A week of extremely hazardous air quality has taken a heavy toll on the health of Delhiites with hospitals registering a 20-30 per cent jump in the number of patients complaining about congestion, sinusitis, asthma and difficulty in breathing.
“Breathing this polluted air leads to infection in kids. Ultra fine PM2.5 can settle in the lungs of kids and worsen asthma and other respiratory problems. Nearly 60 per cent of the patients are either under the age of five or over the age of 50,” said Dr. Ashutosh Shukla, director and HOD of Medicine at Artemis Hospitals.
Central Pollution Control Board said that air quality was ‘severe’ on Monday and PM2.5 levels reached 785 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) — 13 times the safe limit of 60 ug/m3.
Senior consultant on respiratory medicine at Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, Dr. Rakesh Chawla said that the number of patients in the OPD has increased drastically in the past week.
“Inhaling this air is very dangerous, especially for children whose lungs are still developing. Avoid early morning walks as there is high amounts of pollutants in the air. Doing deep-breathing exercise will only lead to intake of pollutants, so avoid it,” said Dr. Chawla.
Besides complaints of wheezing, coughing, and aggravation of pre-existent conditions such as asthma and allergies, many commuters — especially motorcyclists — are also complaining of a burning sensation in their eyes.
“This is the first winter with such toxic fog. I am a regular biker who commutes daily to Gurgaon, but never felt the eyes burning so badly. This air around Delhi-Gurgaon is poisonous and we are not able to overcome the health complications even after following all safety measures,” said Kolit Gautam.
The changing weather is also creating problems such as runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion.
Inhaling polluted air is very dangerous, especially for children with developing lungs. Avoid early morning walks as there are high amounts of pollutants in the air
Rise in complaints of congestion, sinusitis, asthma, difficulty
in breathing,
and itchy eyes
