Study Projects 47% Of All Kolkatta (Calcutta) Residents Have Lung Spots Showing Tissue Death

[hatrack]

Non-smokers' lungs ... Are as bad as smokers' in Kolkata. Don't take our word for it. Take a look at the X-ray plates of Sudarshan Seal (55), Anima Patra (45), or even 25-year-old Atul Das. These non-smokers are subjects in a research work that has come up with an alarming finding: 47% Kolkatans suffer from serious lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), of the type seen only in long time smokers.

Going by the study, nearly half of all Kolkatans have developed black spots in their lungs, indicative of degeneration and blocked/dead airways or blood vessels. These spots are called emphysema smoking-induced lung destruction that is peculiar to smokers who puff a pack or two a day. The culprit: air pollution and secondary smoke from cigarettes.

The findings of the study, conducted by the National Allergy Asthma-Bronchitis Institute (NAABI), left the researchers stunned for days. The report is a measure of how dangerous air pollution has become in Kolkata. As one of the researcher put it, "I and every other Kolkatan breathes in poison every waking and slumbering moment in the city. I never thought my lungs would as bad as a smoker's."

Killing statistics

The chilling statistics prompted NAABI a nodal organisation offering comprehensive treatment for chronic airway disorders like asthma, allergy, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) to undertake a unique research project to study the effects of pollution on high-risk groups and find ways to reduce the burden of the disease.

EDIT

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Lung-cancer-alarm-in-Kolkata/articleshow/5379371.cms

[xchrom]

1. Well now that's interesting. Nt

[hatrack]

2. I know what they need - TAX CUTS!!!!!

:silly:

[varelse]

3. this is so sad

I wonder what the same study would find in Mexico City. I've heard horror stories about the pollution there as well.

[roguevalley]

4. how horrifying.