammation.
04:48And that perhaps is the reason why
04:50just so many people are developing heart disease.
04:52Ismong.
05:02Well it's that time of the year again.
05:04Your eyes will hurt if it isn't hurting already.
05:06You will be switching on air purifiers.
05:08If you haven't already.
05:10And you will not be able to breathe.
05:14Delhi like many cities in the country
05:16have started to see the air quality index dip.
05:20Which means air pollution is worsening.
05:24However, if you think the Delhi's dirty air impacts just your lungs.
05:30Think again.
05:32Studies have established that it is your heart that takes a beating.
05:38All the PM particles less than 2.5 or 2.5 to 10
05:42along with carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide
05:46are direct injurious to the inner lining of the blood vessels
05:50causing injurious to the blood vessels.
05:52As a result the blood clots sit on them.
05:54The fat particles sit on them
05:56resulting in blockages
05:58resulting in a thin cap blockage
06:00or a thick cap blockage.
06:02Younger patients will have a thin cap blockage
06:04or 30% blockage.
06:06Elderly patients will have a stable
06:08thick cap blockage.
06:10Doctors have said air pollution causes blockage
06:14of blood flow in arteries and veins
06:16that causes hypertension.
06:18Increasing the risk of heart disease
06:20because harmful ultraviolet rays absorb vitamin D
06:24from the sun and the lack of vitamin D
06:26increases the risk of heart disease.
06:28High levels of air pollution can cause blood clots in the heart
06:32and heart blockages.
06:34And there are long term impacts.
06:36There is stasis of blood, stagnation of blood.
06:40The clots can go to the brain cause a brain stroke
06:44or a heart stroke or a kidney infarction.
06:46Any ejection fraction or heart functioning less than 35%
06:50the risk of sudden cardiac death
06:52is as bad as an end stage cancer disease.
06:56Because of high energy drive,
06:58decreased nitric oxide levels,
07:00the blood vessels become thick,
07:02your requirement of blood pressure medicine goes up,
07:04your sugar levels go haywire.
07:06So these are all long term effects of pollution
07:08which we have to circumvent in one way or the other.
07:12Who are the most vulnerable then?
07:16Who are the vulnerable population for pollution?
07:18Number one it would be smokers.
07:20Even a non-smoker is smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day
07:24thanks to the pollution.
07:26Who are high blood pressure patients,
07:28who are more prone.
07:30People with pre-existing heart disease
07:32are more prone for pollution.
07:34People with uncontrolled diabetes.
07:36People with uncontrolled obesity.
07:38Your BMI is more than 23.
07:40you are more prone for pollution.
07:42Many children and pregnant ladies
07:44and even elderly ladies
07:46whose immunity is low
07:48are more vulnerable for pollution.
07:50Here's what's advised.
07:52Try avoid going out
07:54if the AQI is high.
07:56Always if you have to go out
07:58use an N95 mask always.
08:00Help make sure that you are vaccinated
08:02against pneumococcal vaccine,
08:04a flu vaccine,
08:06depending upon your age category.
08:08If you are having features of heart failure,
08:12fluids needs to be restricted,
08:14salt needs to be restricted.
08:16There is weekly monitoring of urine output
08:18has to be followed.
08:20A weekly monitoring of your weight
08:22has to be followed.
08:23Weight should not be gained
08:24because then you are regaining excess water
08:26that time.
08:27You should know your four numbers well.
08:29Pulse,
08:30blood pressure,
08:31fasting blood sugar
08:32and walking distance
08:34plus your saturation levels.
08:36A lot of questions are now being asked
08:38on why younger people are developing cancer.
08:41It's a disease in which your cells degenerate,
08:44usually seen in the older population.
08:47But younger people are developing cancer now
08:50and it's becoming very, very frequent.
08:53Air pollution has a deep link
08:55with the growing instances of cancer in India and outside.
08:59Here's more.
09:00Living in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 30 cigarettes a day.
09:12And what happens when you actually smoke 30 cigarettes a day?
09:15Cancer.
09:16That is exactly the fallout of Blanket,
09:21a thick smoke laden with PM 2.5 and PM 10 that you and I are breathing.
09:27Pollution is quietly fueling a new wave of cancers.
09:32Bad air means anything when we say AQI is 200, 300 or 400,
09:39which we see in our metro cities like Delhi.
09:42So there are so many carcinogens in that air.
09:45There are microparticles like PM 2.5, PM 10.
09:51They are such small and microscopic particles that when we inhale bad air,
09:57so they go inside our lungs and through our lung blood vessels.
10:02They go actually in our blood cells, blood streams.
10:05And these particulates, they cause direct DNA damage of the healthy cells.
10:18Cancer has long been associated with lifestyle factors,
10:20such as tobacco use, diet and genetics,
10:23a quieter, more insidious driver of India's rising cancer burden
10:28is pollution both outdoor and indoor.
10:33If you are living in metro cities with bad air,
10:36your lifespan reduces by 7 to 8 years.
10:39Bad air, polluted air, polluted cities,
10:42the lifespan is reducing by around 8-9 years
10:46because people are having so many lung problems,
10:49allergy conditions, cancer, which is reducing their lifespan.
10:53So one side we say we have very good hospitals
10:56and another side we have a polluted environment
10:59where we are forced to live.
11:01So fresh air is non-negotiable.
11:04It is the need of healthy life.
11:08A 2022 study by the World Health Organization says,
11:12the air pollution is responsible for 29% of all lung cancer that's dopamine.
11:18Sometimes we use incense candles.
11:21Sometimes we use mosquito coils and various sprays for fragrance.
11:27So these all chemicals, when they circulate inside your house,
11:32they are very harmful.
11:33You are continuously exposed to those bad chemicals
11:36and especially children, especially women who are involved in the household work
11:41and in the kitchens.
11:42We should use chimneys in our kitchen.
11:45We should have a proper ventilated house.
11:47And if we can opt, we should use good quality of air purifiers.
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