[Urbanstudy] BREATH OF DEATH IN WHITEFIELD

[Vinay Baindur]

http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story/Breath-of-death-in-Whitefield/articleshow/55881986.cms


BREATH OF DEATH IN WHITEFIELD
Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Dec 9, 2016, 03.00 AM IST
[image: Breath of death in Whitefield]















*There’s some bad, really bad news for those who decided to make this east
Bengaluru IT hub their home*

*Mahadevapura has max PM10, the heart killer*
A research project, taking Bengaluru as a case study, has for the first
time established a link between deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD)
and high levels of particulate matter which are 10 micrometres
(one-hundred-thousandth of a metre) or less in diameter, referred to as
‘PM10’.

Although air pollution and CVD have been closely related with PM10, there
has been little or no information on the effects of air pollution on CVD in
India.

To develop a model to assess the effects of air pollution on CVD, mortality
data was obtained from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which
includes a total of 10,90,899 historic records from 1930 to 2013.

Due to the quality of the data, only the years 2010-2013 were selected for
the study. The levels of pollutants were obtained from monitoring locations
in the city.

These were in the west zone (Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli and
Byatarayanapura), south zone, east zone and in Bommanahalli and RR Nagar.

PM10 hotspots were identified and the analyses revealed that the eastern
zone of the city, as well as Mahadevapura, consistently had the highest
levels of PM10 pollution over all the years under consideration. And this
is where they also found the highest CVD deaths. A simulation model was
used to get the results.

“The results have demonstrated that there is a statistical association
between CVD and air pollution in Bengaluru – especially PM10 – which is a
grave concern for the city. Zones Evaluation of data also showed that
Mahadevapura consistently showed a positive association with CVD for all
four years and east zone for two years of the analysis. However, when the
percentage of total deaths is considered, CVD deaths in east zone was the
highest, contributing to 50 per cent of the total deaths,” Dr Anitha
Chinnaswamy, lead researcher from Coventry University, UK, told Bangalore
Mirror.


Bengaluru was selected as the case study area because it is one of the
fastest growing cities in India, witnessing congestion, high levels of
pollution and deteriorating health over the last few years.

Dr Chinnaswamy said added that further research is being pursued in the
city and she is looking for potential collaborators.

SIMULATION MODEL

Using geographical information system (GIS), Dr Chinnaswamy created a
spatial-temporal model, where data are collected across time as well as
space.

The system assists in the identification of hotspots of air pollution,
which then enables the government to take action to reduce air pollution in
the zones with the highest risk first.

It also helps in identifying CVD hotspots, to help the government take up
interventions in the highest risk zones on priority.

“The potential of GIS has not yet been fully exploited for decision support
to ascertain the effects of poor air quality and CVD. Hence, a regulatory
model framework will assist in the analysis of the potential association
between air pollution and CVD,” she said.

The total deaths over the years 2010-2013 were 86,818, of which 33,075
deaths were due to CVD, and 53,743 deaths were due to other causes.

CVD over the four years on an average contributed to 38.10 per cent of all
deaths. Individuals, in the age group of 65-74, 75-84, 85-94 at the time of
death, all had approximately a 50 per cent increase in the likelihood of
dying of CVD for the years between 2010 and 2013.

“In terms of air pollution exposure, in 2010, with every increase of 1µg/m3
in nitrogen oxide concentration there is a significant increase in the
chances of dying of CVD, with a 3.2-fold increase in the likelihood of CVD
mortality. In terms of PM10 exposure, the results show that with every
increase of 1μg/m3 in PM10 concentration there is a one-fold (50 per cent)
increase in the chances of dying of CVD,” said the findings.

She calculated the years of potential life lost, which is defined as an
estimate of the average years a person would have lived if he or she had
not died prematurely. The analysis showed that for the years from 2010 to
2013, 2.1 million person years were lost in Bengaluru due to CVD alone.
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