No Clear Data Linking Air Pollution Directly To Disease, Says Health Minister Patel

There is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases, she said in a written reply.

Health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity etc. of the individuals.

The Government of India has taken several steps to address air pollution issues, she said. Elaborating further, Patel said the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana aims to safeguard the health of women and children by providing them with clean LPG.

Swachh Hawa (clean air) is an integral component of Swachh Bharat, she said.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the National Clean Air programme in 2019 as a national level strategy to reduce air pollution levels across the country, Patel said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health at the National Centre for Disease Control, with the objective to create awareness, capacity building, health sector preparedness and response-and partnerships-related activities on the climate sensitive health issues in the country since 2019, Patel said.

Now the programme has expanded in all the states and Union Territories and activities are conducted in the form of training on climate sensitive diseases, surveillance on acute respiratory illnesses and heat related illnesses, generation and dissemination of information, education and communication on air pollution and heat and its health impacts on health, including children's health.

Further, guidelines on 'Air Pollution and its Impact on Children's Health' have been developed in both Hindi and English under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health in 2020 and shared with states for implementation, she stated.

The NCDC under the MOHFW issues health advisory every year to states and Union Territories to address health concern of the masses, including those of children. Several workshops and trainings have been conducted for community-level health workers on air pollution and its impact on children's health, Patel said.