Introduction

Central research institute at Noida, Uttar Pradesh is one of

the premier research institutes of Central Council for
Research in Homoeopathy, New Delhi under Ministry of
AYUSH, Govt. of India. It has been in service of treating
suffering humanity since many years, its aim is overall
promotion of health . It provides effective health care
services to the needy at grass root level through its regular
OPD as well as during the time of emergency like
situations, for example, when there is seasonal increase in
no. of dengue cases every year, in cases of seasonal
conjunctivitis, flu etc. Every year, post Diwali ,increased
no. of respiratory tract infection cases or patient with due
to breathing in high volumes of polluted air turned up in
the OPD .
For a few years now, Diwali in northern India has ceased to be
associated ,regrettably, with just festivities. Today ,it is more about how
the bad air quality will be the day after Diwali. This year too ,a haze
enveloped the national capital on Monday, a day after Diwali, as the
city’s air quality plummeted to the ‘severe’ category for the first time
this season. An analysis of the post Diwali air in Delhi -National Capital
Region by the Centre for Science and Environment stated that the
overall pollution level between September 15 and Diwali was lower
than the comparable period in 2018.this,the report added , was due to
favourable weather and advanced action. But Diwali changed all.
Reasons for spike in pollution
Utter disregard the by the citizens of the 2018Supreme court ban on
fire crackers. They burnt conventional, polluting crackers even when
there is adequate data in the public domain ,coupled with scientific
studies and public awareness programmes, on how pollution can ruin
their health.
Stubble burning in punjab and Haryana , from where the winds are
coming , is at the season’s highest.
low wind speed (minimum wind speed of 10 Kmph is required to flush
out pollutants) not letting pollutant disperse.

According to the district medical department , the air quality is severe

enough to affect healthy individuals and exacerabate the conditions of
those with existing ailments.
There is a need for a longitudinal study on healthy individuals getting
asthma due to prolonged exposure to polluted air.

Adverse effects on body

Breathing in high volumes of heavily polluted air for a prolonged period
adversely affects not just the organs in your body but also causes
damages at the cellular levels.

The journal Chest, the official publication of the American College of Chest
Physicians, highlighted in its review earlier this year that exposure to fine
particulate matter (PM) 2.5 or less is the fifth leading risk factor for death in
the world.

In the recent Global Burden of Disease data analysis as well, more than one
million premature deaths were attributable to ambient air pollution in 2015 in
India. Your lungs, heart and the brain are worst sufferers when pollution
levels peak as very fine PM particles can find their way into the circulatory
system and damage the organs.

Chokes the lungs

The respiratory system comprises nose, throat, respiratory tubes and the
lungs. The PM 2.5 and 10 microns are considered dangerous as they are of
respirable size and can travel down to the lowest part of the lungs where gas
exchange takes place.

“When we say PM 2.5 or 10, it is only the size of the particle we are talking
about and the kind of damage afflicted depends on the source of these
particles, such as firecrackers, fuel combustion, stubble burning, etc. PM
formed due to diesel or kerosene burning can cause lung cancer,” says Dr GC
Khilnani, former head of pulmonology department, All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The damage starts with inflammation of the airway, and finer the particulate
matter the deeper it penetrates. “What nobody talks much about but who do
the maximum damage are ultrafine particles of 0.1 micron or less. These
penetrate the lungs and reach the blood stream. Once they are in your blood,
these can go anywhere – the brain, the heart, kidneys, etc.,” said Dr Khilnani,

Harms the heart

Breathing in heavily polluted air can cause irreversible damage to the arteries
as well.

“When these fine particles that lungs aren’t able to filter reach the blood
stream, these get attached to the blood vessel walls – the arteries. Over a
period of time, there can be a clot formation inside the vessel that can lead to
blockage. There can be a sudden narrowing of the blood vessels that can
eventually lead to a heart attack,” said Dr Upendra Kaul, senior cardiologist,
Batra Hospital & Medical Research Centre.

It can lead to an unstable angina – not enough blood and oxygen flow to the
heart causing a heart attack. In patients who already have blockages,
exposure to pollutants tends to accelerate the process.

Respiratory diseases can also cause damage to the heart.

“Chronic bronchitis also leads to heart disease, though of a different kind. It’s
called cor pulmonale, or enlargement of the heart,” adds Dr Kaul.

Brain damage
The brain is also not spared from the adverse effects of pollution. “When the
heart malfunctions, it automatically affects the brain functioning as well, as
blood or oxygen flow to the brain becomes restricted, which can lead to a
stroke. Also, inhaling pollutants emits certain chemical responses within the
body which can also cause a stroke over a period of time,” says Dr Deepak
Aggarwal, professor, neurosurgery, AIIMS.

Since pollutants affect a person’s immunity, it can also cause autoimmune

disorders.

“Exposure to pollutants can also lead to a condition called vasculitis, which is

inflammation of blood vessels that leads to thickening, weakening, narrowing
or scarring of the vessels. This could also lead to a stroke,” he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/not-just-organs-pollution-can-cause-cellular-damage-too-

experts/story-mOrSSl7PCq1mwLR3e0tY0O.html

Methods
Retrospective study was done to see the number of cases presented
with respiratory symptoms during increased level of air pollution post
Diwali.