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An NGO is advocating a complete switch to eco-friendly inhalers in India.N. Mansukhani, development facilitator of the NGO said, “If everything goes fine, all asthma inhalers in India will use either dry powder or will use a hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellant.”
Many of the existing varieties of inhalers release chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) into the atmosphere, which causes depletion of the ozone layer. Approximately 15 million asthma patients in India use such inhalers. The health ministry and the environment and forests ministry are considering a shift to those varieties that do not harm the ozone layer and thus help reduce many climatic and health- related problems.
A day-long conference to discuss on this issue is scheduled on Monday.
"The effort is to shift to hydrofluoroalkane-based inhaler," Mansukhani told.
He said India is one of 195 signatories to the Montreal Protocol and is working towards phasing out CFCs completely by January 2010 and save the ozone layer that protects life on Earth from harmful UV radiation.
Mansukhani said, “These inhalers provide the same health benefits as the old CFC-containing inhalers but without damaging the ozone layer.”
