CHENNAI: As we gear up to celebrate Bhogi bonfire by burning as part of age-old tradition, Gleneagles Global Health City department of pulmonary medicine consultant pulmonologist Dr Sreenivasan V warns of breast milk contamination due to the smoke inhalation.
“Children are at risk as different toxicĀ pollutantsĀ are generated by burning tyres and other plastic products. The particulate matters, when inhaled, get settled deep in lungs,” Sreenivasan tells.
“As women breathe pollutants, it contaminates breast milk which gets transferred from a nursing mother to her baby,” he said in a press release.
Exposure to air pollution can trigger new cases of asthma, exacerbate a previously existing respiratory illness, and provoke development or progression of chronic illnesses including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and emphysema added Dr Sreenivasan.
Although, current and ex-smokers account for most patients with COPD, exposure to air pollutants leads to acute exacerbations. The World Health Organisation has concluded that exposure to indoor air pollution doubles the risk of pneumonia and other acute lower respiratory infections, Dr Sreenivasan added.
He further cites researches and states consistent exposure to high levels of air pollution during pregnancy has been linked to miscarriages as well as premature birth, autism spectrum disorder and asthma in children. Air pollution may damage children’s brain development, and also cause pneumonia, which kills almost one million children under the age of 5 every year. Children who breathe in higher levels of pollutants also face a greater risk of short-term respiratory infections and lung damage, he said.