Masks of little use, many traffic cops suffer from pulmonary disorders

Bengaluru: Of all the people who suffer the ill-effects of air pollution in the city, traffic policemen are the worst hit. Health experts and environmentalists point out that the masks given to the policemen serve no purpose. 

In January 2017, a study conducted by Eureka Forbes, a health and hygiene company, in association with the Mangaluru-based Anti-Pollution Drive (APD) Foundation, concluded that of the 235 city traffic police personnel who underwent the pulmonary test, 20% were found to have respiratory disorders. 

“Since traffic policemen are exposed to vehicular exhaust fumes for a long time, they suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Exhaust fumes include carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, which can lead to increment in the level of carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb),” said Dr Sandeep S., a pulmonologist at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital.  

The city traffic police manage over 70 lakh vehicles in the city and with the work shift of eight hours at traffic junctions they are exposed to heavy doses of pollution and develop respiratory disorders. 

Dr Sandeep pointed out that with the spiralling air pollution levels in the city, the incidence of COPD among traffic police personnel has also gone up. 

The policemen are usually seen wearing surgical masks. But many personnel, on condition of anonymity, admitted that the masks were either bought on their 
own or were donated by hospitals. 

Mr Mahesh Kashyap, a consultant with the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), said that the masks given to the policemen serve no purpose. “Dust is the major killer and masks should protect the policemen from vehicular emissions and dust. But above all, the idling of vehicles at traffic junctions should be stopped,” he said. 

One of the solutions suggested by Dr Sandeep is to give policemen respirators, which are used in industries. DCP North Sarah Fathima denied having any data on the number of traffic police personnel affected, but she said that medical checkups are conducted regularly.

Referring to the precedence set by the National Institute of Health Science (Nimhans), which after a long research on head injuries concluded that helmets should be made mandatory as a protective headgear, former DGP Ajay Kumar Singh said, “The IISc should come up with a solution to this and private trusts can fund the research. At present, policemen are not given good quality masks.”