<p><b>By Durba Ghosh</b></p>.<p>Anushka Gowda moved from the US to Bengaluru a year ago with her two-year-old daughter. Soon after, the child developed allergic rhinitis, which is essentially a milder form of asthma.</p>.<p>Also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis is typically caused by allergens such as pollen, dust or even cat hair in the surrounding environment. Symptoms can range from a runny nose to wheezing and swollen eyes.</p>.<p>The condition can affect sleep patterns and concentration and Anushka’s daughter was no exception. Doctors recommend food supplements to strengthen the lungs and medicines to minimise the symptoms but once contracted, the child may live with the problem for life. </p>.<p>The culprit here isn’t the plummeting air quality of the erstwhile Garden City, though. It’s the bio pollutants, or the naturally occurring pollutants in the air that Bengaluru’s pleasant weather harbours, which are responsible for the two-year-old’s ailment.</p>.<p>Pollens are mainly responsible for Pollinosis, which leads to the exacerbation of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, allergic rhinitis, rhino-conjunctivitis, and various skin diseases such as eczema and dermatitis, explains Dr Ravindra Khaliwal, who is the additional professor for environmental studies at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).</p>.<p>“The bio-pollutants present in the atmosphere are the integrated part of airborne particulate matter [PM]. As they are micro-particles, when inhaled, it can act as a risk factor for many other respiratory diseases, stroke, and heart complications,” he says.</p>.<p>With no sure-shot cure for it, caution and prevention are the only ways to control the condition. “The condition more often than not will develop into chronic asthma or bronchitis, especially in children because their immune system is vulnerable,” notes Dr. Rinku Roy, consultant diabetologist at Life Span India and former medical officer of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.</p>.<p>The months leading up to the monsoon season record the highest density of allergy-causing pollen. According to AB Singh, emeritus scientist at New Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, pollens have a tendency of getting attracted to water and that’s why when moisture levels are high in the air, pollens disintegrate and become more of an issue. </p>.<p><strong>Double whammy</strong></p>.<p>Although allergens in the air have always found Bengaluru’s weather a hospitable dwelling, the problem has aggravated in the last few years because of additional air pollution from vehicles. “When pollen gets in contact with air pollutants, it reacts, modifying its morphology that leads to several changes like shrinkage in pollen grains size, thinning in exine, exine rupture etc. which is associated with the release of inner cytoplasmic granules or sub-pollen particles in the atmosphere,” Dr Khaliwal explains.</p>.<p>As a result, the number of health issues owing to bio-pollutant allergies has risen in tandem with the rise in other man-made pollutants. “Studies show that the damage done by inhaling Bengaluru’s air just for an hour can take a month to heal. PM levels get absorbed in the bloodstream leading to coagulation, heart attacks and nervous damage,” says Dr Paramesh H, paediatric pulmonologist based in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Dust is still the main cause of such respiratory allergens and pollen is the next big contributor at 20%, says Dr. Gayathri Pandit, Bengaluru-based ENT surgeon and allergy specialist.</p>.<p>A study conducted by the Lakeside Medical Center and Hospital had found about 9% of the children suffering from asthma in 1979. By 2009, the number increased three-fold to 25%. Today, more than 35% of the children in the city are suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems, according to Dr Paramesh, who was part of the research team.</p>.<p>According to a study by Urban Emissions—a city programme to assess air pollution and gather data—along with researchers from the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), the estimated pollution of particulate matter 10 or PM10, which includes pollen, may increase by 74% by 2030.</p>.<p>The 2018 study also challenged a 2010 projection of Central Pollution Control Board that had said PM10 level may rise by 100% by 2017, based on the data collected within an area of over 600 sq. km. Dr Arijit Chanda of CSTEP said their study conducted tests in a wider area of over 4,000 sq. km. and found that the PM10 levels had already risen by 300%.</p>.<p><strong>Tackling it</strong></p>.<p>The toxic growth of bio-pollutants in the city, however, can be arrested.</p>.<p>Bio-pollutants are pollen or fungal spores released by flowering plants. According to Nandini N, an environmental science professor at Bangalore University, trees such as Peltophorum pterocarpum (copper cod) and Delonix regia (Gulmohar) along with some other variants of flowers produce these pollen that are released in the air with the wind.</p>.<p>Dr Khaliwal suggests the first step should be to curb plantation of these pollen-producing trees in the future. “Pollen calendar for the city should also be mapped and the early advisories should be given to the citizens so that they can avoid exposure. Highly sensitive population can use protective gears during the high-pollen seasons as the allergic content of pollen will be high,” he adds.</p>.<p><em>(Author is Bengaluru - based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)</em></p>
<p><b>By Durba Ghosh</b></p>.<p>Anushka Gowda moved from the US to Bengaluru a year ago with her two-year-old daughter. Soon after, the child developed allergic rhinitis, which is essentially a milder form of asthma.</p>.<p>Also known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis is typically caused by allergens such as pollen, dust or even cat hair in the surrounding environment. Symptoms can range from a runny nose to wheezing and swollen eyes.</p>.<p>The condition can affect sleep patterns and concentration and Anushka’s daughter was no exception. Doctors recommend food supplements to strengthen the lungs and medicines to minimise the symptoms but once contracted, the child may live with the problem for life. </p>.<p>The culprit here isn’t the plummeting air quality of the erstwhile Garden City, though. It’s the bio pollutants, or the naturally occurring pollutants in the air that Bengaluru’s pleasant weather harbours, which are responsible for the two-year-old’s ailment.</p>.<p>Pollens are mainly responsible for Pollinosis, which leads to the exacerbation of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, allergic rhinitis, rhino-conjunctivitis, and various skin diseases such as eczema and dermatitis, explains Dr Ravindra Khaliwal, who is the additional professor for environmental studies at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).</p>.<p>“The bio-pollutants present in the atmosphere are the integrated part of airborne particulate matter [PM]. As they are micro-particles, when inhaled, it can act as a risk factor for many other respiratory diseases, stroke, and heart complications,” he says.</p>.<p>With no sure-shot cure for it, caution and prevention are the only ways to control the condition. “The condition more often than not will develop into chronic asthma or bronchitis, especially in children because their immune system is vulnerable,” notes Dr. Rinku Roy, consultant diabetologist at Life Span India and former medical officer of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.</p>.<p>The months leading up to the monsoon season record the highest density of allergy-causing pollen. According to AB Singh, emeritus scientist at New Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, pollens have a tendency of getting attracted to water and that’s why when moisture levels are high in the air, pollens disintegrate and become more of an issue. </p>.<p><strong>Double whammy</strong></p>.<p>Although allergens in the air have always found Bengaluru’s weather a hospitable dwelling, the problem has aggravated in the last few years because of additional air pollution from vehicles. “When pollen gets in contact with air pollutants, it reacts, modifying its morphology that leads to several changes like shrinkage in pollen grains size, thinning in exine, exine rupture etc. which is associated with the release of inner cytoplasmic granules or sub-pollen particles in the atmosphere,” Dr Khaliwal explains.</p>.<p>As a result, the number of health issues owing to bio-pollutant allergies has risen in tandem with the rise in other man-made pollutants. “Studies show that the damage done by inhaling Bengaluru’s air just for an hour can take a month to heal. PM levels get absorbed in the bloodstream leading to coagulation, heart attacks and nervous damage,” says Dr Paramesh H, paediatric pulmonologist based in Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Dust is still the main cause of such respiratory allergens and pollen is the next big contributor at 20%, says Dr. Gayathri Pandit, Bengaluru-based ENT surgeon and allergy specialist.</p>.<p>A study conducted by the Lakeside Medical Center and Hospital had found about 9% of the children suffering from asthma in 1979. By 2009, the number increased three-fold to 25%. Today, more than 35% of the children in the city are suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems, according to Dr Paramesh, who was part of the research team.</p>.<p>According to a study by Urban Emissions—a city programme to assess air pollution and gather data—along with researchers from the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), the estimated pollution of particulate matter 10 or PM10, which includes pollen, may increase by 74% by 2030.</p>.<p>The 2018 study also challenged a 2010 projection of Central Pollution Control Board that had said PM10 level may rise by 100% by 2017, based on the data collected within an area of over 600 sq. km. Dr Arijit Chanda of CSTEP said their study conducted tests in a wider area of over 4,000 sq. km. and found that the PM10 levels had already risen by 300%.</p>.<p><strong>Tackling it</strong></p>.<p>The toxic growth of bio-pollutants in the city, however, can be arrested.</p>.<p>Bio-pollutants are pollen or fungal spores released by flowering plants. According to Nandini N, an environmental science professor at Bangalore University, trees such as Peltophorum pterocarpum (copper cod) and Delonix regia (Gulmohar) along with some other variants of flowers produce these pollen that are released in the air with the wind.</p>.<p>Dr Khaliwal suggests the first step should be to curb plantation of these pollen-producing trees in the future. “Pollen calendar for the city should also be mapped and the early advisories should be given to the citizens so that they can avoid exposure. Highly sensitive population can use protective gears during the high-pollen seasons as the allergic content of pollen will be high,” he adds.</p>.<p><em>(Author is Bengaluru - based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)</em></p>
