Air pollution, women and media

Researches show that women are the worst sufferers of indoor air pollution

The plights of one of the poor and marginalised women Reshma (not her real name) of Manikganj district in Bangladesh seem to be her life-long companion. Because her husband, the sole bread earner of the family, who used to work at a brick kiln, died of stroke last year. Reshma (20), a day labourer, who cooks food with unhealthy, traditional stove/ oven, is herself a patient of eczema and cataract. Her daughter Kum Kum (3) has been suffering from pneumonia and respiratory illness. The physician of a nearby hospital informed Reshma that the untimely death of her husband, sickness of herself, and her daughter, were due to outdoor and indoor air pollution.  There are millions of women like Reshma in different countries, including Bangladesh, who live with unbearable plights, and many die because of air pollution. Childhood pneumonia is the leading killer of children, claiming about one million lives each year in developing countries.  
We suffer from many diseases including stroke, heart disease, cancer, cataract, eczema, respiratory illness, childhood pneumonia and others for air pollution.  In fact, we live with clean air, become sick and die due to polluted air. Clean air is a must for the total population of the whole world to survive. We, the people of both urban and rural areas, are helpless and have to breathe last unnecessarily, if we surrender to the polluted air. Air pollution is related to environmental degradation, and threat to public health.  Air pollution is a serious threat to the national and international development due to its worst impacts on health, environment and economy. It leaves an adverse impact on health, produce a complex challenge to public health policymakers, practitioners and administrators. We have to think locally, but regional and global coordinated efforts are must, especially in keeping ahead to reach the target of safer environment of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
 Clean air saves lives, but polluted air kills millions of lives every year. We have the rights to stay alive, but air pollution knows no rights, borders and gender. Even women suffer the worst, particularly due to indoor air pollution. The economic cost due to air pollution is huge; trillions of dollars globally. Moreover, considering the magnitude of the worst impacts of air pollution, prevention of air pollution must be our shared responsibilities of all. Because one ounce of prevention is much better than one pound of cure.
World Health organization (WHO) defines, air pollution means presence of several unwanted and harmful substances or pollutants. WHO further points out, “Clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being.  However, air pollution continuous to pose a significant threat to health worldwide.” United Nations Environment Progra­mme (UNEP) informed, “Over 3.5 million people die each year from outdoor air pollution. Between 2005 and 2010, the death rate rose by four percent worldwide.”
There are many sources of both indoor and outdoor air pollution. For example, common indoor air pollutants: Tobacco/ smoking, unhealthy cooking stoves and other sources. Tobacco itself is a poison (nicotine), and it makes our environment poisonous. Among others, tobacco kills nearly six million people globally every year, and affects millions of others.  So, we must stop smoking and control using tobacco.
On the other hand, brick kilns are guru among outdoor air pollutants.  In Bangladesh, there are approximately 7,000 brick kilns, but according to government estimates very few brick kilns have been set up following the proper designs, resulting in huge environmental pollution. And the consequences have been devastating as brick kilns are the biggest source of greenhouse gases.
The smokes  spewed out by them have  been identified as one of the main factors behind the worsening quality of air. The construction of kilns in violation of the rules must be stopped immediately for saving millions of lives, for safer environment and sustainable development. In addition, road dust has become the biggest source of air pollution for various unplanned construction works is destroying the environment and clean air, depriving us of breathing in fresh air; posing a severe health threat to the people. Dust has been contributing to rapid rise in lung diseases and allergy among men, women and children.  Cities of Bangladesh, India, China and some other countries are storehouses of air pollution due to many reasons including emission of smokes from vehicles. The smoke of stoves, brick kilns and vehicles pose serious health hazards to particulates PM10. There must be guidelines, preparation and initiatives  to check it.
By the way, there are open agriculture burning practices in Bangladesh and other countries also in plain land and hilly/ mountain areas.  Agriculture burning is threat to soil health, environment, human health, animal health and biodiversity. That is why farmers-friendly and eco-friendly agricultural development projects are very much essential.   In terms of the countries of Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) region (Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan), Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) mentioned that deteriorating air quality in the HKH region. And the resulting impacts require urgent attention from governments, policymakers, scientists, stakeholders and the public. Atmospheric issues are often neglected at policy making and local levels. The Atmosphere Initiative at ICIMOD was taken  realising the important role of mass media in raising public awareness to prevent and control air pollution.   
Researches show that women are the worst sufferers due to indoor air pollution. Indoor air quality that allows smoking is worse than outdoor. Women and adolescent girls have higher rates of allergic disease, and children with allergies can have more severe asthma due to air pollution. Women also have a significantly higher rate of skin conditions, and the prevalence of eczema is associated with air pollution.
Household/ indoor air pollution is responsible for over 1.3 million deaths per year in Asia, of which almost half occurs  in South Asia. Even more than 50 percent premature deaths among children below five years of age are due to pneumonia caused by particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution.
There are five percent of female deaths in the developing countries due to indoor air pollution. Around three billion people cook and heat their houses using open fire and simple stoves burning biomass (e.g. wood, animal dung, crop waste) and coal. More than four million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels. Over half of black carbon comes  from cooking stoves in South Asia.
Considering the social and gender perspectives of indoor air pollution, in a regional media training workshop on air pollution at ICIMOD Kathmandu, Anita Karki, gender and environment specialist of ICIMOD-Nepal, said, “The poor people, vulnerable and disadvantaged women cannot afford improved cook-stoves. Above all, women have zero decision- making power within the household.” Indoor air pollution is not just an environmental issue, it is women’s human rights issue. Women and their children’s rights to clean air, good health and better lives should be ensured through rights-based approach, Anita added.
In South Asia, cooking is dominantly a female role, and women are disproportionately affected by household air pollution. Local government institutions and NGOs should ensure distributing environment–friendly stoves free of cost among women. As one of the key stakeholders, mass media must listen to women and girls as target audiences considering social and gender perspectives to generate awareness among the public, policymakers and leaders of the states.
Old habits die hard. Comprehen­sive, gender-responsive efforts and involvement of mass media are prerequisite to prevent and control air pollution. A social movement is a demand of the time to march forward against air pollution through creating pressure groups to make the government and stakeholders accountable, and bound to work sincerely. Different ministries, including the ministry of health, environment, local government, women and child affairs, information, education, road transport authority, development partners, civil society, environment and human rights activists and media people as well must work together to prevent and control air pollution to save millions of lives, save the world and to ensure safer environment for all.

Parvez Babul is a media person. Email: [email protected]

Air pollution, women and media

Researches show that women are the worst sufferers of indoor air pollution

The plights of one of the poor and marginalised women Reshma (not her real name) of Manikganj district in Bangladesh seem to be her life-long companion. Because her husband, the sole bread earner of the family, who used to work at a brick kiln, died of stroke last year. Reshma (20), a day labourer, who cooks food with unhealthy, traditional stove/ oven, is herself a patient of eczema and cataract. Her daughter Kum Kum (3) has been suffering from pneumonia and respiratory illness. The physician of a nearby hospital informed Reshma that the untimely death of her husband, sickness of herself, and her daughter, were due to outdoor and indoor air pollution. There are millions of women like Reshma in different countries, including Bangladesh, who live with unbearable plights, and many die because of air pollution. Childhood pneumonia is the leading killer of children, claiming about one million lives each year in developing countries. We suffer from many diseases including stroke, heart disease, cancer, cataract, eczema, respiratory illness, childhood pneumonia and others for air pollution. In fact, we live with clean air, become sick and die due to polluted air. Clean air is a must for the total population of the whole world to survive. We, the people of both urban and rural areas, are helpless and have to breathe last unnecessarily, if we surrender to the polluted air. Air pollution is related to environmental degradation, and threat to public health. Air pollution is a serious threat to the national and international development due to its worst impacts on health, environment and economy. It leaves an adverse impact on health, produce a complex challenge to public health policymakers, practitioners and administrators. We have to think locally, but regional and global coordinated efforts are must, especially in keeping ahead to reach the target of safer environment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Clean air saves lives, but polluted air kills millions of lives every year. We have the rights to stay alive, but air pollution knows no rights, borders and gender. Even women suffer the worst, particularly due to indoor air pollution. The economic cost due to air pollution is huge; trillions of dollars globally. Moreover, considering the magnitude of the worst impacts of air pollution, prevention of air pollution must be our shared responsibilities of all. Because one ounce of prevention is much better than one pound of cure. World Health organization (WHO) defines, air pollution means presence of several unwanted and harmful substances or pollutants. WHO further points out, Clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being. However, air pollution continuous to pose a significant threat to health worldwide. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informed, Over 3.5 million people die each year from outdoor air pollution. Between 2005 and 2010, the death rate rose by four percent worldwide. There are many sources of both indoor and outdoor air pollution. For example, common indoor air pollutants: Tobacco/ smoking, unhealthy cooking stoves and other sources. Tobacco itself is a poison (nicotine), and it makes our environment poisonous. Among others, tobacco kills nearly six million people globally every year, and affects millions of others. So, we must stop smoking and control using tobacco. On the other hand, brick kilns are guru among outdoor air pollutants. In Bangladesh, there are approximately 7,000 brick kilns, but according to government estimates very few brick kilns have been set up following the proper designs, resulting in huge environmental pollution. And the consequences have been devastating as brick kilns are the biggest source of greenhouse gases. The smokes spewed out by them have been identified as one of the main factors behind the worsening quality of air. The construction of kilns in violation of the rules must be stopped immediately for saving millions of lives, for safer environment and sustainable development. In addition, road dust has become the biggest source of air pollution for various unplanned construction works is destroying the environment and clean air, depriving us of breathing in fresh air; posing a severe health threat to the people. Dust has been contributing to rapid rise in lung diseases and allergy among men, women and children. Cities of Bangladesh, India, China and some other countries are storehouses of air pollution due to many reasons including emission of smokes from vehicles. The smoke of stoves, brick kilns and vehicles pose serious health hazards to particulates PM10. There must be guidelines, preparation and initiatives to check it. By the way, there are open agriculture burning practices in Bangladesh and other countries also in plain land and hilly/ mountain areas. Agriculture burning is threat to soil health, environment, human health, animal health and biodiversity. That is why farmers-friendly and eco-friendly agricultural development projects are very much essential. In terms of the countries of Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) region (Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan), Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) mentioned that deteriorating air quality in the HKH region. And the resulting impacts require urgent attention from governments, policymakers, scientists, stakeholders and the public. Atmospheric issues are often neglected at policy making and local levels. The Atmosphere Initiative at ICIMOD was taken realising the important role of mass media in raising public awareness to prevent and control air pollution. Researches show that women are the worst sufferers due to indoor air pollution. Indoor air quality that allows smoking is worse than outdoor. Women and adolescent girls have higher rates of allergic disease, and children with allergies can have more severe asthma due to air pollution. Women also have a significantly higher rate of skin conditions, and the prevalence of eczema is associated with air pollution. Household/ indoor air pollution is responsible for over 1.3 million deaths per year in Asia, of which almost half occurs in South Asia. Even more than 50 percent premature deaths among children below five years of age are due to pneumonia caused by particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution. There are five percent of female deaths in the developing countries due to indoor air pollution. Around three billion people cook and heat their houses using open fire and simple stoves burning biomass (e.g. wood, animal dung, crop waste) and coal. More than four million people die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels. Over half of black carbon comes from cooking stoves in South Asia. Considering the social and gender perspectives of indoor air pollution, in a regional media training workshop on air pollution at ICIMOD Kathmandu, Anita Karki, gender and environment specialist of ICIMOD-Nepal, said, The poor people, vulnerable and disadvantaged women cannot afford improved cook-stoves. Above all, women have zero decision- making power within the household. Indoor air pollution is not just an environmental issue, it is womens human rights issue. Women and their childrens rights to clean air, good health and better lives should be ensured through rights-based approach, Anita added. In South Asia, cooking is dominantly a female role, and women are disproportionately affected by household air pollution. Local government institutions and NGOs should ensure distributing environmentfriendly stoves free of cost among women. As one of the key stakeholders, mass media must listen to women and girls as target audiences considering social and gender perspectives to generate awareness among the public, policymakers and leaders of the states. Old habits die hard. Comprehensive, gender-responsive efforts and involvement of mass media are prerequisite to prevent and control air pollution. A social movement is a demand of the time to march forward against air pollution through creating pressure groups to make the government and stakeholders accountable, and bound to work sincerely. Different ministries, including the ministry of health, environment, local government, women and child affairs, information, education, road transport authority, development partners, civil society, environment and human rights activists and media people as well must work together to prevent and control air pollution to save millions of lives, save the world and to ensure safer environment for all. Parvez Babul is a media person. Email: [email protected]