Cardiologists at the National Hospital yesterday (18) expressed concern about possible linkages between air pollution in Colombo and a spate of heart disease related medical conditions which has been observed in the recent past, and called for a study into the issue.
Experts have urged the public to continue to wear surgical masks or an N95 type mask when possible, especially when travelling around Colombo and the suburbs.
According to them, industrialisation as well as the burning of fossil fuels has become leading factors for the air pollution which increases the risk of heart diseases in Sri Lanka. The Cardiologists pointed out that heart disease patients between 100 -150 have been reported per day in Sri Lanka, and most of the cases reported are from the youth population above the age of 20 years.
A Consultant Cardiologist, Dr. Anidu Pathirana at the National Hospital of Colombo emphasised that proper research is needed regarding the increasing trends of heart diseases caused by air pollution in Sri Lanka. Due to industrialisation as well as fossil fuel burning, smoke emits from vehicles and many other factors. Air pollution is increasing all over the world. At the same time, it seems that air pollution is slowly increasing in Sri Lanka. In recent days, we have experienced how our atmosphere has become highly polluted.
“There is an increasing trend in the number of heart patients due to this air pollution in the country.” Dr Pathirana stated. Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause several adverse health outcomes. It can increase the risk of lung cancer and respiratory infections and other non-communicable diseases too. Therefore, it is efficient to wear the said mask, he opined.
When contacted about the concerns raised by the Cardiologist, the Secretary of the Health Ministry Janaka Sri Chandraguptha said that while there is no data at present to indicate there is a link between the air pollution and heart disease, the Ministry will study the request and alert public if there is an official statement about the issue.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.4 billion people worldwide (around a third of the global population) cook using open fires or inefficient stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung, and crop waste) and coal, which generates harmful household air pollution. Household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of 5. The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually worldwide.