TLI Staff
New Delhi: The air quality in the national capital region (NCR) has reached emergency level and poses serious risks to public health.
While the immediate fallout of it could be common health problems like coughing, sneezing, irritation in the throat, inhaling toxic air could lead to brain damage, skin problems and affect upper respiratory tract in the long run.
Moreover, senior medical practitioners and chest specialists warn that the poisonous air could even shorten the life of millions of people.
“It is very, very serious problem. Children and elderly people are at maximum risk. Every affected person is going to lose few years of their life,” a senior doctor from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told Top Lead India.
Among the serious consequences of the toxic air in the long run, he said that it could affect upper respiratory tract leading to sinus infection and allergic reactions getting aggravated.
“It may also lead to asthma among children in the long run and those already suffering from asthma could face worse conditions. Their lungs may get even more damaged and that may hamper their longevity. Apart from respiratory systems, skin, eyes, brain and other body systems would also be affected,” he said.
The specialist said that the prolonged poor quality air could also affect pregnant women and their child.
While air quality in the NCR worsens post Diwali, it remains poor throughout the year. The Air Quality Index (AQI) plummets before the winter sets in forcing the government to order shut-down of schools, colleges and other educational institutes.
In some parts of the national capital, the AQI crossed 600 on Sunday despite drizzling the previous day. Due to thick smog, visibility fell considerably at the Delhi airport forcing airlines to divert their flights to nearby cities like Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow.
The district administration of Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) has ordered schools to remain closed on November 4 and 5 in the wake of rising air pollution.
Poor air quality has fast emerged as a major concern among policy-makers. It is estimated that air pollution causes around 7 million deaths a year across the world.
“Air pollution is like a slow poison which consumes your health in the most hazardous way. An individual is at a higher risk for asthma and other respiratory diseases if exposed to ground zone for six to seven hours. It not only puts you at risk but severely damages lung function leaving you to suffer respiratory inflammation,” said Satkam Divya, CEO, KlinicApp.
While long-term solutions are yet to come by, medical practitioners have advised people to stay indoors and avoid morning walks as preventive measures. As regards food intake, they advise people to increase the intake of herbal tea, grape juice as home-remedies to manage the air pollution.