Indians at high risk of air fuel pollution

Not a frequent flyer? Well, you still won’t escape the perils of flying.

According to a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (EST), almost 8,000 people will die due to aircraft pollutants this year, and 3,500 of them would be from India and China. Experts say this means people exposed to such pollutants will also suffer from respiratory diseases.

A recent report by Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers says that the harmful pollutants emitted by an aircraft at an altitude of 35,000ft are fatal for people. The report says that nitrogen and sulphur oxides emitted by aircraft at approximately 35,000ft combine with other gases in the atmosphere to create noxious
particulate matter.

The study points out that more than the northern hemisphere, which has high commercial aviation activity, Indians and Chinese are at the receiving end of these pollutants. “Even though the amount of fuel burned by aircraft over India and China accounts for only 10% of the estimated total amount of fuel burned by aircraft across the globe, the two countries incur nearly half (about 3,500) of the annual deaths related to aircraft cruise emissions,” the study states.

“These pollutants mix with the particulate matter, ozone and other gases in the atmosphere and are highly toxic. An exposure to them can seriously affect lungs and lead to various lung diseases like pneumonia, chronic obstructive lung disease and even lung cancer,” says Dr Hasnain Patel, vice-president, international board of clinical metal toxicology. “And if lungs are affected it will lead to other diseases,” Patel added.

Air pollutants are highly toxic, and besides affecting the lungs, may also cause heart disease, says Sumeira Abdulali, anti-pollution activist. “Prolonged exposure to these pollutants leads to breakdown of the immune system. The actual number of deaths might exceed the reported numbers in the journal,” she says.

According to Patel, “Airlines should focus more on bio-fuel and engines that have 100% fuel combustion rate.”