• PMA said the inhaling of the gas damaged their lungs
• “We are scared that death toll could increase,” it added.
• Pakistan is already suffering a lot from environment issues.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) feels very depressed over the deaths of 18 people in Keamari Town within few days due to inhaling toxic gas emitting from some factories functioning in the residential neighborhoods causing interstitial lung disease.

The PMA said the inhaling of the gas damaged their lungs and eventually they lost the ability to breathe and died. “We are scared that death toll could increase as many people of the area are having symptoms of the disease like, fever, sore throat and shortness of breath,” the PMA said.

The deaths due to emission of noxious gasses by illegal factories operating in the residential areas put a big question mark over the poor performance of our departments who were responsible to keep check on establishing such illegal factories, even not adopting environmental laws of the country, the PMA said.

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“Due to the criminal negligence of our authorities poor people are suffering interstitial lung disease which is very fatal and causes irreversible lung fibrosis,” the association said.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan is already suffering a lot from environment issues. It is among the most polluted countries in terms of ambient (outdoor) air pollution and water contamination. According to rankings compiled by IQAir, Pakistan was the world’s second most polluted country in the world for both 2018 as well as 2019,” it added.

The PMA demanded from the government to immediately take stern action and permanently ban such illegal factories established in residential areas to save the lives of innocent people of Pakistan.