07 Nov 2016-|Gurgaon (Manesar) | Amity University Gurgaon
Indo-US Symposium on “Air Quality
and
Health Issues: The Global Experiences
Amity University Gurgaon in collaboration with National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), New York University (NYU), US-Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and John Hopkins University (JHU) organized a symposium on “Air Quality and Health Issues: The Global Experiences”, specifically focusing on both the Indian and Global Scenario.
The symposium was attended by over 500 students and faculty attended the rigorous scientific sessions presided by Hon’ble Founder President Dr. Ashok K Chauhan and also Hon’ble Chancellor Dr. Aseem Chauhan. The Chairs and Speakers included eminent scientists and policy makers such as Dr. Gwen Collman-NIEHS, Dr. Qamar Rahman- Amity University, Dr. George Thurston and Dr. Terry Gordon-NYU,Mr. Vasu Kilaru-US-EPA, Dr. Shyam Biswal-JH.
The INDO- US Symposium has been organized in the backdrop of the rapid declining air quality and its impact on human health and property. India and other developing nations face a severe challenge to pulverize significant and dangerous environmental issues including climate change. For all of the above scenarios, the solutions require fundamental and radical new thinking that inspires the current generation to take up the issues seriously. In this very context, Amity University’s commitment for better future and sustainability has led to this particular
The key visions of the symposium were to provide new knowledge on air pollution and health issues in a rapidly urbanizing society and the evidence to support cost-effective measures for health improvements related to atmospheric pollutants in India, Delhi in particular.
After the invocation ceremony, Prof. Dr. P. B. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, made the Opening Remarks and set the scientific mood to the symposium. He emphasized the role of air quality in human health.Prof. Sharma welcomed the panel of eminence and engaged all present in true inspiration. He also thanked the Founder President Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Chancellor Dr. Aseem Chauhan and Senior Members of Amity Family including Dr. W. Selvamurthy and Prof. Dr. S. K. Dube.
The welcome address was given by our esteemed Chancellor Dr. Aseem Chauhan, who highlighted his happiness and satisfaction to see that Amity University has organized the event which is as per the profound vision of our Hon. Founder President Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan. He thanked Dr. Qamar Rahman for her efforts to connect with such remarkable scientists and policy makers from US.
Dr. Aseem Chauhan said that at the time has come for the nation to realize that it is reeling under the crisis of severe degradation in air quality, thus there is an utmost urgency to find the scientific and technological solutions to improve the air quality. He emphasized that the biggest problems in the world can be solved with collaboration. He pointed out that during the ongoing Indo US Tech Summit, toxic air of Delhi NCR was also the topic of attention in every delegates’ speech.
Dr. Qamar Rahman, Distinguished Professor, Amity University, Noida and Director & Dean Research (Science and Technology), Amity University, Lucknow, India. She echoed an absolute toxicological view of the declining air quality in India to the audience and the panel and directed attention towards the extreme levels of pollution during Diwali-2016 implying the “toxic cocktail” combination of crop-residue burning and crackers.\
Dr. Gwen Collman, NIEHS and Dr. Qamar Rahman. Dr. Gwen W Collman, Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences first gave her views on the topic. Dr. Collman said that “Air Pollution is the world’s single largest environmental Health Risk Factor and almost 23% of all global deaths are linked to environmental pollution.” She stressed that health exposure of human beings to air pollution, including ambient and household, also from agriculture (pesticides), vehicles emissions, industrial emissions, and construction activities. She shared that over 4 million people die prematurely from cooking with solid fuels and it leads to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and immune and other biological diseases.
Dr. George Thurston, Director, Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU delivered a talk onHistorical Perspective on Air Pollution and Health Research Population Studiessaid that developing countries should follow the footsteps of developed countries, with concentrating on clean sources of energy to supply electricity across nation rather than running more carbon based power plants.
At this juncture, a symposium memorandum was released to highlight the scientific and research activities of Amity University’s commitment to enrich the air quality and pollution inventions. The release was followed by the Technical Question/Answer Session where all, particularly, the students asked numerous questions on various topics related to the deliberations at the Symposium. Responding to a question on the cause of high air pollution in Delhi during Diwali 2016, Dr. Srikant S. Nadadur, Program Director (Nano-EHS), NIEHS, USA and other experts responded that the high level pollution is a coincidence of crop burning in neighboring states, firecrackers burned during Diwali festival and resulting high temperature in the state.
The AUG gratefully thanks all the Overseas Delegates, the vision and encouragement from Hon’ble Founder President Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Hon’ble Chancellor Dr. Aseem Chauhan to make this symposium successful in its true sense.