A 2010 study conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board, a pollution watchdog in India, showed that air pollution in Delhi and Kolkata are the worst in the country. This supports another study done by the International Agency for Research on Cancer operating under the umbrella of the World Health Organization (WHO) that found out high concentration of cancer causing pollutants in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Delhi.
Aside from cancer risks, multiple studies have also linked air pollution to bad cardiovascular health that may lead to heart failure. While Delhi and Kolkata are considered to have the poorest air quality, it remains to be a global concern especially in developed regions and developing countries. Experts recommend formulation of global health policies to address air pollution as well as look into possibilities of tapping cleaner sources of energy.
The United Nations health body has classified air pollution as among the leading causes of lung cancer and cancer in general across the globe. Poor quality of air is now pegged as a similar threat to ultraviolet radiation, tobacco smoke, and plutonium exposure. Based on reports, 223,000 deaths due to lung cancer can actually be traced to exposure to dirty air.
Based on conditions at the moment, the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) in India forecasted that about 1.4 million people in the country might suffer from cancer by 2026.
"This is the first time scientists have evaluated the air people breathe for its cancer-causing potential. This is a sharp departure from assessing only specific pollutants for cancer potency. The situation demands urgent and immediate policy intervention from the government to prevent exposure early in life to reduce risk as it takes long years for this toxic effect to surface," said executive director of CSE Anumita Roychowdhury in an interview with Times of India.
CSE also pointed out that in Kolkata, lung cancer makes up 12 percent of all cancer cases in Kolkata. Meanwhile in Delhi, the Delhi Cancer Registry reported that there were 13,000 new cases of cancer with 10 percent of these cases being lung cancer. The CSE is pushing for a strict framework to be implemented where air quality standards must be met by local governments in India.
