Air pollution in Hanoi seriously affects health

Hanoi has never been polluted with heavy air like today, road dust, smoke and noise of motorcycles, cars . are discharged into the atmosphere of the City, seriously affecting the health of people.

That is the statement that scientists made at the Conference on "Air Quality and Press View" organized by Vietnam - Switzerland Clean Air Program (SVCAP) last morning (May 18) in Ha. Cabinet.

The Institute for Lung Disease and Lung Disease is always full of beds because of the pollution environment.(Photo: ND)

According to statistics in 2006, Hanoi has more than 172.4 thousand cars, an increase of 10-12% annually, 1.67 million motorcycles, an increase of nearly 19%. Hanoi also has more than 400 industrial facilities, of which nearly 200 are capable of causing air pollution.

According to the report of Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, Director of Center for Environmental Monitoring and Information, Department of Environmental Protection, dust concentration in residential areas near industrial zones or large roads exceeded the permitted standards. from 1.5 to three times, construction works surpass 10 to 20 times.

Investigation on the impact of air pollution on health due to traffic activities in Hanoi by Dr., Dr. Nguyen Duy Bao, Deputy Director of the Institute of Labor Medicine and Environmental Hygiene (Ministry of Health) also shows that, in some roads and intersections in Hanoi, noise exceeds the permitted standards. During the day, noise exceeds the permitted standards from 3.2-9.5 dBA, at night is much higher, from 25.6 to 26.5 dBA.

Dust concentration of intersections in Hanoi such as Lo Duc Street, Nga Tu So Street . in the hot season exceeds the permitted standards from 4 to 11 times, the cold season exceeds 3 to 6 times.

After a series of coordinated observations between Hanoi Department of Science and Technology and the Institute of Chemistry, scientists said that each year, the atmosphere receives 80,000 tons of smoke, 9,000 tons of SO ₂ , 19,000. tons of NO2 gas, 46,000 tons of CO2.

It is forecasted that by 2010, the concentration of these toxic gases at intersections in Hanoi will exceed the standard of 7 to 9 times.

Heavy air pollution has seriously affected people's health, said Dr. Nguyen Duy Bao.

According to the survey results, the incidence of respiratory diseases in people living around roads and intersections is higher than other residential areas, such as cough, sputum, sore throat, runny nose is approximately twice as high. Nasal diseases are two to three times more frequent.

This population also has a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases than other groups, such as: abnormal changes in electrocardiography by nearly three times, changes in blood pressure by 1.3 times, pulse by 1.8 times, no often when listening to the heart nearly twice . The incidence of eye diseases is also twice as high, nearly four times more than ear infections, dermatitis more than twice .

To reduce the impact of air pollution on people's health, Dr. Bao said that it is necessary to reduce personal vehicles, increase public means; regular inspection of emissions of vehicles; use of gasoline with low levels of Sulfuro and Benzene .

Strengthen communication and education activities to raise awareness and active participation of the community in environmental hygiene activities.

HONG VAN