Smog turns deadly, blacks out Lahore sky
LAHORE— Two weeks of thick toxic smog had disrupted normal life in parts of Pakistan, with flights cancelled, road accidents surging and nearly 15,000 people being hospitalized in and around Lahore, officials said on Friday. The thick blanket of gray air and pollutants had enveloped Lahore and several other urban areas for nearly two weeks, bringing visibility to zero most of the day. Levels of particulate matter reached 500 mg per cubic meter. The normal high level is 150 mg. The particles, if inhaled deep into the lungs, can cause heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, severe allergies and respiratory diseases.