6-Dec-2018: First comprehensive estimates of the impact of air pollution on deaths, health loss, and life expectancy reduction in each state of India.

The first comprehensive estimates of deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy reduction associated with air pollution in each state of India was published by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative on December 06, 2018 at the Indian Council of Medical Research. The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative is a joint initiative of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, along with experts and stakeholders associated with over 100 Indian institutions.

Key findings from the paper:

• First comprehensive estimates of deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy reduction associated with air pollution in each state of India.
• One in eight deaths in India was attributable to air pollution in India in 2017, making it a leading risk factor for death in India.
• 4 lakh deaths in India in 2017 were due to air pollution, which included 6.7 lakh deaths due to outdoor particulate matter air pollution and 4.8 lakh deaths due to household air pollution.
• Over half of the deaths due to air pollution were in persons less than 70 years of age.
• With 18% of the global population, India suffered 26% of premature mortality and health loss attributable to air pollution globally.
• In 2017, 77% population of India was exposed to ambient particulate matter PM5 above 40 μg/m3, the recommended limit by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
• The mean ambient particulate matter PM5 annual exposure of 90 μg/m3 in India in 2017 was one of the highest in the world. The highest PM 2.5 exposure level was in Delhi, followed by the other north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana.
• While the proportion of households using solid fuels has been improving in India, 56% of the population still used solid fuels in 2017; this proportion was higher in the less developed states with over two-thirds of the population in most EAG states using solid fuels for cooking.
• The DALY rates due to household air pollution varied 145-fold among the states of India in 2017, and it varied 6-fold for outdoor particulate matter air pollution.
• The DALYs attributable to air pollution in India in 2017 for major non-communicable diseases, which included chronic obstructive lung disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes and lung cancer, were at least as high as those attributable to tobacco use.
• The average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher if the air pollution level were less than the minimal level causing health loss, with the highest increases in the northern states of Rajasthan (2.5 years), Uttar Pradesh (2.2 years), and Haryana (2.1 years).
• Increasing public and policy attention to the control of air pollution in India is encouraging, which needs to be sustained for effective interventions. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana launched in May 2016 has achieved its target of distributing LPG to 50 million poor households in August 2018, the target that was originally set for March 2019. The target has now been increased to reach 80 million households through this scheme.
• Systematic and sustained efforts are needed to address the variety of sources contributing to air pollution, which include transport vehicles, construction activity, industry and thermal power emissions, residential and commercial solid fuel use, waste and agriculture burning, diesel generators, and manual road dust sweeping.
• Variations between the states in the exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution should be taken into account while planning policies and interventions to reduce this exposure and its health impact.

28-Dec-2018: Petroleum and Skill Development Ministry's new CSR initiative: Ujjwala Sanitary Napkins in Odisha

Oil marketing companies like IOCL, BPCL, HPCL under the Petroleum and Skill Development Ministry have taken a CSR initiative to set up manufacturing units of "Ujjwala" Sanitary Napkins at the Common Service Centres across Odisha. The move is expected to employ, educate and empower women in the state in addition to improving their access to feminine hygiene products.

Under the Ujjwala Sanitary Napkin initiative 100 local manufacturing units will be set up at Common Service Centres (CSCs) across all 30 districts, covering 93 blocks in Odisha. The cost of setting up these manufacturing units is Rs 2.94 Crores.

Each facility will have the capacity to produce 1200-2000 pads each day and will have a sterilization room to ensure that the napkins are sterilised before they are packed for consumption of rural women.

The sanitary pads will be made of virgin wood pulp sheet, non-woven white sheet and a gel sheet which are all biodegradable in nature and will leave minimal carbon footprint. To keep the sanitary napkins affordable, these will be priced at Rs 40 per pack of 8 pads.

According to Petroleum and Skill Development Ministry, each manufacturing unit will employ 5 to 6 Ujjwala beneficiaries thus providing employment to nearly 600 women across all districts. By providing women training in manufacturing and sale of sanitary napkins, this initiative not only provides them with a dignified channel to earn their livelihood but also equips them with entrepreneurial skills.

As per NFHS-4 report overall use of sanitary napkins in Odisha is 33.5%. Only 42.8% of rural women between the age of 15-24 years use proper hygienic methods of protection during menstruation.