Air pollution in Telangana linked to increased risk of stroke, heart diseases: Study
New Delhi: Exposure to air pollution may lead to higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or heart attack, according to a study conducted in Hyderabad, Telangana.
The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, was part of The Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution in Telangana, India (CHAI) project which aims to analyse the association between particulate matter levels in the air and cardiovascular risk, and is the first to establish this link in a low-middle income country's population.
According to the study, the level of exposure to ambient and household air pollution, is related to carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).
CIMT is the width of the inner two layers of the carotid artery that supplies blood to the brain, face, and neck and is a marker for atherosclerosis -- a plaque forming disease of the arteries affecting more than 10 million Indians each year, the researchers, including those from Sri Ramachandra University (SRU) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, said.
As part of the study, an international team of researchers measured the CIMT of 3,372 participants from a peri-urban region of Hyderabad, Telangana, and estimated their exposure to air pollution. The air pollution exposure was calculated using an algorithm called land use regression (LUR), which the researchers said is frequently used to predict the amount of fine particles suspended in air (diameter under 2.5 m) in high-income countries.
The participants also provided information on the type of cooking fuel they used, the study noted.
The results of the study indicate that a high annual exposure to PM2.5 fine particles is linked to a higher CIMT, particularly in men above 40 years of age, or those with cardiometabolic risk factors.
The researchers said that nearly 60 per cent of the participants used biomass cooking fuel.
"People using biomass fuel for cooking had a higher CIMT, particularly women who cooked in unventilated spaces," said Otavio Ranzani, lead scientist of the study from Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain.
"Women had a higher CIMT than men, which could be due to the fact that they spend more time in the kitchen, breathing air polluted by biomass fuel," he said.
The study noted that the annual average exposure to PM2.5 among the participants was 32.7 microgram per cubic metre, which is far above the WHO recommended maximum level of 10 microgram per cubic metre.
"This study is relevant for countries which, like India, are experiencing a rapid epidemiological transition and a sharp increase in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. In addition, the country is affected by high levels of air pollution, both ambient and indoors," said Cathryn Tonne, study co-author from ISGlobal.
The researchers cautioned that the study cannot be generalised to all urban and peri-urban centres in India since the pollution levels and the prevalence of metabolic disorders varied across the country.
"We observed a lower level of annual ambient PM2.5 than occurs in cities in Northern India (e.g. New Delhi), and lower prevalence of central obesity and metabolic syndrome than expected for urban populations in India."
"Therefore, generalisability of our estimates to urban India may be somewhat limited, and further studies are needed to better represent other populations in LMICs," the researchers wrote in the study.
Tonne said there is a need to perform more studies on air pollution in other low- and middle-income countries, since the conclusions may differ considerably from those conducted in high income countries as there are differences in population characteristics and air pollution levels and sources.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
