Chemical pneumonia strikes Delhi

Along with worsened environmental conditions as a consequence, this Diwali also left officials of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare concerned over cases of chemical pneumonitis emerging post festival.

Chemical pneumonitis is also known as chemical pneumonia which means inflammation of the lungs caused by inhaling irritants. "We have reports from Centre-run hospitals such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung hospital and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) that there have been several cases of Chemical Pneumonitis post Diwali," said Dr TK Joshi, Advisor, Occupational and Environmental Health and Chemical Safety, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

"This is for the first time in previous many years that hospitals have reported cases of Chemical Pneumonitis. This is alarming and indicates that firecrackers have caused hazardous levels of pollution. The environment ministry is convening several meetings on air pollution. We soon are going to have a discussion on how to tackle with the situation," Dr Joshi said.

While guidelines for air pollution are underway under the program of prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has constituted a Steering Committee chaired by Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, to look into the health aspect of Air Pollution. Two Expert Groups have also been formed to look into the Ambient and Household Air Pollution and its Health Effects.

Doctors have said that the health effects of hazardous firecrackers can be irreversible and this is high time that we need to care for health and environment. "As we know, heavy smog has covered up various cities and this smog contains dangerous chemicals like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, manganese dioxide, zinc oxide, nitrates etc. Chemical pneumonitis is the irritation of the lungs. Inhalation of such chemical fumes makes breathing difficult," said Dr Vikas Goswami, Senior Consultant Oncologist, Fortis Hospital.

"Chemicals from firecrackers and present in the smog will penetrate deeper into the lungs which further may lead to stiffness of the lungs, which decreases the ability of the lungs to provide oxygen to the body. If left untreated, this condition may ultimately lead to respiratory failure, lung cancer or even death," he said.

Diwali Crackers contain heavy toxic metals such as Sodium, Mercury, Barium, Cadmium, Nitrate and Nitrite like Air pollutants, which cause fever, skin irritation, vomiting, insomnia, heart, asthma, and bronchitis and effects lungs. "Several cases of Chemical Pneumonitis were reported in our hospital after Diwali. Majorly, two forms of chemical pneumonitis i.e. acute and chronic. In acute form, people suffer from cough, face breathing issues, abnormal lung sounds (wet, gurgling sounding breaths), chest pain, tightness or burning. In chronic, there is persistent cough, shortness of breath and increased susceptibility to respiratory illness," said Dr Amandeep Kaur, Medical Director, Amandeep Hospital.

"Not to forget, these symptoms of chronic chemical pneumonitis may or may not be present at times, and can take months to develop to be noticed. The level of pollutants in the air of national capital is alarming, and not just Delhi, other major metropolitan cities across India were also hit with alarmingly high levels of pollution, with air quality levels reaching hazardous levels," he said.