Background: Chulha is a traditional Indian cooking stove. Fuel used in this stove can be firewood, animal dung cake (‘upla’), kerosene, crop residue, etc. It may lead to increase in the indoor air pollution affecting the health of the family members. Prolonged exposure to smoke from traditional chulhas is a risk factor for many lung and eye infections. Aim and Objectives: To assess the use of traditional chulhas and its health effects among the residents of village Dighal. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from May-June, 2018 among 100 families in village Dighal who were selected by purposive sampling. Results: It was observed that the majority of families were using traditional chulhas (77%) and LPG (23%) was used by smaller number of families. Fuel consumed by most of the households were animal dung cakes (62%) and firewood (45%). Maximum duration of exposure to the traditional chulha by 43% families is for 3-4 hours. Among the families using traditional chulhas, 54% were suffering from health- related problems like lung (29%), eye (24%) infections, etc. Main reasons stated by participants for using traditional chulhas were it is cheaper than other sources (52%) and food cooked is much tastier (42%). Conclusion: The efforts should be made towards encouraging the use of safer methods of cooking such as LPG or smokeless chulha to prevent the health of the people.

Background: In the present day, indoor air pollution is a global issue affecting more than 3 billion lives due to the extensive use of solid biomass fuels. Indoor air pollution has been a major cause of cardiorespiratory illnesses in low- and middle-income countries, majorly affecting women and young children. There is a greater need to understand the drivers of rural health vulnerability associated with indoor air pollution. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Indian rural setting to assess the impact of indoor biomass combustion on the respiratory health of households. A framework was designed and implemented to evaluate exposure source and risk factors associated with poor respiratory health in the subject population. A primary survey was conducted for 540 rural households belonging to different socio-economic strata. Three types of questionnaires (air quality assessment, socio-economic, health assessment) were used to investigate the determinants of health vulnerability due to exposure to indoor air pollution. Results and Conclusion: A robust analysis displayed vulnerability of the exposed population. Risk estimation showcased high association between biomass combustion and morbidity. The findings suggest a rural ethos health determinant. The overall prevalence of chest illness is significantly affected by socio-economic indicators and environmental parameters.

Background: Biomass and solid fuels are major contributors to Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) in developing nations and have high associated mortality risks as reported by WHO. A number of studies have focused on ambient air quality and its associated risk of asthma attacks, but fewer studies focus on health impacts from IAP. Methods: A cross-sectional population survey including 310 women participants was conducted in rural villages of western Uttar Pradesh to record self-reported prevalence of asthma. Indoor air quality for PM10 and PM2.5 was assessed and recorded for eight hours, per each household of these women residents. Regression models were generated to estimate the effects of cooking smoke on self-reported asthma. Results: Average concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 was significantly higher in the houses cooking using biomass fuel (BMF) as opposed to the ones cooking using LPG (p<0.01). Finding of this study suggest that women exposed to biomass fuel smoke are at a higher risk of reporting asthma than the ones using cleaner fuels like LPG (OR: 1.32; 95%CI 1.082-1.53; p<0.01). Conclusions: Self-reported asthma was more prevalent in women that were found using BMF as a major cooking fuel. Results from this study may have important implications in terms of policy intervention at national and international level for developing nations like India, where majority of population rely on BMF as a coking solution.

Air Pollution is a cause of concern in the present world as it is not responsible for only deteriorating our environment but is associated with severe health risks to the human life as well. With the increasing levels of air pollution the burden of diseases on health has increased too in quite evident ways. A healthy environment is prerequisite for the well-being of all and hence handling this risk becomes crucial. Air pollution in Delhi is not a recent phenomenon rather a recurring case. There are several contributing factors to it which combines to make Delhi ‘gas chamber’. This study focuses on the management of this risk, through the governance aspect which can contribute in making Delhi’s air healthy. This is a qualitative research wherein case study method has been applied to understand air pollution governance as a means of risk management. Delhi which has multi-level governance has become the study area wherein the risk of air pollution is evermounting. This paper also investigates the case of air pollution and its governance in Delhi transversing into a public health emergency in the recent times, keeping public trust doctrine as the conceptual basis to look at governance. National Capital Territory of Delhi can be considered as a victim of the Air Pollution and its consequent impacts. The lack of integrated approach in Delhi for risk governance makes the governance process multifaceted and a challenging task. From this study it can be stated that emerging public health concern due to air pollution and its governance, have not kept an equal pace even with the backing of legislative measures and intervention of court of law. Right to Life and Right to a Healthy Environment are being violated by increasing air pollution levels in the city time and again. As the levels of air quality continues to be poor, good governance for reducing air pollution is need of the hour.

Devices based upon bio sensors that work with biomaterials such as blood, urine, or saliva are being developed to improve ability to detect chemical exposures in environment and disease. Different types of pollutants like heavy metals are present in the environment. Among these toxic metals, lead composition is maximum in atmosphere. Despite of the considerable works to identify and eliminate lead sources, this metal still remains a significant health concern, particularly in young children and to those who travels in heavy traffic for three to four hours. Even Infants and frequent travelers are also exposed to lead emitted by different automobiles. As lead gets accumulated in lungs and cause severe congestion, breathing problem and sometimes it leads to cancer. So, in order to keep a precise check of the level of lead in the human blood a detection device is necessary to be deduced. A basic device which works on the idea of signal transmission and conversion to detectable signals. This device would be able to detect the trace amounts of lead in blood which would be helpful in the field of medical science.

In the era of environment, the main cause of health deterioration in the present generation is mainly due to environmental pollution as the air we breathe, food we eat, water we drink and the place we live, all are polluted due to air, water and land (dust, garbage) pollution and contamination. This package of environmental pollution results several life-threatening diseases. for example, air pollution causes 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide each year. approximately 60% deaths are from heart attacks and strokes as fine dust attacks cardiovascular system. 18% deaths are due to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, 18% lung infection and 6% lung cancer in 2016 (WHO). Air Pollutants (O3, N2O, CO, SO2) of the size of small particulate matter PM 2.5 or <2.5 microns (Ultrafine dust Particles) is the size of virus and can penetrate the lung barrier to enter the blood system leading to local inflammation in blood vessels leading to Atherosclerosis (plaque/fatty deposits), stops blood flow and results heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and Stroke. It’s our moral duty to keep mother Earth free of pollution for the present and future generation. With his view. the efforts have been made to assimilate and innovate the pathways to control health diseases through remediation of environmental pollution. The milestones of the pathways consist the PPI i.e. Public (Government) C, Private (Individual) cooperation and innovation of new technologies. The innovative path to control health diseases advances further with the cause and effect of environmental pollution on health and its remediation through the measures taken globally by the governments, people and innovative technologies to control global warming and climate change through chemical processes and green technologies (renewable energy).