India | Report reveals respiratory health burden of traffic police in Chennai

India | Report reveals respiratory health burden of traffic police in Chennai

The workplace of Traffic Police Personnel – the public streets – are highly polluted with various sources such as vehicular emissions, road dust, residential and commercial construction, industries, dump yards, etc. Thus, they are vulnerable to long term and continuous exposure to pollutants. Assessing their respiratory health will speak volumes about the brunt of air pollution that they are exposed to. In this context, Huma Lung Foundation, a member of Global Green and Healthy Hospitals and Doctors For Clean Air, conducted the radiographic screening for the Traffic Police Personnel …

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India | Report documents dangerous air quality in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

India | Report documents dangerous air quality in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

The State Health Resource Center and Doctors For Clean Air – Chhattisgarh have released a new report assessing the air quality, particularly the heavy metal content, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The report was released by SHRC in a meeting of governmental officials, doctors and public health specialists, at the office of State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Chhattisgarh.

The report found that levels of iron, zinc, lead, nickel and manganese in Raipur were several times higher than in a large city in the U.S., indicating that the city’s overall air quality is poor. Furthermore, the …

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Global | Commitments, call to action, and key takeaways from the WHO Air Pollution Conference

Global | Commitments, call to action, and key takeaways from the WHO Air Pollution Conference

Health Care Without Harm participated in the First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Geneva, Switzerland from October 30 – November 1, 2018. Learn more about our engagement at the conference at noharm-global.org/whoglobal.

“The health of the nation is in peril and the future of our children is at stake. It is time for resolute action, not just seasonal lament.”

– Dr. K. Srinath Reddy (President of the Public Health Foundation of India, a Health Care Without Harm partner) …

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India | Doctors urge Environment Minister to strengthen health action in proposed National Clean Air Program

National Clean Air Program: Need more than just research, say experts
At least 25 public health professionals from leading institutes have written to the Environment Ministry.

Source: Shweta Narayan of Health Energy Initiative – India, as published in The News Minute. The story has been picked up by a wire service and syndicated to news outlets around the country. See one such article in Business Standard.

As the last date for submitting comments on the draft National Clean Air Program (NCAP) by Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) …

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India | Op-ed: Public health in times of environmental pollution

India | Op-ed: Public health in times of environmental pollution

The draft National Clean Air Programme has lofty goals, but falls short on three key counts

Source: Bhargav Krishna and Dr. K. Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, excerpted from the Hindu Business Line. 

The World Health Organization recently released its updated Ambient Air Pollution database, noting that over 90 per cent of the global population lives in areas with poor air quality. Unsurprisingly, India figures prominently on the list with 14 of the top 15 cities showing the highest levels of annual average PM2.5 (particulates …

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9 out of 10 People Worldwide Breathe Polluted Air, But More Countries Are Taking Action

9 out of 10 People Worldwide Breathe Polluted Air, But More Countries Are Taking Action

Source: World Health Organization

Air pollution levels remain dangerously high in many parts of the world. New data from WHO shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Updated estimations reveal an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.

“Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalized people bear the brunt of the burden,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “It is unacceptable that over 3 …

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Global | Lancet Countdown 2017 Report Shows Urgency of Healthy Energy Transition

Global | Lancet Countdown 2017 Report Shows Urgency of Healthy Energy Transition

“From 25 years of inaction to a global transformation for public health”

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change (*) released this week its 2017 report titled, “From 25 years of inaction to a global transformation for public health.” The report builds upon the influential 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, which emphasized that the response to climate change could be “the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.”

The Lancet Countdown’s 2017 report tracks 40 indicators across five areas, arriving at three key conclusions:

The …

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Global | Report: Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health

Global | Report: Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health

The Report from The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health analyzes and communicates the massive scope of the health and economic costs of air, water, and soil pollution. Through analyses of existing and emerging data, the Report reveals pollution’s severe and underreported contribution to the Global Burden of Disease. It uncovers the economic costs of pollution to low- and middle-income countries, and compare the costs of inaction to the costs of available solutions. It informs key decision makers around the world about the burden that pollution places …

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South Africa | Book Chapter: Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health in South Africa

South Africa | Book Chapter: Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health in South Africa

Rico Euripidou of groundWork, the Healthy Energy Initiative’s partner in South Africa, co-authored a chapter on “Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health in South Africa,” in a recently published book on Climate Change and Air Pollution: The Impact on Human Health in Developed and Developing Countries. Other co-authors include members of the Public Health Association of South Africa’s Climate, Energy and Health (CEH) Special Interest Group.

Abstract: 

Climate change and air pollution pose significant short-term and long-term health risks to South Africans due to the carbon intensity of …

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South Africa | Study: US$107-242 billion of externalities across lifecycle of South Africa’s Kusile Coal Plant

South Africa | Study: US$107-242 billion of externalities across lifecycle of South Africa’s Kusile Coal Plant

According to a study published in South African Journal of Science, the total coal-fuel cycle externality cost on both the environment and humans over the Kusile Coal Fired Power Station’s lifespan was estimated at ZAR1 449.9 billion to ZAR3 279 billion or 91c/kWh to 205c/kWh sent out (baseline: ZAR2 172.7 billion or 136c/kWh). Accounting for the life-cycle burdens and damages of coal-derived electricity conservatively, doubles to quadruples the price of electricity, making renewable energy sources such as wind and solar attractive alternatives. Read more.

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