Foundation urges swift government action to curb air pollution

The Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation has urged the government to urgently accelerate efforts to curb air pollution through policy implementation.

Brendah Chitindi, the organization’s Executive Secretary and Non-Communicable Disease Diarist, emphasized that this should be coupled with health interventions to protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Chitindi stated that government action was critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to reducing mortality rates.

She noted that addressing air pollution would also yield broader benefits in tackling the climate crisis, as everyone was exposed to air pollution regardless of their location.

“Air pollution impacts are far-reaching, from causing and exacerbating ill health to loss of life. In 2019, almost seven million deaths globally were attributed to air pollution,” Chitindi highlighted.

She added that air pollution, shown to damage most organs of the body, is the sixth biggest risk factor for mortality globally, including in Zambia.

She added that it ranks seventh for disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and was the leading environmental risk factor for ill health and death.

“The impacts of air pollution on cardiovascular health are profound, with exposure linked to the exacerbation of all major cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke,” she said.

Additionally, Chitindi pointed out that growing evidence links air pollution with obesity and diabetes.

Exposure to air pollution was associated with impaired glucose handling, insulin resistance and an increased prevalence of diabetes and risk of death from diabetes due to long-term exposure.

“Given the prevalence of cardiovascular conditions in patients with diabetes and obesity, the effects of air pollution in obese and diabetic individuals are likely to indirectly cause significant levels of morbidity and mortality,” she said.

Chitindi encouraged cardiovascular communities and health organizations to join forces in advocating for the recognition of air pollution as a major risk factor for cardiovascular health and to help prioritize resources and political will to tackle the issue.

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