With air quality in New Delhi plummeting to ‘very poor’ category on Monday, the Supreme Court asked the central and state governments to consider work-from-home for their employees and also called upon them to convince farmers to stop burning crop stubble. The Delhi government in turn told the court that it was ready to impose a lockdown to curb air pollution. The government lawyer also said that no physical classes will be held in Delhi schools for a week and construction sites have been barred from operating with an aim to curb air pollution. 

Among 10 most polluted cities in the world, 3 are from India: Report

With the air quality deteriorating in the national capital, let’s take a look at how air pollution impacts our health – 

According to the World Health Organisation,”Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer. Both short and long term exposure to air pollutants have been associated with health impacts.”

Children, the elderly and poor people are more susceptible and most health-harmful pollutants are fine PM2.5 particles that penetrate deep into lung passageways. 

North Indians to lose 9 years life expectancy due to air pollution: Study

Respiratory Disease

Air
pollution can affect lung development and result in development of diseases
such as emphysema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD). Chronic bronchitis is another disease developed by bad air
quality. 

Cardiovascular Disease

Air
pollution can impair blood vessel function and speed up calcification
in arteries. Exposure of post-menopausal women to nitrogen oxides can increase
the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Exposure to TRAP can lead to lowered levels of
high-density lipoprotein. Exposure to TRAP also increases a pregnant woman’s
risk of developing hypertensive disorders, which can in turn cause pre-term
birth, low birth weight, and maternal and fetal illness.