News
Indoor air quality: SL to launch vital study
View(s):Peradeniya & J’pura Universities in collaboration with Wayamba and KDU to look into the homes of expectant mothers using firewood for cooking in Colombo & Kandy districts
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
The two-year research project to be launched shortly in the two districts of Colombo and Kandy is ‘Effects of Indoor Air Pollution on Respiratory Functions, Cognitive Functions, Quality of Life, Health Status and Growth and Development of Pregnant Women, Infants and Children aged 2-5 years in Sri Lanka’.
The Universities of Sri Jayewardenepura and Peradeniya have received the funding to conduct this important study, with the other collaborators being Wayamba University and Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).
The study will be conducted by the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, with the support of the Faculties of Medicine of Wayamba and KDU.
It would be directed and guided by the expertise of Consultant Clinical Physiologist, Prof. Savithri Wimalasekera of the J’pura University; Senior Consultant Respiratory Physician Prof. Dushantha Madegedara of the Kandy National Hospital; and Consultant Respiratory Physician Prof. Duminda Yasaratne and Senior Lecturer Dr. Gayan Bowatte of the Peradeniya University.
The funding for this project has been garnered under the ‘RESPIRE’ collaboration which aims to reduce the number of deaths and wider health and societal impacts from respiratory diseases in South Asia. It is co-led by Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom (UK), and Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya. Its partners are based in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka who collaborate to deliver low-cost, scalable policy and clinical interventions to reduce respiratory disease and death in Asia.
‘RESPIRE’ is funded by UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) using UK international development funding from the UK Government.
Elaborating on what Sri Lanka’s study would entail, Prof. Savithri Wimalasekera said that following due processes, they would recruit the participants, about 360 expectant mothers who also have other children in the age group 2-5 years, from among those who come to the maternal health clinics in Colombo and Kandy.
A photo of the RESPIRE group which met last year at the Annual Scientific Meeting held in Indonesia
These would also be mothers using biomass fuel (mainly firewood and also burning rubber, plastic, tyres etc.) to cook. Thereafter, they would visit their homes and instal air-quality monitors to document the air quality within each selected home for selected periods of time, she says, explaining that the monitor is a ‘punchi pettiyak’ (small box). The mothers would be followed up throughout their pregnancy and until the newborns are about one-year-old.
When asked why the districts of Colombo and Kandy were selected, Prof. Wimalasekera said that it was due to Colombo city being the most polluted when considering air quality, due to heavy industrialization. Kandy, located on a plateau, meanwhile, had different weather patterns when compared to Colombo.
She said that in the cities, “we are worried about outdoor air pollution” but what of “indoor air pollution among our rural folk”. They use firewood for cooking in poorly-ventilated kitchens.
A discussion on the indoor air pollution burden in Sri Lanka at the University of Peradeniya with the participation of experts from the Peradeniya and Sri Jayewardenepura Universities and Scotland’s University of Edinburgh, UK
Going onto state that late-onset wheezing has been observed to be more prevalent among non-smoking women from rural communities exposed to kitchen smoke, she said that this is why they selected indoor air quality as their research focus. It is largely understudied despite its wide scope.
Meanwhile, the research team is also hoping to look at existing legislation on air pollution and tobacco so that they could identify gaps and suggest improvements.
| Over 120 delegates to attend ‘RESPIRE’ Annual Scientific Meeting in Colombo The ‘RESPIRE’ Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health will be held in Colombo from August 27 to 29. “This is the research unit’s first time convening a conference in the country since its inception in 2016, highlighting the need for further investment into respiratory health research in Sri Lanka,” a media release said.
It added that at the three-day meeting, the Health Ministry, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists and allied health faculties of three Sri Lankan universities will reflect on priorities to ensure better respiratory health. “More than 120 delegates from overseas are also expected to attend the RESPIRE ASM,” Prof. Savithri Wimalasekera said. These respiratory health experts will “showcase” wide-ranging research from seven Asian countries being carried out to combat respiratory diseases. Once the sessions are concluded, some of the delegates are due to go up to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, on a site visit to see first-hand how respiratory clinics are conducted. There would also be many informal discussions on air quality, she added. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) as affecting the airways and other structures of the lungs. It names some of the most common as being Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Asthma; Occupational Lung Diseases; and Pulmonary Hypertension. Both the global and local data on respiratory diseases are chilling: n In 2019, CRDs were the third (3rd) leading cause of death globally, responsible for 4 million deaths with a prevalence of 454.6 million cases. nIn Sri Lanka, CRDs and Pneumonia caused the highest number (18%) of hospital deaths in 2017. There is also a rising trend of deaths in hospital due to these two conditions. n Among CRDs, Asthma and COPD were the two leading diseases causing the highest burden of disease and deaths in Sri Lanka. n In Sri Lanka, childhood wheezing was a major cause of school absence, and in adults, Asthma and COPD had a high prevalence of 11% and 10.5% respectively.
| |
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!