Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Stop air pollution to prevent cancer' that was published in Newsband

Stop air pollution to prevent cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers outdoor air pollution as a cause of lung cancer.

Rapidly industrialising countries including India have significant levels of air pollution. The burden of cancers, including lung cancer, in the country is staggering. Cancer leads to staggering costs both to the citizen and the economy.

air pollution has been known to have a definite impact on respiratory and heart disease, but now it’s linked to cancer even. Mitigation of air pollution from key sources such as transport, coal-based power generation, industrial emissions, and cooking using biomass needs sustained policy action.

Developing countries are encountering increasing vehicular traffic, which is concentrated in urban areas. This has led to higher exposure to large particulates and sulphur dioxide for millions.

A replacement policy for older vehicles and also the expansion of public transport and options such as cycling can minimize air pollution. On the question of reducing the harm caused by open burning of biomass for cooking, the Centre has a plan to distribute improved cookstoves during the Twelfth Plan. That’s a good move.

Moderate and efficient use of everything is necessary in life. Though we have vehicles, is it possible that we can minimize their use. Streamline the flow of traffic in existing roads and obey traffic rules, you will save time in travel and that way reduce the pollution the vehicles release. Have clean air and avoid cancer.

Air pollution has taken a giant stride in the past few years posing all kinds of threats and troubles to sustainable environment. Proper strategies and measures have to be implemented by the government especially in the industrial sector which is the largest contributor towards increased pollution-levels.

For engineers and scientists, it is a known fact that the particulate matter in the air is increasing at an alarming rate due to various reasons, particularly the increased dry spells between the monsoons, automobile explosion, increased reliance on coal based thermal power plants, urbanization, etc. It is also common sense that the particulate matter which is harmful to plant and machinery in industries will also be harmful to our respiratory system, which is much more sensitive. Persistent irritation to a tissue is one of the causes of cancer is also a known fact. The particles siting on the sensitive organs like lungs obviously cause cancer. Cancer can be prevented by advocating the reduction in reliance on coal power by relying more on hydel power and nuclear power. Also there should be complete black topping of the roads without leaving the soil on either side of the roads in urban areas. Particulate matter (PM) is the new villain in causing the new type of cancer to the lungs.

Taken into consideration the basic source of air pollution, it implies to the heavy use of fossil fuels. The more we curtail the use of fossil fuel, the cleaner we keep air healthy. India, instead of using fossil fuel for maintaining the power need, should utilize modern technology. We should use unconventional energy sources like Solar energy, wind energy and tidal energy. Also giving of licenses for the manufacture of two-wheelers and four-wheelers need controlling.

It is high time our government took drastic steps to minimize air pollution and prevent cancer.