Increased average annual prevalence of upper respiratory tract infection (UTRI) in the central Indian population residing near the coal‑fired thermal power plants

摘要

People are vulnerable to health risks due to particulate matter generated through the coal combustion processes. Theair pollution due to the thermal power plant is a primary concern among all sources of pollution. The air pollution dueto the coal-fired thermal power plant is a primary concern among all the different sources of pollution. The air quality(suspended particulate matter; SPM) modeling in the study area of central India was carried out using CALAUFF model. Inaddition, real-time air monitoring of particulate matter PM_1,PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)was carried out in the study area. Real-timeair quality monitoring data showed higher concentration of particulate matter (PM_1 and PM_(2.5)) at different locations inthe study area, exceeding the regulatory limits set by NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) and WHO (WorldHealth Organization). Considering the most probable health impacts due to coal-fired thermal power plant, diseasessuch as chronic upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), and asthma were focused in this study. Hospital admission datawere collected for respiratory disorders from six different public health centers (PHCs) located in the study area for theyears 2012 and 2013. Average annual prevalence (AAP) of asthma at Dhapewada, Patansaongi, Chicholi, Satak, Droliand Kanhan PHCs was observed to be 0.581, 0.218, 0.201, 0.155, 0.377 and 0.198%, respectively, whereas AAP of UTRI atDhapewada, Patansaongi, Chicholi, Satak, Droli and Kanhan PHCs was 24.961, 40.693, 0.769, 12.775, 28.605 and 14.898%,respectively. Thus, we conclude that the study population residing nearby the coal-fired thermal power plants may havean increased risk to upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) than asthma.