Bad air quality and dry weather make many Hanoians suffer from stuffy noses, pain and soreness in the face, and even have to be hospitalized for respiratory diseases.
Mr. Nguyen Van Loc (40 years old, Cau Giay, Hanoi) has had sinusitis for more than 6 years. Thanks to taking medicine and spraying his nose regularly, the inflammation has improved. For the past two weeks, his sinusitis has returned, forcing him to constantly wear a mask or else he will sneeze a lot.
“In recent days, the air in the Hanoi area has been polluted, with lots of fine dust and dry weather, so my illness has returned, with constant runny nose, aches and pains in the face, stuffy nose, especially at night. . Last weekend, I felt better when I went on a business trip to the South, but now that I’m back in Hanoi, my nose is stuffy again.” Mr. Loc lamented.
Hanoi has heavy air pollution, many people suffer from fine dust.
Living in Hanoi for nearly 20 years, Ms. Ngoc Anh (45 years old, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi) has clearly felt the changes in the atmosphere and weather in the past few years. Her family often has to turn on the air purifier to get rid of sore throats and stuffy noses due to the dry weather and bad air quality.
Ms. Anh’s two children were recently hospitalized for bronchitis, allergic rhinitis and high fever. Her husband works as a motorbike taxi driver and is often outdoors. Not to mention he has a history of lung disease, so he has recently had difficulty breathing and coughing a lot.
“Every day after work, the mask, clothes, and gloves he uses to go to work release a lot of fine dust, especially on days when the air quality is warned to be very bad,” Ms. Anh said.
Worried that her husband’s illness is getting worse due to environmental influences, Ms. Anh plans to ask her husband for a job working inside the house, instead of the current job that requires him to be exposed to the street.
According to MSc. Mai Manh Tam, Deputy Respiratory Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, PM2.5 fine dust (tiny dust particles in the air with a size of 2.5 micron meters or less – compared to a strand of hair) in humans it is about 30 times smaller) is mainly absorbed through the respiratory system, can penetrate the lung alveoli and enter the blood, is a potential health hazard.
In addition to fine dust, reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS, RNS) in the respiratory system and oxidative stress stimulate the production of mediators that cause lung inflammation, initiating or promoting many other pathologies.
According to the General Department of Environment, environmental pollution in Hanoi has occurred from the end of November until now, mainly due to fine dust PM2.5. The amount of fine dust pollution in the Capital area is always the highest, many days the pollution index exceeds the limit compared to the allowed standard.
Dr. Tam also cited studies showing that PM2.5 fine dust is the cause of nearly 4 million deaths globally related to cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections, chronic lung disease, cancer, and birth defects. young. Long-term exposure to fine dust will aggravate respiratory diseases, asthma, and obstructive lung disease. Among them, the elderly and children are the most severely affected.
Fine dust appears a lot during peak hours such as 7-8 a.m. and 6-7 p.m. The amount of dust depends largely on the movement of vehicles.
Therefore, doctors recommend that people should limit going out during peak hours, construction areas, and heavy traffic. Families should limit opening windows and doors during times of heavy air pollution, especially in households near roads and polluted areas.
Dr. Tam also noted that closing doors prevents air from circulating indoors, allowing harmful microorganisms to survive longer in the air, causing adverse health effects. Families can open windows and doors during peak hours, when air quality is better. Regularly cleaning rooms and houses and keeping the living environment clear also helps limit fine dust.
According to Dr. Tam, people with respiratory diseases, children and the elderly with weak resistance need to regularly wear masks every time they go out. Regular masks cannot filter out ultra-fine dust particles PM2.5. Wearing specialized masks, N95 and N99 masks can filter out most of these ultra-fine dusts. People can wear two medical masks nested together to better prevent dust.
People with bacterial infections in teeth, gums, mouth, ears, nose, and throat need to be treated thoroughly to avoid bacteria spreading to the lower respiratory tract, causing recurrence of acute exacerbations in patients with chronic lung diseases such as COPD, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis. Do not arbitrarily use medicine at home, medical examination and treatment according to the prescribed regimen are two important notes for people with chronic lung disease.