Finally, in December 2023, the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) imposed a ban on pigeon feeding in Mumbai city. What should have been done decades ago will eventually give solace to a lot of citizens. A ban, well in time would have prevented thousands of lungs from irreversible damage due to inhalation of pigeon droppings (poop, shit). Sad, it is always the few who create most of the problems.
Animals and birds have been designed to feed themselves; if they don’t get food, they migrate.
The BMC will impose a fine, albeit, a meek one, and the believers in pigeon feeding may well pay the paltry 500 rupees fine. This is because some believe that pigeon feeding brings prosperity, though I have not heard of any businessman becoming prosperous because of pigeon feeding. Else there would be no poverty in this world – just feeding the pigeons a few grains would have done the trick.
Every life in this world is self-sufficient, except the human race. Animals and birds have been designed to feed themselves; if they don’t get food, they migrate. It is only the humans who have to work. Even after migration, humans, in the quest of better living, often work hard to feed self and the family. The majority of migrants continue to live a difficult life which is precisely the reason why many charities and some governments feed their extremely poor citizens.
No government feeds animals or birds unless they are captivated and kept in the zoos. There is no government scheme to feed stray dogs or for that matter, the pigeons. If feeding pigeons made individuals prosper, governments of many third world nations would have encouraged just that.
Birds, including pigeons, and stray animals should not be fed for the above reasons – that they can feed themselves. Feeding them makes them lazy and dependent on you, eventually hovering around the feeding places and becoming a nuisance to the society by their droppings and shedding small feathers, both of which are bad for respiratory health of people exposed to it.
Until a decade ago, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) was found in workers who worked as veterinary doctors (doctors who specialize in diseases of animals), or who worked as cleaners in kabutar khanas (places in Mumbai where pigeons are fed in large numbers) or in people who fed birds or lived near kabutar khanas.
But now people from all walks of life are getting HP. The Pulmonologists (Chest Physician) in Mumbai have seen a 5-fold increase in the number of cases of HP, and the common link is exposure to pigeon dropping.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) causes permanent scarring of the lung tissue leading to breathing difficulties, eventually requiring 24/7 oxygen support or lung transplant.
When pigeon droppings dry, they become airborne and if inhaled, lead flu-like symptoms, pneumonia etc. Long-term exposure leads to irreversible damage to the lungs and poor respiratory health that keeps on worsening.
Diseases due to pigeon droppings used to be an occupational (work-related) illness; it still is, but is also becoming a major public health issue.
The ban on pigeon feeding is a welcome move because of multiple reasons, one of which is the effect on human health. According to KM Chandrashekar, assistant professor of Veterinary Microbiology at the Veterinary College, Hassan, Karnataka, India, pigeons carry parasites, ticks and fleas in their droppings and can spread up to 60 diseases in people exposed to dust from dried droppings.
Earlier diseases due to birds were found mainly in veterinary doctors and the support staff handling the birds. It was a work-related (occupational) illness. With increase in bird feeding, people who are not involved in handling the birds, but living in the vicinity are getting serious lung problems (requiring external oxygen and some even lung transplant), making it a public health issue as well.
The pigeons carry parasites, ticks and fleas in their droppings and can spread up to 60 diseases in people exposed to the dust from the dried droppings. Many of these diseases are difficult and expensive to treat.
Some of the other serious diseases that people exposed to bird dropping, especially pigeon droppings are Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis, Candidiasis, Psittacosis, Avian tuberculosis, besides causing bird flu. All these diseases are difficult and even expensive to treat. Hence preventing it is not only better than cure but even cheaper.
Protecting your lungs from pigeon dropping
As an Occupational Health physician, I would suggest the following to protect your lungs from being damaged permanently due to pigeon (and other bird’s) droppings:
- Stop feeding the birds. People should realize feeding birds doesn’t bring prosperity; it only brings misery and ill-health
- Citizens should intervene to stop those feeding the birds and educate them about its harm; and report to the authorities if they don’t listen and continue to feed the birds
- Do not let the dropping accumulate; keep cleaning the droppings taking precautions to protect oneself
- Do not sweep the dried bird droppings; they become airborne and gain easy access to the lungs along with the air we breathe
- Clean the bird droppings by making them wet with water or a disinfectant. This prevents droppings from becoming airborne so that people escape the 60 diseases that it can cause
- Wear gloves, shoe coverings, masks (preferably N95) while cleaning the droppings
- After the droppings are cleaned, they should be collected and stored in bags which must be sealed. The outside of the bag should be washed with water before disposing in designated areas
- Have nets to minimize exposure to birds and their droppings
- If passing through an area having pigeon droppings, make sure you wear a N-95 mask
- While installing ACs, especially window AC, make sure there is no space for pigeons to rest near or below it
The ban on pigeon feeding by the municipality in Mumbai is a progressive step that will improve the respiratory health of its citizens! The State has done its job; now it is peoples’ turn to do theirs and the 10 steps outlined above should help.
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Dr Ajay Sati is an Occupational Health physician who prefers to describe himself as an Occupationist, to denote, ‘an expert in diseases and other concerns of occupations.’ Dr Sati has managed health and wellness programs in industries he worked, like the atomic energy, and energy (oil & gas) in India and overseas. An experienced virtual consultation expert he was involved in many greenfield and brownfield projects providing inputs from health point of view.
