Study of Human Respiratory Functions in Relation to Crop Residue Burning

Abstract

Human body is the most complex machine in which all the systems can be compared to various parts of the machine which work in a coordinated manner for the proper functioning of the body. As the machine requires energy from fuels, body also requires energy to do work which comes from food and oxygen. Along with fuel, if external material enters inside the machinery, proper functioning is affected which, after some time may stop working. Same thing happens in the case of human body; if external material along with food and air enters inside the body then health of the body is affected. These external materials are mainly the pollutants present in the air. Agriculture Crop Residue Burning (ACRB) plays a major role in causing pollution for a definite period. Crop residue burning activity is as old as human civilization and still considered as the cheapest and easy way of disposing off the agricultural waste. In present work, affect of ACRB on the ambient air and respiratory system of common healthy people were done by measuring their Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) like Force Vital Capacity (FVC), Force Expiratory Volume in first Second (FEV1), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEF) and Force Expiratory Flow in 25 to 75% (FEF25-75%) etc. Ambient levels were considered by measuring the concentration levels of different size particulate matter like Suspended Particulate matter (SPM), Particulate matter of size less than 2.5 and 10 and#956;m (PM2.5 and PM10). Study was carried out at the five sites of Patiala city of Punjab, India for three year of duration from February 2007 to January 2010, which included 50 healthy subjects. Age of 50 subjects lies between 13 to 53 years with mean value of 30 years. Subjects included 40 male and 10 female with mean height of 166 cm (139 - 179 cm) and weight of 62 kg (40 - 85 kg) at the start of the study.