Air pollution is a challenge to development

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - Environmental impact of air pollution such as emissions of particulates, gases and radiation generated often as unintended has direct consequences and if not properly checked could become a major challenge to development.

Speaking at the monthly health talk organised by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Accra on Tuesday, Dr. Edith Clarke, Programme Manager, Occupational and Environmental Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS) said effects of air pollution was enormous due to its drastic effects on society.

Modes of contact of pollutants with human were through direct contact such as inhalation, skin contact or through contamination of water sources, food crops and animals, exposure to dust, solvents and persistent organic pollutants.

She said their effects could be acute and chronic. She noted the chronic effect of air pollution were silicosis (sometimes co exist with TB) lung cancer, worsening heart disease, warts and cancer from arsenic exposure.

She mentioned some acute infections as such Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), which lead to common colds, bronchitis, Asthma and pneumonia.

She explained that women mostly bear the brunt of the effects adding that A WHO report estimated that 59 percent out of 1.6 million deaths from pneumonia annually occur in female while women who use solid fuels were three times more likely to develop bronchitis compared to those who cook with cleaner fuels.

She observed that effects of smoking including passive smoking lead to head to toe infections such as tooth decay, heart disease, stomach ulcers, hair loss, deformed sperms and cancers of the lungs, nose, tongue, breast uterus and added those according WHO those smoke in the teens are likely to die 20 to 25 years earlier than those who do not. A GHS and Environmental Protection Agency study of Respiratory Diseases and monitoring level of pollutants in 2005-2006 indicated that Common colds were 51 percent, Bronchitis 13 percent, Asthma 3.1 and pneumonia 2.5 percent out of a sample size of 1653 with 45 percent of children diagnosed with ARI.

This she said, erode gains made under Millennium Development Goal four, which calls for reduction of child mortality.

The effect on productivity was enormous, she said.

She called for the prevention and minimisation of air pollution by encouraging the use of unleaded fuel for vehicles, regular servicing of vehicles, review of policy for importation of overage cars and adequate resources for the determination of vehicular emission standards "If we are to attain Millennium Development Goals then we all have to play our rightful roles in minimising air pollution", she said. 13 Nov. 07