Top 5 Reasons Pollution Has Become a National Health Emergency

As pollution continues unabated across New Delhi, residents continue to suffer from both short-term and long-term effects of toxic air and a severe air quality index. According to the Delhi government,

due to worsening air quality, stricter pollution curbs are expected to kick in soon with a change of rules under the Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP. Apart from allowing public, municipal, and private offices to work at 50 per cent strength and the rest to work from home, advisories on transport augmentation will also be taken. However, one of the most worrying after-effects of the continuing air pollution is the health of people, affecting their respiratory, heart, brain, and even mental health. Doctors say for the fifth year in a row, Delhi’s winter is once again defined by breathlessness, panic, and paralysis.

Why has air pollution become a national health emergency?

However, it is not just about Delhi, as air pollution has become a national health emergency due to its widespread capacity to cause chronic and acute diseases, disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, inflict massive economic costs, and pose a fundamental threat to the environment and future generations. A few reasons why pollution constitutes a national health emergency include:

Morbidity and mortality

According to studies, pollution is a leading cause of death globally, linked to an estimated nine million premature deaths every year. Experts say exposure to fine particulate matter from sources like vehicle emissions, dust, and industrial emissions penetrates deep into the lungs and enters the bloodstream, causing heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even cancers.

Severe and serious diseases

Other than respiratory diseases, pollution causes an array of serious, mostly fatal diseases and conditions, like:

• Heart diseases
• Neurological disorders and cognitive decline leading to dementia and Alzheimer’s
• Reproductive issues like low birth weight and preterm births
• Diabetes
• Certain cancers

Climate change

Experts believe greenhouse gas pollution – especially from burning fossil fuels is among the main drivers of global warming and climate change. It not only causes rising temperatures, melting ice sheets, warming oceans, and more extreme weather conditions but is also a long-term threat to the planet's stability and biodiversity.

The right to clean air is a human right

The right to a healthy environment is both a human and constitutional right with legal protection available in more than 100 countries. At least 155 states are legally obligated, through treaties, constitutions, and legislation, to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to a healthy environment.

Leads to social inequity and vulnerability

The negative effects of pollution often disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable communities, who are more likely to live near industrial areas or use polluting energy sources for heating and cooking. Children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions are also at greater risk, highlighting an issue of environmental justice.