Workshop on environmental health:

*Intervention programmes for mitigating air pollution-related health risks*

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*Bengalooru, 22-23 January 2008*

Air pollution and its health impacts have become visibly severe. In India, air pollution is estimated to cause, at the very minimum, 100,000 excess deaths and 25 million excesses illnesses every year. Asthma, particularly amongst children, is a good indicator of the air quality. To effectively mitigate health risks of air pollution, air quality management and asthma control programmes must be supplemented with an effective community-based asthma mitigation programme aimed at involving risk bearers in solving problems.

The Bengalooru workshop is a part of a series of environmental health workshops initiated two years ago. These workshops are premised on making risk bearers a key player in mitigating air pollution-related health risks. *The Bengalooru workshop will give equal importance (and time) to:*

· *Understand issues related to air pollution and its health risks

in Bengalooru, and the current efforts being made to tackle them *(through presentations made in the plenary sessions)

· *Allowing workshop participants to review existing air

quality-related risk mitigation plans, and preparing additional plans that workshop participants commit to implementing—as individuals or organizations, and encouraging the formation of coalitions and partnerships to help plan implementation *(in the breakout sessions consisting of small groups of workshop participants)

Plans prepared by workshop participants will pertain to *specific indoor, workspaces, and ambient environments* that interest them, and will lay emphasis on *high-risk groups,* eg, traffic police officers, autorickshaw drivers, women, and children. Each plan will consist of three components—*interventions with risk bearers to help them mitigate risks, health effects management, and air quality management. * Where relevant, the plans will focus on children's asthma. *The Bengalooru workshop will:*

· *Encourage the creation of a voluntary multidisciplinary task

force of various stakeholders*

· *throw light on low-cost intervention methods*

· *increase the understanding and public awareness of air

pollution-related health risks*

*Participants:* Asthma and other air pollution affected people, and their networks, government and non-government and professional organizations, and individuals working in the fields of: air quality management, chest diseases, environmental health, community health, public health awareness programmes.

*Organizer:* Cerana Foundation, D-101 Highrise Apts, Lower Tank Bund Rd, Hyderabad 500 080. Tel: 40 2753 8317, Telefax: 40 2753 6128. Email: asthmaworkshop@gmail.com

*Co-Organizer:* Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Mahalaxmi Parthasarathy, Asthma Workshop Secretariat, 33/34, Amara Canopy Apartment, Apt No 302, 6th Cross, BT-2nd Stage, Bangalore 560 076. Tel: 80 2678 9637, 98455 75665. Email: asthmaworkshop@gmail.com

*Sponsor: *United Nations Environment Programme

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*Co-sponsors: *Various All-India and Bengalooru organizations will co-sponsor the workshop. A complete list will be published at the time of the conference.

*Registration request form*

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*Instructions for registration request:* This workshop requires no registration fee. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please fill the form below and email to asthmaworkshop@gmail.com (give the attachment file your last name, eg, if your last name is Gupta, your registration request form sent as an attachment file should be given the name gupta.doc or gupta.txt), or mail a hardcopy to *Cerana Foundation, D-101 Highrise Apts, Lower Tank Bund Rd, Hyderabad AP 500 080*. Please send your form early, but no later than to reach us by 30 Dec 2007. *Only registered participants may attend the workshop.* If your arrival and departure information is not known now, please send it to us immediately after receiving our acceptance of your registration request, which we will do by 10 Jan 2008.

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*Name: Mr/Ms/Dr**

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*Organization:*

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*Mailing address:*

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*Tel No: Fax No:

Email:*

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*Discipline: *Environmental science/engineering/ Health/Law/ Community organizer/ Media/ Other* (please specify)

*Specialization *(eg, air pollution monitoring, pulmonologist, environmental law, etc):

*If you are not a Bengalooru resident, please provide information regarding your arrival and departure*

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*Arrival mode: *Air/ Train/ Bus*. *Arr dt:

Expected arr time:*

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*Arriving from:

Flt/Train

name & #:*

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*Arriving airport/ station/ bus stand:*

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*Departure mode: *Air/ Train/ Bus*. *Dep dt: *

*Expected

dep time:*

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*Departing to: Flt/Train

name & #:*

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*Departing airport/ station/ bus stand: *

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*Will you participate on both days or one day only*. If for one

day, will it be 22nd or 23rd*.*

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*Do you have any special diet restrictions?*

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* *Please strike off what is not relevant*

Tags: Workshop , Environment , Air