Air pollution causes miscarriage, stroke ― Expert warns

A public health expert, Dr Tolulope Tolufase, has warned that air pollution can cause non-communicable diseases like stroke, diabetes, miscarriage, dementia, Parkinson disease and poor development in children.

Tolufase, who is the President, Moole Charity Foundation, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lafia.

He said that people are ignorant of the magnitude of danger that air pollution resulting from man’s harmful activities to the environment could cause.

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The public health expert said that some of man’s harmful activities include gas flaring, indiscriminate burning of fossil fuel like firewood and tyres, indiscriminate felling of trees and other activities.

Tolufase said the recent World Health Organisation (WHO) global air pollution meeting held in Geneva, had it that one in every nine deaths in the world was caused by air pollution.

“Research has shown that non-communicable diseases such as stroke, dementia, diabetes, miscarriage, poor development in children and Parkinson diseases are caused by air pollution.

“The effects of air pollution cannot be over emphasized. WHO reports that 4.2 million people, the world over, die every day as a result of air pollution.

“The report said 92 per cent of world population live in places where the air is being polluted, it means that you and I are breathing bad air,’’ he said.

The expert enjoined the populace to take proactive steps to stop burning fossil fuel such as firewood and tyres indiscriminately to lower carbon production emissions in the environment.

Similarly, he appealed to the government to intensify awareness campaign against indiscriminate felling of trees, burning of tyres and other activities capable of causing air pollution.

“Government should intensify awareness campaign, also look into places where gas flaring is taking place; and people should replace every tree they fell,’’ Tolufase said.

The health expert urged that viral influenza common with harmattan should not be treated with antibiotics.

“People should not treat flu with antibiotics because it is a viral infection; you are also advised to wear clothes that can keep you warm and also take a lot of water to keep you from dehydration,’’ Tolufase advised.