Opinion: Is Air Pollution Making India Age Faster?
The blanket of smog that covers multiple developed and developing cities around the world — including our nation’s capital — is not just responsible for choking our lungs. Studies suggest that this pollution can also shorten our lifespan by making our bodies age biologically faster. India, the world’s most populated nation and the largest democracy, has been facing the horrors of air pollution for years. As per real-time data, three of the major Indian metros, namely Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, are listed among the most air-polluted cities by IQAir. Delhi, the capital of India, tops the list.
In a 2021 study, it was estimated that 10.2 million deaths occur prematurely around the world annually due to the particulate matter attributed to fossil-fuel emissions. Approximately 5 million annual deaths across the world are due to fossil fuel-linked outdoor (ambient) air pollution. It is estimated that around 4.3 million urban people may die prematurely every year due to outdoor air pollution by 2050. India, China, the United States, and Europe are regions that bear the brunt of large amounts of fossil-fuel emissions. Air pollution from fossil-fuel sources not only impacts the environment, but can take years off your life. India is the most populated nation of the world, with 65% of its population below 35 years of age. India ranks third globally in air-pollution levels.
Polluted air has high concentrations of particulate matter (PM). They are around 10 micrometres (PM10) or 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) in diameter or less. Toxic gasses such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide are also present in polluted air. The energy sector, followed by transportation, are two major sources of these pollutants.
Creating Toxins At The Cellular Level
The way our body works is determined by the information coded in our genetic materials or DNA. This genetic information is packed in the nucleus of each cell of our body, in chromosomes. Over our lifetime, most body cells will undergo multiple divisions where the genetic materials in the chromosome will be copied into a new cell (the daughter cell). However, each division will reduce the length of the genetic material packed in these chromosomes. These copied sections of the chromosomes are at their ends — like the tip of the shoelaces or ‘aglets’ — and are called telomeres.
The telomeres protect the chromosomes from getting damaged. They shorten over time due to cell division, and, as they keep reducing, they play a role in the ageing process of cells, and act as a clock that helps keep track of the number of times a cell has gone through cell division. Scientists have determined that the shortening of telomeres is the key to the ageing puzzle. An infant has the longest telomere, and its length starts reducing as the person ages.
Recent studies indicate a relationship between air-pollution exposure and shorter telomere length. Air pollution is responsible for multiple diseases, such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, hypertension, and neurodegenerative diseases. There is an indirect relation as air pollution reportedly leads to earlier onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Age and predisposition are all factors for these diseases.
Air pollution causes the creation of toxic substances in our cells called reactive oxygen species (ROS). This causes stress to our cells, leading to inflammation and eventually cell death. This requires cells to divide more than usual, in turn reducing the telomere length.
Research indicates that newborns can also have shorter telomere length if the parents are highly exposed to air pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The regulatory frameworks help reduce air pollution, but some mitigation strategies are required. The National Clean Air Programme or NCAP was established to reduce pollution by 20-30% by 2024 relative to levels from 2017; the Comprehensive Action Plan was to prevent and control air pollution in Delhi and the surrounding NCR regions; and, in 2017, a Graded Response Action Plan was set up to control pollution in Delhi. It divides air pollution into different categories, and measures it according to the amount of pollution present. The Bharat Stage Emission Standards also regulate the emission of air pollutants from combustion sources such as engines in vehicles. Bharat Stage VI (2020) makes it mandatory to use cleaner sources of fuel, and imposes stricter control on vehicle emissions.
India, however, fights a tough battle with unemployment, economic market fluctuations, geopolitical shifts, and the need to provide basic healthcare facilities to all its citizens. While managing these pressing socioeconomic-political issues, the policies to ensure citizens’ right to a clean environment take a backseat. However, air pollution reduces our quality of life and can also make us ‘too old, too soon’, which needs to be addressed with applicable solutions.
Divyanshi Kaul and Abhiroop Chowdhury are, respectively, student and Dean of Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability, O.P. Jindal Global University.
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