Delhi: PM 2.5 rise leads to more visits to doctors, says study

NEW DELHI: A recent research shows that a rise in PM2.5 concentration in air results in an increase in respiratory illness in the community and causes rise in visits to health clinics in the city.

The research says when PM2.5 concentration rises from the prescribed standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre to 70 micrograms, it leads to 0.5% higher clinic visits in Delhi when exposure to pollutants happened one day ago. The research was done by The Energy and Research Institute in collaboration with experts from AIIMS, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital.

Visit to doc 11% more likely if PM2.5 near 220 ug/m3

An increase of PM2.5 concentration from 200 to 210 micrograms per cubic metre leads to 0.7% higher clinic visits when exposure to pollutants took place one day prior. However, when the PM2.5 concentration increases from 60 to 220 micrograms per cubic metre, it leads to 10.9% higher clinic visits at the lag of one day.

The analysis was done considering the daily 24-hour average concentration for PM2.5, nitrogen oxide and ozone, daily meteorological parameters, including relative humidity and temperature, seasonality and daily count of respiratory illnesses at 85 city mohalla clinics from August 2016 to December 2019. The findings of the study were shared during a webinar organised by Teri and supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation on Friday.

The respiratory illnesses included in the research are acute bronchitis, acute nasopharyngitis, acute upper respiratory infections, acute pharyngitis, asthma, bronchitis, chronic lower respiratory infections, cough, other acute lower respiratory infections, other COPD conditions and TB with cough.

“The objective of the research was to study the association of air pollutants and daily clinic visits in Delhi and understand the trend between two,” said Teri’s Meena Sehgal.

A PM2.5 level reading of below 30 micrograms per cubic metre is classified as “good” while calculating the air quality index (AQI). PM2.5 readings between 30 and 60 micrograms per cubic metre fall in the “satisfactory” category and those between 60 and 90 micrograms per cubic metre are classified as “moderate”. “Poor” air quality ranges from PM2.5 level of 90 to 120 micrograms per cubic metre, “very poor” from 120 to 250 micrograms per cubic metre and “severe” when PM2.5 level is over 250 micrograms per cubic metre.