Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Have a blast, carefully
D eepavali, the festival of lights, turned out to be nightmarish for four-year-old Hari Iyer. Chennai-based Hari lost his hearing after a deafening cracker burst within a metre of where he was standing with his packet of sparklers. Unfortunately, there is no treatment; no medicine, no surgery, not even a hearing aid that can truly correct one's hearing once it is damaged by high decibel noise.
Many a Hari ends up with permanent and irreversible hearing loss every Deepavali. Firecrackers, which constitute an integral part of the celebrations, not only cause air and noise pollution but also pose an array of health risks. The high decibel levels cause high blood pressure, heart attack or other long-term health problems like restlessness, anger, fidgetiness, impulsive behaviour and sleep disturbance.
Normal decibel level for humans is 60 dB but most crackers emit more than 80 dB, a level that can cause temporary hearing loss. This has an adverse effect on children, senior citizens and pregnant women, leading them to become hyperactive or withdrawn.
Hearing loss
If noise is loud enough and lasts long enough, it can cause irreparable damage to hearing. The damage caused by noise is called sensorineural hearing loss or nerve loss. Every year post-Deepavali, many cases of tinnitus (a constant ringing sound in the ears), perforation of ear drums, blocked ear and temporary hearing loss are reported. Tinnitus, which commonly occurs after noise exposure, is often permanent.
The ear has three main parts: the outer, middle and inner ear. When noise is too loud, it begins to kill the nerve endings in the inner car. As the exposure time to loud noise increases, more and more nerve endings are destroyed, As the number of nerve endings decreases, so does your hearing. There is no way to restore life to dead nerve endings; the damage is permanent. The longer you are exposed to a loud noise, the more damaging it may be. Also, the closer you are to the source of intense noise, the more damaging it is.
The increase in the level of suspended particles in the air during Deepavali also leads to a slew of ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems. At this time, the air is thick with suspended particulate matter (SPM). Exposure to 100 ppm of SPM causes headaches and reduces mental agility. Though the effects may not be immediate, they can manifest as serious conditions later on. Especially vulnerable are those with heart, lung or central nervous system diseases.
Toxic presence
To study the chemical composition of fire crackers, some samples analysed at the Bombay Natural History Society Laboratory showed an alarmingly high presence of extremely toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead, in addition to other metals like copper, manganese, zinc, sodium, magnesium and potassium in the fire-crackers. Sulphur dioxide is readily soluble and dissolves in the larger airways of the respiratory system na restricts the breathing process. Nitrogen dioxide, which is less soluble, penetrates the smaller airways and the lungs and destroys the linings of the respiratory surface thereby reducing the intake of oxygen. These cause respiratory allergies like asthma. Allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD, allergic rhinitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and common cold show a sharp increase during this festive season.
So, as you prepare to light your pile of firecrackers and spare a thought for the health risks they pose.
The writer is a Chennai-based ENT specialist.
நன்றி ஹிந்து
Many a Hari ends up with permanent and irreversible hearing loss every Deepavali. Firecrackers, which constitute an integral part of the celebrations, not only cause air and noise pollution but also pose an array of health risks. The high decibel levels cause high blood pressure, heart attack or other long-term health problems like restlessness, anger, fidgetiness, impulsive behaviour and sleep disturbance.
Normal decibel level for humans is 60 dB but most crackers emit more than 80 dB, a level that can cause temporary hearing loss. This has an adverse effect on children, senior citizens and pregnant women, leading them to become hyperactive or withdrawn.
Hearing loss
If noise is loud enough and lasts long enough, it can cause irreparable damage to hearing. The damage caused by noise is called sensorineural hearing loss or nerve loss. Every year post-Deepavali, many cases of tinnitus (a constant ringing sound in the ears), perforation of ear drums, blocked ear and temporary hearing loss are reported. Tinnitus, which commonly occurs after noise exposure, is often permanent.
The ear has three main parts: the outer, middle and inner ear. When noise is too loud, it begins to kill the nerve endings in the inner car. As the exposure time to loud noise increases, more and more nerve endings are destroyed, As the number of nerve endings decreases, so does your hearing. There is no way to restore life to dead nerve endings; the damage is permanent. The longer you are exposed to a loud noise, the more damaging it may be. Also, the closer you are to the source of intense noise, the more damaging it is.
The increase in the level of suspended particles in the air during Deepavali also leads to a slew of ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems. At this time, the air is thick with suspended particulate matter (SPM). Exposure to 100 ppm of SPM causes headaches and reduces mental agility. Though the effects may not be immediate, they can manifest as serious conditions later on. Especially vulnerable are those with heart, lung or central nervous system diseases.
Toxic presence
To study the chemical composition of fire crackers, some samples analysed at the Bombay Natural History Society Laboratory showed an alarmingly high presence of extremely toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead, in addition to other metals like copper, manganese, zinc, sodium, magnesium and potassium in the fire-crackers. Sulphur dioxide is readily soluble and dissolves in the larger airways of the respiratory system na restricts the breathing process. Nitrogen dioxide, which is less soluble, penetrates the smaller airways and the lungs and destroys the linings of the respiratory surface thereby reducing the intake of oxygen. These cause respiratory allergies like asthma. Allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD, allergic rhinitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and common cold show a sharp increase during this festive season.
So, as you prepare to light your pile of firecrackers and spare a thought for the health risks they pose.
The writer is a Chennai-based ENT specialist.
நன்றி ஹிந்து
Saturday, October 22, 2011
உள்ளாட்சி தேர்தலில்
பேரூராட்சி தலைவராக பஷீர் அகமது dmk அவர்கள் தேர்ந்து எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்கள்.
தனக்கு அடுத்து வந்த வேட்பாளரான முகைதீன் மரைக்காயரை admk விட சுமார் 413 வாக்குகள் பெற்று
வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ளார்.
வார்டுகளில்
1வது வார்டு செல்வி அதிமுக 318 வாக்குகள் பெற்று வெற்றி
2வது வார்டு முருகையன்அதிமுக 302
3வது வார்டு மல்லிகா சுயேட்சை 366
4வது வார்டு தமயந்திஅதிமுக 455
5வது வார்டு சுரேஷ்அதிமுக 201
6வது வார்டு ஜோதி சுயேட்சை152
7வது வார்டு பெரமையன் dmk 445
8வது வார்டு ரியாஸ் அகமது dmk 137
9வது வார்டு கபார் மமக 128
10வது வார்டு நாகூர்கனிஅதிமுக 060
11வது வார்டு ராஹிலா பீவி dmk 129
12வது வார்டு மும்தாஜ் congress 087
13வது வார்டு சுரேஷ் dmk 234
14வது வார்டு மணிவேல் dmk 098
15வது வார்டு ஜீவானந்தம்அதிமுக 357
வெற்றி பெற்ற அனைவருக்கும்
நமது இனையம் சார்பாக வாழ்த்துக்கள்.
நன்றி மதுக்கூர்.காம்
தனக்கு அடுத்து வந்த வேட்பாளரான முகைதீன் மரைக்காயரை admk விட சுமார் 413 வாக்குகள் பெற்று
வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ளார்.
வார்டுகளில்
1வது வார்டு செல்வி அதிமுக 318 வாக்குகள் பெற்று வெற்றி
2வது வார்டு முருகையன்அதிமுக 302
3வது வார்டு மல்லிகா சுயேட்சை 366
4வது வார்டு தமயந்திஅதிமுக 455
5வது வார்டு சுரேஷ்அதிமுக 201
6வது வார்டு ஜோதி சுயேட்சை152
7வது வார்டு பெரமையன் dmk 445
8வது வார்டு ரியாஸ் அகமது dmk 137
9வது வார்டு கபார் மமக 128
10வது வார்டு நாகூர்கனிஅதிமுக 060
11வது வார்டு ராஹிலா பீவி dmk 129
12வது வார்டு மும்தாஜ் congress 087
13வது வார்டு சுரேஷ் dmk 234
14வது வார்டு மணிவேல் dmk 098
15வது வார்டு ஜீவானந்தம்அதிமுக 357
வெற்றி பெற்ற அனைவருக்கும்
நமது இனையம் சார்பாக வாழ்த்துக்கள்.
நன்றி மதுக்கூர்.காம்
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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