Winter Air Pollution After Diwali and Its Effect on Asthma Patients
Everyone looks forward to the joy, togetherness, and celebration of Diwali. This beautiful festival fills the air with joy with its bright fireworks, sparkling lights, and sweets. However, along with the enjoyment and delight, it also carries with it a serious issue: a rise in air pollution. Following Diwali, there is a sharp increase in air pollution, especially in the winter, which can be quite harmful, especially for those who have asthma. Being careful with fireworks is not only an aspect of safety. Another is shielding them from everything that can jeopardize their well-being and health. Due to fireworks, smoke, and increased air pollution during Diwali, children’s respiratory conditions may get worse.
Asthma Bhawan highlights how vital it is to address winter air pollution after Diwali since the combination of burning stubble, firework smoke, and dropping temperatures deteriorates air quality and puts asthmatics in a toxic environment. The airways are irritated by the thick pollution and the increase in particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), which causes more frequent asthma attacks, coughing, wheezing, and dyspnea. Asthma sufferers become more vulnerable to severe respiratory complications with colder air trapping pollutants closer to the ground. Asthma Bhawan suggests that in order to properly manage symptoms during this crucial time, patients should use prescription inhalers, wear masks, stay indoors during peak pollution hours, and schedule routine checkups.
What Causes Winter Air Pollution After Diwali?
The following are some of the main causes of the increase in air pollution following Diwali:
- Fireworks and Crackers: During Diwali, the use of fireworks is common. Nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and microscopic dust particles (PM2.5 and PM10) are among the dangerous gases released by the crackers. These airborne particles are persistent and have detrimental effects on the lungs.
- Cold Winter Air: In winter, temperature inversion happens. Typically, warm air rises and removes pollutants. However, all the smoke and dust in winter make their way to the ground together with chilly air. As a result, our air is considerably more contaminated.
- Stubble Burning: In some parts of India, Farmers add more smoke to the air by burning the stubble from their remaining crops. This usually happens around Diwali, which exacerbates the pollution issue.
Why Asthma Patients Suffer More From Winter Air Pollution
Individuals with asthma are especially at risk during this time. Patients with asthma have trouble breathing because of the inflammation and constriction of their airways. The air pollutants can irritate the airways, triggering asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. The following are the health implications of air pollution, particularly for those who suffer from asthma:
- Particulate Matter: PM2.5 and PM10 are microscopic particles that can penetrate deeply into the lungs. When asthmatic patients inhale these particles, they may experience severe attacks, exacerbate pre-existing symptoms, or possibly require hospitalization.
- Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides: These gases can irritate the airways since fireworks emit them in enormous quantities. In asthma patients, Breathing becomes difficult due to inflammation of the bronchial passages caused by this stimulation.
- Cold Air and Pollution: Cold air itself is a known trigger for asthma. For people with asthma, it creates a fatal combination when combined with high pollution levels. Air pollution exacerbates the narrowing of the airways caused by cold air, making it more difficult for asthmatics to control their symptoms.
- Ozone Formation: Ground-level ozone can occur as a result of high concentrations of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Ozone is a dangerous gas that can irritate the lungs and cause asthma flare-ups.
Impacts of Air Pollution on Asthma Patients
Numerous issues related to asthma can be brought on by polluted air, including:
- Worsened Breathing Issues: Leading to shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing, air pollution inflames the airways.
- Increased use of Medication: Wintertime pollution levels typically require asthmatics to use their inhalers more frequently.
- Reduced Lung Function: Long-term exposure to high pollution levels can impair lung function, particularly in asthmatic children.
Asthma Symptoms to Keep an Eye On
It’s critical to monitor symptoms if you or someone you know has asthma, particularly in the winter months following Diwali, when air pollution is at its highest. Common symptoms include:
- Constant coughing, especially at night or early morning
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Pain in the chest
- Tightness
- Frequent use of an inhaler
How to Stay Safe During Winter?
Even if you have no influence over air pollution, you can take precautions against it, particularly if you have asthma:
- Stay Indoors During Peak Times: Early morning and late evening are when pollution levels are at their maximum. To prevent breathing in contaminated air during these periods, try to stay inside.
- Use an Air Purifier: Use an air purifier to keep the air in your house clean.
- Wear a Mask: Wearing a mask will help filter out hazardous particles from the air if you must go outside.
- Avoid Exercising Outdoors: Exercise can make you inhale more pollution. Exercise should be done indoors rather than outdoors, especially in areas with poor air quality.
- Always Carry Your Inhaler: Keep your inhaler with you at all times if you have asthma. Be ready for unexpected asthma episodes brought on by winter pollutants.
- Ventilate Smartly: Don’t leave them open when pollution is at its worst. Only open windows in the late afternoon or when the air is clearer.
- Stay Hydrated: Keep yourself feeling better by drinking lots of water to help remove mucus from your lungs.
FAQ's
Cold weather, stubble burning, and firecrackers all trap pollutants, increasing the toxicity of the air.
Air pollution irritates the lungs, leading to asthma episodes, coughing, wheezing, and dyspnea.
Keep inhalers close at hand, wear masks, and stay indoors during the hours when smog is at its worst.
Yes, exposure to dangerous particles is decreased when air purifiers are used indoors.
Immediate medical attention is required if symptoms increase, attacks occur more frequently, or inhalers are ineffective.
