Mangaluru: A study suggests that 19% of the auto rickshaw drivers in Mangaluru suffer from restrictive lung functioning (RLF) and 3.46% exhibited obstructive lung functioning (OLF). The Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) conducted by a team of Anti-Pollution Drive (APD) Foundation revealed the impact of air pollution on the health of auto rickshaw drivers in the city. The study report clearly showed that around 1/5th of the auto drivers in the city are adversely affected by air pollution. The foundation will submit the report to the government and seek measures to check pollution and help those in trouble.

After having conducted similar tests on traffic police in Mangaluru and Bengaluru, the foundation has now successfully concluded its second edition of tests on outdoor workers of Mangaluru, with focus on auto drivers of Mangaluru.

After isolating the smokers, the sample size was reduced to 405. Among these 314 drivers had normal lung functioning. 77 exhibited restrictive lung functioning and 14 showed the symptoms of obstructive lung functioning. This data clearly shows that around 1/5th of the total sample population has been adversely effected by air pollution.