People are traveling out of cities like Delhi to cleaner locations to escape the pollution that has come to mark North India’s winters. Bans and other restrictions seem to have little effect as air pollution soars to dangerous levels. Crop stubble burning adds a toxic mix of particulate matter to the already polluted air. While everyone is affected, this pollution affects women more, especially pregnant women and their unborn children — physiological changes during pregnancy increase the chances of adverse impacts.
Studies show air pollution can cause miscarriages, premature birth, low birthweight, and poor post-partum maternal health. Many women have weakened respiratory systems from indoor air pollution — from cooking fuels like wood and dung — leaving them all the more vulnerable to outdoor air pollution. Cardiovascular diseases exacerbated by air pollution manifest differently in women who may not display the classic symptoms and, hence, do not get treatment on time, if at all. They are forced to work outside, whether in agriculture or construction, and suffer prolonged exposure to the toxic air.
Though this has hardly been studied in the Indian context, high air pollution levels impact bone-density loss in post-menopausal women, as per researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Dr Surya Kant, professor and head of the department of respiratory medicine, King George’s Medical University, says, “Air pollution badly affects the health of women and the fetus. Air pollutants affect intrauterine life as they reach the fetus through the placenta and can cause growth retardation, death, congenital diseases and increase susceptibility to allergies, asthma, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.”
A Chintan Foundation study showed that within a cohort of male and female cleaning staffwomen were six times more likely to have respiratory illness from air pollution. It is imperative to provide some amount of protection to women, especially pregnant and lactating women. Chintan suggests timely check-ups, nutritional supplements through government schemes, flexible working hours and access to resting places near workplaces. Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director, Chintan Environmental Research and Action group, says, “Doctors have made it clear that women bear a greater burden of air pollution. But we never acknowledge that. Exposure to air pollution can result in premature babies and also lower birth rates. According to the WHO, low birthweight infants are about 20 times more likely to die than heavier infants. And later in life, they are more susceptible to non-communicable diseases. Who is the caregiver then? Obviously, women, at the cost of being able to earn, be economically independent and hold onto jobs. Those with modest means suffer the most because their access to health care, support with child rearing and access to nutrition is low. At a time when India is trying to better female labor force participation, limiting women’s exposure to polluted air can give the next generation and our economy a better chance. According to the development consulting group Dalberg’s research, air pollution costs India $95 billion in productivity. Perhaps we can reduce this bill by protecting women by seeing this crisis through a gendered lens.”
There is little awareness that women are differently and dangerously affected by air pollution. The government should factor this into its policies and schemes. The heartening though incremental rise in the number of women in the labor force should not be stymied by the adverse health impacts of pollution. India’s cities are among the most polluted in the world and this is now affecting the next generation in the form of young and unborn children as well.
The views expressed are personal
