Rise in Noncommunicable Diseases Linked to Air Pollution - Report
Air pollution is the second leading cause of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, after tobacco-smoking, according to the World Health Organisation. In 2018, the third United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs recognized household and outdoor air pollution as a risk factor for NCDs, alongside unhealthy diets, tobacco-smoking, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity. In Uganda, even though air pollution is a big challenge in parts of the country, there is hardly any air quality monitoring. Engineer Bainomugisha - along with other scientists at AirQo, Makerere University - has developed a machine that monitors air quality. He explains that generally the main drivers of air pollution in Kampala are transport, industry, burning of wood or charcoal and burning of waste as more than 90% of households in Kampala rely on charcoal and firewood as an energy source for cooking. And because there's poor solid waste disposal, another key contributor of air pollution is the open burning of garbage.
InFocus
-
About three billion people in developing countries rely on firewood or charcoal for their daily cooking purposes, contributing to the death of 4.3 million people annually from ... Read more »
-
As the world commemorates World Cancer Day, Gershim Asiki for The Conversation has revealed that excessive drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity and exposure to ... Read more »
-
The World Health Organisation has said that radon, an odourless, colourless radioactive gas with many isotopes, is responsible for most lung cancer cases among non-smokers. Read more »
(file photo).