nDoctors from the Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will soon initiate a pilot study in Jharkhand's two districts — Hazaribagh and Koderma — to evaluate the ill effect of biomass fuels (dung, agriculture waste and wood) on the overall health of the tribals, particularly women in the region.
Dr JS Titiyal, Chief investigator of the study and senior ophthalmologist from RP Centre, AIIMS said, "The biomass based cooking fuels that are commonly used in Indian households especially by the poorest socio-economic groups carry a lot of health related short-term and long-term hazards that were not systematically studied till to date."
Inhalation of these pollutants may cause deleterious effects on health, he added.
Women are most affected due to direct exposure to such waste several hours every day. "The problem seems not restricted to just this. It has been found that smoke exposure also affects mental health and a link between mental health and air pollution seems a real possibility," he said.
The study will investigate affect on health from smoke and its short and long term consequences on cardiac and pulmonary functions, explained Dr Titiyal. The study spanning three years will also compare health of those using clean fuels such as LPG with those using conventional method, results of which will help the authorities in drawing long term policies for the welfare of the tribal people.
A pact has been inked between the AIIMS, Delhi and the Jharkhand Government to conduct the study which is being funded by the Central Coalfields Ltd in the
State.
According to various data, household air pollution (HAP) from combustion of solid fuels for cooking mainly coal and biomass fuels (wood, coal, crop residues, dung) has been ranked as the second global cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and a major cause of reduced life expectancy in South Asia.
Globally, around 4.3 million deaths per year are attributed to household air pollution
Further the smoke from the biomass has been shown to cause cataract, eye dryness and other eyes diseases. The multidisciplinary team from the AIIMS comprising Rakesh Yadav, Professor of Cardiology, Dr Nand Kumar, Professor of Psychiatry, Dr Ramkishor Sah, Scientist, R P Centre and Dr Subhradip Karmakar, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, all from the AIIMS among others will investigate blood based markers as well as vital organ physiology parameters to address the problem.
The doctors will also assess the tear proteomics and genomic profiling to understand the interaction between users and non-users of biomass fuels besides evaluating the risk factor of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke increased with more prolonged use of solid fuels.
