Six UP cities battle ‘severe air pollution’ problem
WHAT THIS MEANS People with respiratory disorders in danger and even the healthy at risk
LUCKNOW: Six cities in the state fell into severe category of air pollution as they recorded very high levels of PM2.5 atmospheric particulate matter on Friday. Particulate matter has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, that is about 3% the diameter of a human hair.
The PM2.5 level in Agra was 404, in Varanasi 491, in Ghaziabad 485, in Kanpur 461, in Lucknow 462 and in Noida 470, bracketing them all in the severe category as the level was much higher than the permissible level of 60 micrograms per cubic metre. Moradabad, that recorded PM2.5 382, was in the category of very poor air quality.
Visibility was also an issue in cities, specially on the highways connecting the districts. Hardoi and Meerut roads had very poor visibility in the morning
Severe category means the pollutants in the air will affect even the healthy people and seriously impact those with existing respiratory or cardiovascular diseases. Doctors said that children and specially those having some kind of a disease should remain cautious. “Those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or having diseases that affect lung capacity need to be cautious. Family members should monitor their health and make sure they do not go out in a known place where air pollution level can be high,” said Prof Vinod Jain, senior faculty, KGMU.
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Those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or having diseases that affect lung capacity need to be cautious
PROF VINOD JAIN, senior faculty, KGMU