Prevent Air Pollution And Breath Life Aleem.M.A. BMJ 2019;364:l1399

British Medical  Journal 

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Every breath you take

BMJ 2019; 364 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1399 (Published 27 March 2019)

Cite this as: BMJ 2019;364:l1399

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Re: Every breath you take

Prevent Air Pollution And Breath Life

The health effects of air pollution are serious – one third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution. Nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, which kills 7 million people every year.

Microscopic pollutants in the air can penetrate the tissues and enter our respiratory and circulatory system, damaging the human lungs, heart and brain.

There are two main types of air pollution which include outdoor pollution and indoor air pollution. In India pollution generated by household combustion of fuels (by burning fuel such as coal, wood or kerosene) using open fires or basic stoves in poorly ventilated spaces are common and both of this indoor and outdoor air pollution can combine as air moves from inside buildings to the outside, and vice versa.

Household air pollution kills 4 million people a year and tends to affect countries in Africa and Asia including India, where polluting fuels and technologies are used every day particularly at home for cooking, heating and lighting. Women and children, who tend to spend more time indoors, are affected the most. 

Competing interests: No competing interests

31 March 2019

M.A. Aleem

Emeritus Professor of Neurology * Visiting Specialist in Neurology ** Consultant Neurologist ***

The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University * Dhanalakshami Srinivasan Medical College ** ABC Hospital ***

Chennai 600032* Perambalure 621212** Trichy 620018*** Tamilnadu India

@drmaaleem