The family of five from Linh, Dong Da district, constantly experiences respiratory problems. Linh’s husband, who goes to work early and comes home late, once had severe bronchitis and required several large doses of antibiotics.
Their children, two 12-year-old girls and a 6-year-old boy, had sore throats and high fevers for five days. Linh’s throat was so sore, she had so much trouble breathing and couldn’t sleep, but she had to do her best to take care of the family.
“I thought we got sick from the dry, cold weather, but it turns out poor air quality was also to blame. We live right next to a construction site and there is dust day and night,” she said.
Tien, 55, finds himself in the same situation. As a motorcycle taxi driver, he has to spend tens of thousands of Vietnamese dong every day to buy masks and saline solutions to protect his nose and eyes, as well as to wash away dirt that gets into them.
He spends 15 hours, from morning to evening, on the street, and his clothes, phones, helmets and gloves always smell of smoke and are full of dust. Besides his runny nose, Tien also has rashes all over his body, which requires him to take medication.
Tien says he is already tired of the pollution he has to deal with every day, but he has no other choice since he is raising two children. He said he might return to his hometown in a few years.
Tran Dinh Thang, from the stroke department of the National Geriatric Hospital, said the respiratory illnesses suffered by people like Linh and Tien are caused by dry and cold weather combined with air pollution, especially high levels of particles.
Over the past week, the number of children and elderly people hospitalized for coughs and breathing difficulties has increased by 10 to 15% compared to normal, sometimes even by 50%.
A report by the World Bank and the Hanoi People’s Committee also found that more than 40% of urban residents are exposed to PM2.5 levels that are twice the national standards and well above international standards set by the WHO.
It also said that high PM2.5 levels in Hanoi send more than 1,000 people to hospital for cardiovascular problems and 3,000 people for respiratory problems each year.
Le Hoan, head of the Department of Endocrinology and Respiratory at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said high levels of fine dust and PM2.5 would reduce the vision of people in traffic in the morning. If the particles manage to enter the respiratory tract, they will cause damage and lead to several respiratory diseases.
“If exposed over long periods of time, illnesses will cause complications and lead to chronic respiratory diseases,” he said, adding that small enough particles can enter the body’s circulatory system, damaging the cardiovascular system. and the brain.
People with cardiovascular and respiratory problems, pregnant women, children and the elderly are more sensitive to these particles. In case of prolonged exposure, dust can even cause miscarriages for pregnant women or disabilities for their newborns.
Experts recommend people wear masks when going out to minimize exposure to dust, as well as avoid getting into rush-hour traffic or entering frequently polluted areas, like parks industrial or highways.
