This year Diwali and its aftermath marked a period of exceptionally poor air quality in Guwahati, as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached abnormally higher levels than recommended, constantly showing AQI between 101-200 for last few days, which implies that city has fallen into the ‘Poor quality’ air, signifying extreme air pollution. Digging deeper into the pollution analysis, the current PM2.5 concentrations in Guwahati is 5.5 times above the recommended limit given by the WHO 24 hrs air quality guidelines value on 6th November, which reaffirmed the severity of the situation, making Guwahati a pollution hotspot. While the city's overall meteorological conditions offer a mixed outlook, as winter settled in, keeping in mind the worsening air quality levels, it casts a shadow over public health.
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Air pollution is an important health concern that everyone should be cautious of all year round, but it’s especially important to know how and why winter can put us at greater risk. Winter brings with it a unique set of challenges, especially concerning air quality. The reason why air quality worsens in the winter is because of how the air mixes. In the winter, the surface of the earth gets cooler and the air near the surface is also cooled. This dense layer of cool air often gets trapped below a layer of warm air, which is called a “temperature inversion.” With less air mixing, pollutants are trapped near the ground, leaving cities to choke on their own pollution.
Another reason why air pollution is worse in the winter is the fact that air is less humid. Cold air molecules naturally hold less moisture than warm air molecules, which means that the chances of rainfall are generally lower. This isn’t ideal because rain can wash away pollutants and stop thermal inversions from happening by mixing up layers of air. Because air is drier in the winter, thunderstorms (which have the ability to break up ozone) are also less frequent, making air pollution a bigger problem.
In addition, the way we behave during the winter usually contributes to higher levels of air pollution, which can make air quality worse. At home, we’re likely to use fireplaces and wood burners, which can triple the amount of PM. Besides, we tend to open windows less often when it’s cold outside in an effort to conserve heat. This can cause a lack of ventilation, which might make pollution levels more concentrated.
Winter air quality can pose a range of challenges for respiratory health. Exposure to pollutants, such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds can lead to irritation, inflammation, and exacerbation of respiratory conditions. This situation can trigger symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath and in severe cases, can lead to respiratory infections, especially for individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other lung disorders or allergies.
Moreover, air pollution affects different age groups in specific ways. Studies have shown that as adults, pollution can increase the likelihood of having a stroke. However, it can also have serious effects on children (who are at risk of slower lung development) and elderly people. In fact, emerging research suggests that there may be a link between particulate matter and dementia. This could make matters more concerning than we thought.
As we reflect on the findings of the comprehensive winter air quality, it’s clear that urgent measures are needed to address Guwahati’s air pollution crisis. Poor air puts the health and well-being of Guwahatians at risk and thus, policymakers, nearby industries and individuals have to come together and implement sustainable solutions. The combination of predicted meteorological factors offers some respite, urging residents to remain hopeful yet cautious. With the right knowledge and implementing few measures as written below, we can significantly reduce the risks associated with poor air quality and this can help safeguard the lung health during the winter season -
- Dress Warmly: Cover mouth and nose when going outside to warm up the air before it enters our lungs.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids to keep our airways moist.
- Exercise Indoors: If one is sensitive to cold air, opt for indoor exercise to avoid breathing in the cold, dry air. Practicing breathing exercises and yoga also confers benefit.
- Seek Medical Advice: Consult the healthcare providers for personalised advice on managing respiratory conditions in winter.
- Eat a healthy diet: Avoid junk or oily food items and start intake of healthy and nutritious food items.
- Practice Good Hand Hygiene: Wash hands regularly and keeping yourself away from germs entering body.
- People with Asthma and COPD should avoid polluted areas: The risk of COPD and asthma increases when one is in polluted areas. So wearing masks and staying indoors as much as possible to avoid pollution.
- Avoiding harmful environmental factors such as smoke, dust and chemicals.
Besides the lung issues directly related to air pollution, respiratory infections are most frequently transmitted during the winter months with common respiratory viruses such as the common cold (Flu), RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), Adenovirus and Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition to the impact of poor air quality, different human behaviours during the winter, such as the transition from outdoor activities to indoors and lack of exercise, the reduction in ambient temperature also appears to impact the efficiency of the immune response against these respiratory viruses which circulate in the fall and winter seasons causing illness of varying severity. Anyone can get sick from these infectious respiratory illnesses; however, individuals with chronic lung disease have increased risk for severe illness. Besides the above preventive measures, Flu vaccination is also recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older, yearly to prevent or to decrease the severity of flu, if anyone gets the infection.
Remember, being informed and proactive about air quality and its impact on lung health is the first step towards ensuring a healthy winter for you and your loved ones. Stay informed, take precautions, and prioritise your respiratory health this winter season.
(The author is a Doctor of Medicine. All views and opinions are the author’s own.)