ICEH Papers

AN OVERVIEW OF AIR POLLUTION AND RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES IN SRI LANKA

Sreelekha, T.T., K.T. Bency, J. Jansy, Babita Thankappan, N. K. Hareendran, Bhajanlal Kumar, P.K.K. Nair And M. Krishnan Nair “Impact Of Environmental Pollution On Carcinogenesis” in Martin J. Bunch, V. Madha Suresh and T. Vasantha Kumaran, eds., Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health, Chennai, India, 15-17 December, 2003. Chennai: Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. Pages 502 – 511.

Abstract:

The pathways of impact of the environment on the human body evidently are the systems that are exposed to hazardous materials, covering the external skin, and the internal respiratory and alimentary systems, each with an array of organs and functions, and with an ultimate bearing on the structures and organs of the body as a whole. While many ailments like asthma and allergies are known to be environment linked, cancer is the most significant in the environmental health profile. Tobacco is a known cause of cancer of the lungs, bladder, mouth, pharynx, pancreas, stomach, larynx, esophagus and possibly colon. In addition to tobacco use, certain chemicals can also cause cancer such as asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, aflatoxin, DDT, formaldehyde and ionizing radiation (IR) such as x-rays, and radon have also been proven to cause cancer in humans. While tobacco and other environmental toxins are the causes of cancer, all smokers or those exposed to environmental hazards do not get cancer, indicating the importance of genetic alterations that occur in the DNA. Alterations in the sequences of certain genes, which are inherited, are equally responsible for carcinogenesis. A combination of tobacco exposure and genetic alterations will increase the risk for malignant transformation of normal cells. Our studies also revealed an increased correlation between tobacco use and cancer incidence. The fishermen in the coastal area of the Thiruvananthapuram city are regularly using tobacco (mostly chewing) when they are occupied with fishing and an increased incidence of oral cancer is also observed in this area. Another important observation is that in some families blood relations in two or more generations are affected by this deadly disease indicating the gene - environment interaction.

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