Speaking at an event to mark the 68th birth anniversary of Madan Bhandari early this month, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made a bold claim. “Before I took office, more than half of the population in Kathmandu wore a mask. But now that number has significantly dropped,” he said.
However, a report states that walking out in Kathmandu without a mask is dangerous for health. Kathmandu’s air quality is five times worse than the World Health Organisation standard. It is one of the most polluted city in the world.
According to a recent study by Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Kathmandu’s dust contains metal particles that causes memory loss and even worse, cancer.
A team led by a senior scientist at NAST Dr Bhojraj Panta had conducted research in June which found out that Kathmandu air had various type of metallic objects which could cause many respiratory diseases as well as other ailments. The report states that in each gram of dust contains 6.1 microgram copper, 41.30 microgram iron, 10.5 microgram nickel, 20 microgram led and 121 microgram zinc. Dr Panta’s team collected samples from the ring road and the surrounding areas.
How was the study done?
According to Dr Panta, NAST carried out the research to monitor the amount of metal in the air.
“We took samples from 40 different places in the valley. We then mixed the dust with acid to see what effect it had on it. After mixing the dust with liquid the metal in the dust started to appear. To know which metal was present in the air we used atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).”
Pant says that after they put the dust in the AAS, they found various metals like copper, nickel, zinc and led in the air.
“Iron content in the dust was the most. We found up to 8,135-milligram iron content in the dust. Which was quite alarming,” he added.
Doctors believe that the presence of metals in the air was extremely dangerous for the people living in the valley. “Nickel is a dangerous metal. Breathing air which contains it might cause cancer,” says Dr Baburam Marasini former chief of Epidemiology & Disease Control Division.
The report prepared by NAST states that nickel content was 25.34 milligram per gram of dust. Similarly lead content was 67.5 milligram. According to Dr Marasini, lead causes memory loss and food poisoning. Dr Pant further adds that iron content in the air we breathe could cause tiredness, anemia, kidney failure, and nervous system damage.
The copper in the air could cause liver damage and throat infection. Similarly, Dr Pant added that zinc content creates a problem in the stomach and intestine and causes dehydration, nausea, and dizziness.
How to survive?
According to environmentalists, the only way to eradicate dust is to first find out the source. The main source of dust is believed to be construction materials and industrial waste. Experts believe that smoke and chemicals coming out of factories is one of the main reason for metallic content in the air.
They further add that the only way this can be stopped is for the government to monitor the industries and stop the pollution at its source.
The government has said that it will make Kathmandu dust-free by the next fiscal. The recently announced budget states that the government is planning to make sure that all heavy vehicles are cleaned before entering Kathmandu.
According to research by the Nepal Chemical Society and Kathmandu Institute of Applied Science around 30 per cent people living mostly around Kalanki area wore a mask. However, the research also states that the masks being used aren’t safe.
The mask available in the market only protect a person from dust. Dr Marasini shares that the mask does not protect the people from metallic substances entering the body.
“The only mask people should use is N-95. Rest is of no use,” said Dr Marasini.
