DehradunIt is generally said that bad cigarettes etc, cause related diseases, but you will be surprised to know that women who do not smoke beedi cigarettes also have the problem of COPD due to smoke related complaints, In Doon Medical College Hospital of Uttarakhand, many such cases are reported from the hilly districts in which women are suffering from such diseases and the reason behind this is cooking on the stove which produces a lot of smoke etc, For example, cooking food by burning leaves releases many harmful substances which women inhale, Most of the women related to breathing come from mountain villages, The symptoms of this disease are fever, difficulty in breathing as well as colored mucus, It can be said that the use of traditional chulhas is still widespread in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, which is proving to be a “silent killer” for women’s health,
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may occur
Dr. Anurag Aggarwal, a chest specialist at Doon Medical College Hospital, Dehradun, says that many patients of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease come to the OPD of the hospital, ranging from men who smoke to women living in the hills. Women do not smoke, but due to the harsh smoke in their lungs and respiratory system, their lungs are adversely affected. She suffers from seven related diseases because she has been cooking on the stove for many years.
In the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, kitchen smoke is proving to be more dangerous than beedis and cigarettes for women’s health. Recent figures from Doon Medical College Hospital are shocking. A large number of women are coming here who have never smoked in their life, but they are falling prey to serious diseases like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
Women are becoming ‘smokers’ without smoking
It is generally believed that lung diseases are caused only by smoking beedis or cigarettes but according to experts, cooking food on traditional stove for a long time is as harmful to health as smoking several packets of cigarettes every day. Women in mountain villages use wood and dry leaves to cook food. The harmful gases and microscopic particles released from the burning of these fuels reach deep into the lungs and cause permanent damage to them.
Cases increased in Doon Medical College
The respiratory disease specialists of Doon Medical College Hospital are continuously receiving such cases from hilly districts like Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Tehri. According to the hospital data, most of the women suffering from respiratory problems are from rural areas. According to Dr. Aggarwal, “Carbon monoxide and particulate matter present in the smoke of the stove directly destroy the air sacs of the lungs. This reduces the ability to take oxygen, which ultimately takes the form of COPD. He said that you should not ignore some things like persistent cough and difficulty in breathing, persistent mild fever, dark colored (yellow or green) mucus and getting tired quickly while climbing stairs or doing physical work are many such symptoms which can turn into a serious disease in the future.
Why is stove smoke dangerous?
Kitchens in hilly areas are often small and less well ventilated. The smoke emanating from burning of wood and leaves fills the room. According to a research, the level of pollutants released from cooking on the stove in a closed room can be 20 to 30 times more than the permissible limit.
