Hanoi (VNA) – A symposium in Hanoi on August 20 discussed air pollution inVietnam and its considerable impact on public health.

The event was held by the Vietnam Non-CommunicableDiseases (NCDs) Prevention Alliance and the institute for preventive medicineand public health training of the Hanoi Medical University.

Reports at the workshop noted that among manyforms of electricity production, coal-fired power plants are the main source ofsmoke and coal ash containing toxic substances, especially particles smallerthan 10 micrometres (PM10) and 2.5 micrometres (PM 2.5) and toxic gases likeCO, SO2, O3, NO and sulphur.

PM2.5 and smaller particles of dust are the mainrisk factor for respiratory, mucous membrane and digestive diseases, includingbronchitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) andmyocardial infarction.

Do Manh Cuong, an official of the HealthEnvironment Management Agency of the Ministry of Health, said air pollution isgreatly affecting Vietnamese people’s health. It may cause poisoning,lower respiratory tract infections, lung cancer, cardiovasculardiseases and COPD while raising the risk of premature birth.

World Health Organisation data in 2015 showedthat among the 10 diseases with the highest fatality rate in Vietnam, six werelinked with air pollution, namely strokes, myocardial infarction, COPD, lung –tracheal cancers, lower respiratory tract infections andtuberculosis.

Meanwhile, respiratory diseases were contractedwith higher incidence than pregnancy, delivery and postpartum-related diseases;circulatory system diseases; digestive system diseases; and bacterial infectionand parasitic contamination, according to the 2014 Health Statistics Yearbook.

Those most vulnerable to air pollution are theelderly, pregnant women, children, persons with lung and cardiovasculardiseases, workers at craft villages and production facilities and outdoorsworkers.

Cuong noted that the incidence of respiratorydiseases in cities with air pollution is much higher than other cities.

At the symposium, participants looked into theimpact of environmental pollution, especially coal-fired power plants, onpublic health, the rising burden of NCDs in Vietnam, benefits from renewableenergy and solutions to replace coal fired power generation and ways to ease ofthe burden of NCDs caused by air pollution.

They said the health sector need to conductstudies to assess air pollution’s impact on public health, review regulationson air pollution and make policies protecting public health against airpollution.-VNA