The air in Hanoi and the Northern provinces is heavily polluted, experts say that breathing outside in the morning can be as harmful as smoking two packs of cigarettes.
On January 3, a website synthesizing more than 30,000 air monitoring stations worldwide (IQAir) ranked Hanoi as the most polluted city with an index of 294. Air pollution in Hanoi has persisted for 7 days now. When the cold air weakens, the nights are cold and the days are sunny, factors that help reduce pollution such as wind and rain are almost absent.
Many Northern provinces are also facing air pollution. According to the monitoring system of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control, some stations recorded very bad levels such as Bac Giang City (Bac Giang) AQI index 237, Hai Duong 237, Hung Yen 237, Thai Binh 238, Thai Nguyen 207.
Doctor Doan Du Manh, Vietnam Vascular Disease Association, said that at this air level, people are at risk of health problems if preventive measures are not taken. The first organ affected when exposed to polluted air is the eyes. Patients are susceptible to eye diseases caused by dust such as conjunctivitis and corneal damage, affecting vision.
Along with that, respiratory infections, including constantly recurring sinusitis, sore throat, difficulty breathing, and bronchopneumonia, are very common and can become severe. In particular, people with poor resistance and susceptible to colds, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, need to be careful.
“With the current heavy air pollution quality, just one morning of breathing outdoors can cause harm equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes,” said Dr. Manh.
The International Heart Association also ranks air pollution on par with cigarettes in terms of danger. In 2022, a study from the University of Chicago, USA, showed that air pollution can reduce the average life expectancy by more than two years, equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking. The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) recommends that continuous exposure to 10 µg/m³ PM2.5 reduces life expectancy by about one year.
In addition to the respiratory system, polluted air also harms the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications, hypertension, heart failure, embolism, stroke and myocardial infarction.
A corner of Hanoi city viewed from My Dinh area, Nam Tu Liem district on the afternoon of January 3. Image: Thuy Quynh
Doctors recommend that people limit going out as much as possible and, if necessary, cover up carefully, wear protective glasses, and fine dust filtering masks. Wash your face when coming home from outside, drop your eyes with physiological saline solution, and gargle your mouth and throat. In addition, limit outdoor sports such as jogging or cycling because it easily increases the risk of respiratory disease due to inhaling polluted air. Instead, priority should be given to indoor sports to avoid dust.
Add protein-rich foods from meat, fish, eggs, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, eat lots of green vegetables and fresh fruits rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C from orange, lemon, grapefruit juice, watermelon. If you have symptoms of prolonged dermatitis, eye pain, conjunctivitis, respiratory inflammation, sinusitis, difficulty breathing, fatigue, especially severe chest pain, you should go to the hospital for examination.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies air pollution as a “silent killer”. An estimated 30% of lung cancer deaths are related to air pollution. Particularly for respiratory diseases, more patients will be affected. About 43% of deaths from respiratory diseases are related to air pollution.