System04104 Report: Air Pollution in Cambodia, Causes and Impacts

This report examines the critical issue of air pollution in Cambodia, detailing its primary causes, including the burning of fossil fuels, agricultural practices, and industrial emissions. It emphasizes the detrimental effects of air pollution on human health, particularly the rise in respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, and COPD. The report presents statistical data illustrating the high infection rates and mortality related to respiratory illnesses in Cambodia, comparing them with other Asian countries and highlighting the trends in premature deaths. It further explores other health risks linked to pollution, such as cardiovascular problems and various types of cancer, while also discussing the barriers to reducing air pollution, including management and technical challenges. Finally, the report suggests potential solutions, such as environmental education and awareness programs led by healthcare professionals, to educate the public on preventative measures and treatment options.

Running Head: Air Pollution in Cambodia
Air Pollution in Cambodia
Report
System04104
4/28/2019

Air Pollution in Cambodia
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Introduction
This report presents the major causes of air pollution in Cambodia and how it affects
the health of human beings. The main intention of this report is to present the facts and
figures that represent the current situation of Cambodia. This report also shows that how
health professional and nurses play a key role in fighting with various respiratory diseases
and how people can be aware educated and aware of such problems.
Main Causes and Types of Air Pollution
The major causes behind Air Pollution are as follow:
1. Fossil Fuels: The burning of fossil fuels in vehicles and other machines that uses
fossil fuels are the major causes of air pollution. Sulphur dioxide emitted from
combustion of fossil fuels like diesel, petrol, coal, and it contaminate with air that
causes air pollution in the environment.
2. Agriculture activities: Using ammonia in agriculture and farmlands, which is a
common by-product in agriculture also causes air pollution because it contaminates
one of the most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Using of fertilizers, pesticides, or
insecticides is also causing air pollution.
3. Exhaust from factories and industries: The manufacturing companies and plants
exhaust large number of CO2, monoxide, and hydrocarbons, and chemical that
contaminates with air and makes air pollution. Apart from this, mining sector also
cause air pollution when dust and chemicals mixed with air and causes air pollution
(San, Spoann, & Schmidt, 2018).

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There are six types of air pollution that affect the human health and also affect our
atmosphere. These air pollutions are Ozone pollution, which is most dangerous type of air
pollution causes by CFC, carbon monoxide (CO), and by CO2. Apart from this, particular
matter (PM), CO2, nitrogen gases, sulphur dioxide (SO2), and lead are the major type of
air pollutants that causes air pollution.
Statistics related to Respiratory Disease and Pollution Related
respiratory Disease in Cambodia
Common respiratory diseases arises because of pollution are Asthma attacks, failure
of lung function, Pulmonary cancer, pneumonia, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease
(COPD) etc. (Change, 2018). In the below figure, it has been clearly seen that large number
of peoples in Cambodia are suffering from Respiratory diseases. However, tuberculosis is the
other main reason.

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(Source: Hoq, Alam, & Amin, 2019)
It is almost 12500 out of 100,000 people are daily infected from various diseases in
Cambodia that is 12.5% of total population (Fig.1). The infection rate is very high for
respiratory infections in Cambodia compare to other Asian countries. Although, it has been
clear from the below stats that in 2007, large number of people died from lower respiratory
disease and it was the major behind deaths in Cambodia. Although, in 2017 the stroke
replaces the lower respiratory disease in 2017 and it was the main reason behind deaths of
people. The respiratory disease deaths were decreased by 16% from 2007 to 2017 while the
number of people died of strokes was increased by 26% in same duration (fig.2). However,
the number of premature death in 2017 was also decreased in compared to 2017. Even the
number of death was decreased by 39% in 2017, respiratory disease was still a major cause of
premature death in Cambodia till 2017 (Fig.3). However, the number of people died from
other respiratory diseases was also very huge in same duration (IHME, 2019).

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Figure 2: Top 10 causes of Death in Cambodia and percentage change in 2017 compare to
2007 (Source: IHME, 2018)

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Figure 3: (Source: IHME, 2018)
Other Most Risky Health related Issues for Population
Apart from respiratory diseases, there are several other diseases that causes from
pollution, which are as follow:
Leukaemia: It is a type of blood cancer that is raised in the body because of Air
pollution.
Immune system Defects: People are racing immune system defects if they breathing
in heavy air pollution areas.
Birth Disease: Some babies are born with lung problems or asthma problems. They
are facing problems in breathing and heart pumping process, if their parents live in polluted
areas.

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Cardiovascular problems or Heart stroke: People faces problem related to heart
diseases as blood cannot flow in body to heart. The chances of heart stroke are also increased
in these types of people (Im, Brandt, Geels, Hansen, Christensen, Andersen, & Baro, 2018).
Various types of Cancer: People faces various type of cancer such as lung cancer,
liver cancer, or even many people died from several cancers which arises because of air
pollution (Hoq, Alam, & Amin, 2019).
Fig.4 (source: IHME, 2018)
Treatment for Air Pollution Related Respiratory Diseases
A respiratory disease patient should concert with professional doctors and explains
the problem what he/she faces during breathing. The patient should away from the smoking
and drinking habits that are the common causes of respiratory diseases. Smoking and smoke
of tobacco products increases the problem of a COPD patient, therefore a patient should away
from these habits (Perkison, Kearney, Saberi, Guidotti, McCarthy, Cook-Shimanek, &
Nabeel, 2018). A part from this, the pollution related respiratory patients should take the
medicine on time, which should be prescribed by a professional doctor. The patient should
also check the pollution level at and neat the home and if possible should go away
somewhere else where pollution is low or can easily avoided by the people. Health
professional should recognise the symptoms of respiratory diseases and should identify the
pollutants that mostly affect the health of patient. The doctor should prescribe related
medicines and suggest them to live in an unpolluted area. The physician should suggest the
patient to keep away himself form their polluted place and live somewhere else where
pollution is low or negligible (Prabhakaran, Anand, Watkins, Gaziano, Wu, Mbanya, & Ali,
2018).

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Barriers in Decreasing Air Pollution in Cambodia
As Cambodia is a small country but it has huge source of natural resources. Thus, its
economy is able to take steps against the air pollution. However, there are few challenges in
Cambodia to stop the Air pollution. These challenges are as follow:
Management Challenges: In Cambodia, there is lack of integrated management
system and government is not able to use proper financial funds to reduce the Air pollution.
Cambodia is also facing problem to implement proper plans for reducing air pollution,
because people in Cambodia are still buying too many car and vehicles. There is no control
over buying diesel and patrol cars. The poor coordination between local and central
government is also a problem in reducing air pollution in the country. Cambodia faces some
economic problems because it has fear that its economic growth will be affected if it takes
any step against industry pollution and manufacturing firm’s exhausts (Usmani, Steele, &
Jeuland, 2017).
Technical Challenges: There are few technical challenges in reducing the air
pollution in the country that are Poor fuel quality, old vehicles that are emitting high level of
polluted gas, absolute pollution control technologies, poor environmental policy, and high
demand of vehicles and automobiles manufacturing units. The government also fail to control
the emission rate from various companies and mining plants. The mining sector is the major
responsible sector for air pollution (Zhang, & Mu, 2018).
Development of Environmental Education/Awareness for Target
Population
Nurses and health professionals can play an important role in spreading awareness
among those people who are living in most air-polluted area. Nurses and the local healthcare
practitioners in Cambodia can explain the symptoms of respiratory diseases that causes from
air pollution. Nurses and Doctors can tell the people that how they can protect themselves by
living in fresh air. The consumption of excessive vehicles and use of home appliances like
refrigerator and air-conditioners also create air pollution and it should be used within a
specific limit (To, Shinohara, & Umezawa, 2017). The nurses can educates the people that
how they can plant trees near their home for fresh air and avoid air pollution effect. The
COPD patient is the serious cases of air-pollution and this type of patient should not smoke or
drink. Patients those are suffering from any respiratory disease should follow the prescription
of doctors and should try to take the medicine on time. If possible then the patient should live
somewhere else where pollution is low comparing to residential place.

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References
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Im, U., Brandt, J., Geels, C., Hansen, K. M., Christensen, J. H., Andersen, M. S., & Baro, R.
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