Asthmatics’ outlook gloomy

Press, 6 May 1983, Page 5

Asthmatics’ outlook gloomy

Christchurch’s 30,000 or so asthma and chronic bronchitis sufferers are in for another bad winter, because the city’s clean air zone has so far made little difference to air pollution, according to a respiratory expert. Dr J. A. McLeod, head of respiratory medicine at The Princess Margaret Hospital, said yesterday that Christchurch needed the “Draconian but simple” legislation that had been introduced in London in the 19505, banning smoke emission completely.

“What it took in London was the wholesale slaughter of numerous asthma sufferers and other people during the famous pea-soupers of the early 19505,” he said. “Obviously, nothing like

that is going to happen here on such a large scale, but Christchurch’s air pollution has undoubtedly been a contributory factor in some asthma deaths,” he said. Present clean air legislation in Christchurch applied only to coal and woodburning appliances being installed.

“People with established coal fires in houses built before the legislation can go on pouring smoke out of their chimneys as long as they like,” he said. There were about 15,000 asthmatics and 7500 chronic bronchitis sufferers in Christchurch, and ideally all of them should keep out of the central city during the winter,” he said. “Those who can afford it move up on to

the Cashmere Hills, and some have simply had to leave Christchurch altogether,” he said. “Others cope by simply staying indoors after 5 p.m. every night during the winter. If they have to go out, they take lots of extra medication to protect themselves against the effect of the smoggy air.” Dr McLeod said that the results of a recent survey of Christchurch Hospital attendances for acute asthma attacks in the winter did not answer any of the questions about asthma and air pollution.

The survey results, printed in “The Press” in March, showed there was no increase in hospital attendancesby asthmatics during

periods of bad air pollution. Dr McLeod said that only about 20 per cent of asthmatics would need to go to hospital during a bad asthma attack; the remaining 80 per cent would see their own doctor.

“But whatever the figures of the survey say, there is no doubt at all that asthmatics agree that smog does affect them,” he said. The same applied to bronchitics, he said.

No full research study had been done in Christchurch to determine the exact effect of smog on asthmatics because of the difficulties of designing such a study, he said..

“To get a control group for the study, we would have to ask a numbtfc of

asthmatics to expose themselves to Christchurch smog, without extra medication, for a certain period,” he said. “It just would not be fair to ask them to do this.”

According to the Health Department in Christchurch, the smog has been noticeable only one night so far this year, and that was on May 3. “The air was particularly smelly, and smoky, but the pollution level would not have been as high as it gets in the middle of winter,” said Mr Don Pullen, the department’s air pollution officer.

The department measures the air pollution levels in the city year round, and sends the results to the World Health Organisation.