City air pollution costs Tk 134b a year
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Air pollution entails a massive cost worth Tk 134 billion a year in the capital alone in terms of lost human health and life, an economic evaluation of the contamination revealed, reports BSS.
The figure accounts for three-four per cent of the country's national GDP. After evaluating the economic impacts, the study found over Tk 93 billion as the cost of death, Tk 15 billion as cost of chronic bronchitis and Tk 4.3 billion as cost of restrictive activity days.
The study also found Tk 1.0 billion as cost for treatment of respiratory diseases, Tk 5.0 billion as cost of asthma attacks and Tk 6.0 billion as cost of respiratory symptoms diseases.
Prof AK Azad and Prof S Jahan of Environmental Science Discipline of Khulna University and Prof J Sultana of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology conducted the study that was presented at an international conference recently.
Air pollution is causing a serious threat to public health in most of the urban centres in the developing countries, according to experts. Dhaka is regarded as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
There have, however, been significant improvements with the phasing out of two-stroke, three- wheelers.
"Three pollutants - Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), sulphur dioxide and air-borne lead pose a significant air pollution problem, having major public health impacts," says the study.
Among the pollutants, SPM, whose levels are five-six times higher than Bangladesh standard in the heavily polluted areas in Dhaka, is the most harmful one.
Risk assessment of particulate matter has been performed and evaluation of economic loss due to adverse health effects has also been made. "Results from this analysis showed that the number of deaths caused by particulate matter pollution in Dhaka is 10,350 per annum."
For particulate matter pollution, this study predicts about 74,000 cases of chronic bronchitis, about 70 million cases of restricted activity days, about 14,000 cases of respiratory hospital diseases, over 286,000 emergency room visits, about 2.8 million cases of asthma attacks and over 220 million respiratory symptom days.
Among the pollutants, particulate composed of fully dispersed liquids and solids, including soot, dust and organic and inorganic substances are the most harmful.
It is emitted in the atmosphere from various activity sources, such as transportation, fuel combustion, industrial process and solid waste disposal.
Air pollution also reduces food production and timber harvests, because high levels of pollution impair photosynthesis.
The WHO estimates that about 7,00,000 deaths annually could be prevented in developing countries if three major atmospheric pollutants - carbon monoxide, suspended particulate matter, and lead - were brought down to safer levels.
Air pollution kills 15,000 Bangladeshis each year, according to a World Bank report. The report says the country could save between 200 million and 800 million US dollars a year - about 0.7 to 3.0 per cent of its Gross National Product (GNP) - if air pollution in its four major cities was reduced.
The figure accounts for three-four per cent of the country's national GDP. After evaluating the economic impacts, the study found over Tk 93 billion as the cost of death, Tk 15 billion as cost of chronic bronchitis and Tk 4.3 billion as cost of restrictive activity days.
The study also found Tk 1.0 billion as cost for treatment of respiratory diseases, Tk 5.0 billion as cost of asthma attacks and Tk 6.0 billion as cost of respiratory symptoms diseases.
Prof AK Azad and Prof S Jahan of Environmental Science Discipline of Khulna University and Prof J Sultana of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology conducted the study that was presented at an international conference recently.
Air pollution is causing a serious threat to public health in most of the urban centres in the developing countries, according to experts. Dhaka is regarded as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
There have, however, been significant improvements with the phasing out of two-stroke, three- wheelers.
"Three pollutants - Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), sulphur dioxide and air-borne lead pose a significant air pollution problem, having major public health impacts," says the study.
Among the pollutants, SPM, whose levels are five-six times higher than Bangladesh standard in the heavily polluted areas in Dhaka, is the most harmful one.
Risk assessment of particulate matter has been performed and evaluation of economic loss due to adverse health effects has also been made. "Results from this analysis showed that the number of deaths caused by particulate matter pollution in Dhaka is 10,350 per annum."
For particulate matter pollution, this study predicts about 74,000 cases of chronic bronchitis, about 70 million cases of restricted activity days, about 14,000 cases of respiratory hospital diseases, over 286,000 emergency room visits, about 2.8 million cases of asthma attacks and over 220 million respiratory symptom days.
Among the pollutants, particulate composed of fully dispersed liquids and solids, including soot, dust and organic and inorganic substances are the most harmful.
It is emitted in the atmosphere from various activity sources, such as transportation, fuel combustion, industrial process and solid waste disposal.
Air pollution also reduces food production and timber harvests, because high levels of pollution impair photosynthesis.
The WHO estimates that about 7,00,000 deaths annually could be prevented in developing countries if three major atmospheric pollutants - carbon monoxide, suspended particulate matter, and lead - were brought down to safer levels.
Air pollution kills 15,000 Bangladeshis each year, according to a World Bank report. The report says the country could save between 200 million and 800 million US dollars a year - about 0.7 to 3.0 per cent of its Gross National Product (GNP) - if air pollution in its four major cities was reduced.