Living near Dhapa like working in a silica mine

KOLKATA: Forget smoking. Just living within a 10km radius of the

Dhapa

dumping ground in Kolkata is as hazardous as working in a silica mine or an asbestos manufacturing unit, each of which exposes one to the risk of lung cancer, apart from a host of chronic respiratory disorders that could also be fatal.

The continuous burning of waste, particularly discarded plastics at Dhapa — identified as the biggest source of pollution in Kolkata — has been generating toxic fumes of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, which are invading the lungs of people in the vicinity in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). It has already resulted in a spurt in lung ailments, which could get worse in the next five years, even shortening the life-span of neighbourhood residents, pulmonologists and general physicians have warned.

“The Dhapa fires are like the mine fires that burn continuously and emit noxious fumes. What makes the Dhapa fumes lethal is that they are often generated by burning plastic wastes that are carcinogenic and could be fatal if inhaled for a sustained period. The effects are innocuous to begin with: cough, eye irritation or itching on the skin. But with continuous exposure to the fumes, they turn chronic and lead to serious ailments like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), bronchial asthma and lung cancer,” said CMRI Hospital pulmonologist Ranjan Das.

Those exposed to the toxic fumes — the affected area could be 10km in radius since the wind carries the polluted material to a great distance — could have a shorter life-span, according to AMRI Hospital consultant Debashish Saha. “Burning wastes at Dhapa makes the whole of east Kolkata like a silica mine or an asbestos unit. It’s established now that those working at such places have a reduced life-span. The Dhapa emission is perhaps even worse,” Saha said.

‘Sustained exposure to fumes may lead to asthma, lung cancer’
According to AMRI Hospital consultant Debashish Saha, the Dhapa emission has been triggering interstitial lung diseases among residents. “But we have never linked them to Dhapa pollution. It’s time we started noting down patients’ place of residence, so that we can gauge the likely intensity of the disease,” Saha said.

Those residing in and around Dhapa had a 50% higher chance of contracting a lung ailment than those in the rest of the city, said consultant Arindam Biswas. “And the affected area could be bigger than we believe. PM2.5 can travel at least 10km with the wind. The kind of fumes that are generated at Dhapa can lead to asthma, bronchitis, dermatitis and even lung cancer with sustained exposure. We need studies to link Dhapa pollution with lung ailments, but the effects would be quite apparent already. Chronic cough and skin ailments are bound to be more frequent in that part of the city,” said Biswas.

It’s time people in east Kolkata wore masks regularly and avoided morning walks, said Fortis internal medicine consultant Joydeep Ghosh. “Children and the elderly are more at risk due to their lower resistance and the fact that they spend the longest time at home. People in that area are prone to diseases like bronchial asthma, COPD and lung cancer. While a place like Bantala is widely acknowledged to be polluted, Dhapa, despite being closer to the city, has never been taken seriously. It is a breeding ground of diseases and a ticking time bomb,” Ghosh added.