AS electricity generating sets
become must-have household items in most Nigerian homes due to epileptic power
supply, their use, sometimes round-the-clock with the attendant noise and air
pollution, has been associated with the growing cases of cancers, premature
birth, low weight babies and childbirth complications such as neo-natal
jaundice and cerebral palsy.
Newborn jaundice is when a baby
has high levels of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellow substance that
the body creates when it replaces old red blood cells. The liver helps break
down the substance so it can be removed from the body in the stool.
High levels of bilirubin make the
baby’s skin and whites of the eyes look yellow. This is called jaundice. High
levels of bilirubin - usually above 25 mg - can cause deafness, cerebral palsy,
or other forms of brain damage in some babies.
Cerebral palsy is a group of
disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions, such as
movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking.
A recent study by Nigerian
researchers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) concluded: “The data available
from this study shows that generator fumes contribute significantly to the
atmospheric level of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and that the
level is dependent on the distance from the point of generation. This suggests
significant risk of cancer to the population in an environment where the use of
generator is commonplace. Considering the lipophilicity of PAHs, small
concentrations can accumulate over a long period of time.
“…The control group had no
1-hydroxypyrene in their blood. After the period of exposure, percentage of
death correlated with the distance from the source of exposure. Percentage of
death ranged from 56 per cent to zero depending on the proximity to source of
pollution.”
The study published in Biomarkers
in Cancer is titled “1-Hydroxypyrene Levels in Blood samples of Rats After
exposure to Generator Fumes.”
The researchers from departments
of pharmaceutical chemistry and biochemistry were led by Dr. Chimezie Anyakora.
The other researchers include: Clinton Ifegwu, Miriam Igwo-ezikpe, Akinniyi
Osuntoki, Kafayat A. Oseni and Eragbae O. Alao.
PAHs are a major component of
fuel generator fumes. Carcinogenicity of these compounds has long been
established.
The researchers exposed 37 Swiss
albino rats to generator fumes at varied distances for eight hours per day for
a period of 42 days and the level of 1-hydroxypyrene in their blood was
evaluated. The study also correlated the level of blood 1-hyroxypyrene with the
distance from the source of pollution.
Also, researchers have warned that
exposure to air pollution could trigger potentially fatal pre-eclampsia in
pregnant women.
According to a new study
published in BMJ Open, women with asthma are particularly vulnerable to the
condition - marked by high blood pressure and fluid retention. It blamed one in
every 20 cases of pre-eclampsia on higher levels of ozone pollution in the air
during the first three months of pregnancy, as well as an increase in premature
births.
The only treatment is to deliver
the baby early with an emergency Caesarean.
The new study adds to evidence of
a link between air pollution and premature birth, with international research
earlier this week showing higher pollution levels raised the risk of low birth
weight.
Another study found that heavy
traffic fumes could increase risk of having a small baby and that particles
that are affecting pregnant mothers mainly come from the burning of fossil
fuels.
Source: Guardian
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