To The Health Minister of Delhi

17 June, 1998

Dr Harsh Vardhan
Minister for Health
Government of Delhi
Old Secretariat
Delhi
Fax : 2933667, 551

Dear Dr Harsh Vardhan,

We are writing to you on behalf of the citizens of Delhi, to express our shock at your recent statement, that there is no evidence to link pollution to heart and lung diseases.

The Centre’s Right to Clean Air Campaign has tried, over the last two years, to bring to your notice studies done around the world highlighting the health effects of pollution. But you have chosen to pick on the one study which says that diseases like asthma are aggravated, not caused, by air pollution, and extrapolated this to state publicly that pollution does not cause heart, lung and skin diseases. We would like to bring the following to your notice:

In Delhi, at least 10,000 people die annually of pollution related diseases.

Even if pollution only "aggravates" illness, it is cause enough for concern.

However, there are studies conducted around the world, which have proven the cause effect of pollution.

A study carried out by the American Lung Association in 1992 proved that pollution decreased the lung functioning capacity in children. A project sponsored by the European Commission’s Science and Research Directorate, where eleven research groups analysed data in 15 cities in Europe, showed clearly that increases in suspended particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, or ozone can significantly increase respiratory deaths and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses. These health effects were seen at pollutant levels much lower than those present in most Indian cities today.

Dr S K Chhabra, head of the cardiorespiratory department of Patel Chest Institute in Delhi carried out a study in 1994, and found that the prevalence of asthma among school children in Delhi was 11-12 per cent. Dr Chhabra had concluded that if the cases of ‘cumulative’ asthma or children who showed symptom of asthma at some point in the past were also taken into account then the figure would go upto 16-17 per cent. This means at least 2.5 lakh children in Delhi have asthma. According to heart surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan of Escorts Heart Institute, the rate of respiratory diseases in Delhi is 12 times more than the national average.

We will send you further information, collected by the US Environment Protection Agency, which we hope you will use to warn people of the ill effects of air pollution.

Rather than lulling the citizens of Delhi into a false sense of complacency, it is in the interest of your ministry to warn them of the ill effects of pollution, and urge them to take precautionary methods. One study conducted by the World Bank has shown that the health effects of air pollution in Delhi - borne by your ministry - are Rs 900 crore annually.

Instead of taking such escape routes to hide the inadequacies of your ministry, and delaying action, we call upon you to take necessary action against air pollution related diseases, which cause a higher mortality rate than dengue every year in Delhi. Elsewhere in the world, when pollution levels go up to those currently prevalent in Delhi, emergency measures, such as smog alerts to warn people to stay indoors, are implemented. The least we can do is to warn people that they are running a health risk, and ask them to take precautionary measures.

We demand either a retraction of your statement, or at least a clarification.


Yours sincerely,

Anumita Roychowdhury
(Campaign Co-ordinator)