Items of Work Handled

Items of Work Handled

National Environmental Health Profile Study

National Environmental Health Profile Study (NEHP Study), is one of the key project of the Cell, which was initiated by the Ministry with the aim to make an assessment of impact on human health due to consequence of exposure to air pollution in 20 selected cities across the country. The study covers 20 cities in four zones of the country i.e. North, South, East and West. The study is a collaborative effort of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)/State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) and medical institutions like ICMR and AIIMS.

Objectives

• To generate evidence for impact of air pollution on human health through systematic review/meta-analysis using available studies;
• To compare the level of air pollution, health outcomes across twenty cities in the country;
• To determine the effects of air pollution on health outcomes;
• To develop a model to predict the health outcomes attributable to air pollution.

Study Design

• A common protocol and methodology was devised for the study through a Core Group of eminent doctors/ researchers.
• Mixed study design – both ecological longitudinal and cross sectional study approach.
• Longitudinal study – exposure data from CPCB/SPCBs, acute admissions in emergency departments of major hospitals
• Cross sectional study – multi stage cluster sampling, households as the primary sampling unit
• Study sanctioned in 2018-19 for 3 years
• Co-ordinated by Dept. of Biostatistics Department, AIIMS, New Delhi

Inception of Study

The study was conceptualized during the financial year 2017-18, however was started in the year 2018-19. The study consists of a mixed design, comprising the hospital-based ecological longitudinal approach to assess acute health effects of air pollution on people and community/ survey-based cross-sectional approach to assess chronic health effects of pollution. A team of the experts constituted, finalized the methodology and common protocol for the study during the second half of year 2018-19. Experts from Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, AIIMS, Delhi, PGIMER, Chandigarh, SRU, Chennai, NIREH, Bhopal, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Central Pollution Control Board were the part of the team. Subsequently, since November 2019, data collection was started across the selected sites for study. During the year 2020, activities could not be performed effectively because of COVID-19 pandemic and engagements of hospitals in defending with the pandemic.

A Working Group, headed by the Head of Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of   Medical Research and an Apex Committee, headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also been constituted by the Cell, which review the activities on Environment Health, appraise environment health projects and provide guidance for developing/formulating Environmental Health Strategies in the country.