|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 5 October 2003 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Colombo, most polluted city by Shanika Sriyananda Suffering from recurrent bouts of cough, cold, asthma attacks, chest pain or experiencing breathing difficulties? Don't blame your weak immune system, blame the air quality instead. Health experts have identified Colombo, with a population of nearly one million including 200,000 school children, as one of the most polluted areas in the country and warn that residents and travellers coming into the city could be more prone to cancer, asthma, bronchitis and heart ailment. The poor air quality is attributed to vehicle fumes, which contain carcinogenic substances. According to health experts, over sixty per cent of the country's vehicles run on Colombo roads and a majority of them are poorly maintained, belch black smoke and run on poor quality diesel. The latter emits the highest concentration of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and Particulate Matter (PM). A recent research found the concentration of PM in Colombo to be sufficient to cause 30-35 percent increase in asthma, cough and bronchitis and increase the mortality rate related to these diseases by seven per cent when compared with the research data of the World Health Organisation (WHO). It also found that an average person breaths 15kg of air each day, which is six times as much as food and drinks he consumes. According to health experts schoolchildren in Colombo are more vulnerable, because they breath more air per kilogram of their bodyweight, than adults. A high concentration of PM can cause damage to the central nervous system and thus retards intellectual development of childeren. Health experts also say that there is a tendency in the reduction of IQ levels among schoolchildren mainly due to daily inhalation of harmful substances in the air. **** Beginning next week, the Sunday Observer together with the Air Resources Management Centre (AirMAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will publish the state of ambient air of Colombo. The air emission data will be based on measurements from 'Air Quality Monitoring Station' in Colombo Fort'. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
