Coimbatore: The Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Coimbatore branch and the Tamil Nadu pollution control board (TNPCB) have requested people to refrain from burning old stuff on Wednesday to mark bhogi, as it will cause air pollution.
Compared to earlier years, when people burnt organic waste like brooms, nowadays discarded tyres and plastic products are set on fire, producing carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, formaldehyde and butadiene. “When plastic is burnt, people can get exposed to dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyl and furan,” said Ramesh Karthik, assistant engineer of Coimbatore north.
Getting exposed to the toxins can be lethal for people who have recently been infected by Covid-19. Smoke may worsen the condition of wheezing patients and make them more vulnerable if they contract Covid-19.
“Lungs will be the first to be affected by Covid-19,” said pulmonologist Dr Nandagopal. “For people whose lungs have been affected by the virus, it can lead to many complications when they inhale smoke from burning of toxic wastes. It could lead to more exacerbations and coughing, among others,” he said. “For people who suffer lung fibrosis, their airways are already shrunk, and when they inhale smoke, it can lead to issues like breathlessness.”
Air pollution levels in the city is within the government-specified levels, TNPCB officials said. “If large-scale burnings occur, air quality level may turn worse for a few hours. We have air pollution sensors at Saibaba Colony, Kavundampalayam, Kurichi and PSG College of Arts and Science. So far, air pollution has not been widespread enough to be caught on these sensors during bhogi,” said Karthik.