June 15, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, June 14: The urban air pollution in Pakistan causes around 22,700 deaths including 700 children annually, says a report of the ministry of environment.

According to the report: “Strategic country environmental assessment: rising to the challenges”, Pakistan is the most urbanised country in South Asia with an estimated 35 per cent of its population living in cities.

The total health costs are between Rs62 to Rs65 billion or approximately one per cent of the gross domestic product, it added.

Rapid urbanisation has been accompanied by environmental problems such as pollution, waste management, congestion and destruction of fragile ecosystems, it said.

Urban air pollution remained one of the most significant environmental problems being faced by cities. A substantial body of research demonstrated that high concentrations of suspended particulate adversely affected human health, provoking a wide range of respiratory diseases and heart ailments.

“The most hazardous are fine particulate of 10 microns in diameter (PM10) or smaller. Worldwide, fine particulate are implicated in 500,000 premature deaths and 415 million new cases of chronic bronchitis,” the report estimates.

An exposure-response relationship existed between concentrations of particulate and health outcomes. The health impacts identified in the report were based on epidemiological assessments recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and included chronic bronchitis, mortality caused by a higher incidence of lung cancer, cardiopulmonary and respiratory problems.

The report pointed out: “Though many cities are adversely affected, air quality monitoring is restricted to the six major cities — Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi. Ambient concentrations of particulate in these cities lie consistently above WHO guidelines, and are on average two to four times the recommended levels.”

Most of Pakistan’s urban population lived in cities where air quality was unmonitored. Excluding these cities from the analysis of health impacts would clearly represent a serious omission.

“In urban Pakistan, as elsewhere, the major sources of fine particulate pollution were vehicles, combustion of fossil fuels in factories, and power plants. An aging fleet of vehicles in poor mechanical condition and low levels of fuel efficiency aggravate the problem. Over the past decade the number of diesel trucks in major cities has increased dramatically, creating an additional source of pollution,” said the report.

In terms of annual ‘disability adjusted life years lost,’ mortality accounted for an estimated 60 per cent, followed by respiratory symptoms. The bulk of losses were due to adult premature mortality, which was consistent with evidence from other assessments that found adults to be more vulnerable to respiratory symptoms and in greater danger of lung cancer.

The report stated airborne lead was one of the most harmful particulate pollutants. Young children were especially vulnerable since lead poisoning causes learning disabilities, hearing loss and behavioural abnormalities. In adults lead absorption was responsible for hypertension, blood pressure problems and heart disease. Lead exposure could come through breathing and ingesting lead particles.

The original sources of lead could include leaded gasoline, industrial lead emissions to air, water and land, leached lead from lead pipes carrying drinking water, contaminated food, lead paint and pottery. Once in the environment, lead accumulates in soil and water.

As a result numerous studies in Pakistan reported elevated levels of lead in blood samples. The incidence of gastrointestinal disease was highest, followed by anaemia and IQ loss.

According to the report, indoor air pollution was a serious problem in Pakistan. The use of traditional biomass fuels such as wood, dung and crop residues was widespread across the country. Biomass burnt in poorly ventilated homes has severe health consequences, particularly for women, young children and the elderly who were most likely to be exposed to indoor pollutants.