Here’s how to
CLEANING THE AIR Indoor plants and air purifiers at home can filter toxic substances and increase oxygen levels in the air TAKE ON POLLUTION AT HOME
NEW DELHI: Santosh Garg, 47, a homemaker who lives in Karol Bagh in central Delhi, discovered she had asthma when she had a massive attack two years ago.
“I just cannot tolerate Delhi air; I get laid up each time I step out. I feel like moving to a smaller town or a hill station where I can breathe comfortably, Delhi is no longer a place to live for an asthmatic like me,” she says.
Garg uses an air purifier at home to control flare ups. “The air purifier really works for me as I can feel the fresh air around me when I switch it on. It helps me sleep better,” she says.
Doctors also vouch for the efficacy of air purifiers, though the quality of the equipment does make a difference.
“They work, especially for people prone to recurrent attacks or are allergic to dust. They work by filtering out air pollutants as long as the room is closed to keep out the bad air,” said Dr Vikas Maurya, chest specialist at BLK Super Speciality Hospital, who is treating Garg.
Also, one of the major solutions to tackling pollution problem is growing plants, especially the ones that can be grown indoors so that the air around you stays fresh.
Some recommend using plants such as aloe vera, chrysanthemum, palm and evergreens that are known to filter toxic substances and increasing the level of oxygen around you.
Breathing exercises help to increase lung capacity but one needs to be careful while choosing the venue to exercise, say doctors.
“One should not exercise in places close to arterial roads with heavy traffic as it can do more harm than good. It’s best to walk and run in green areas and secluded parks with a decent green cover,” said Dr JC Suri, head of the department of pulmonary medicine, Safdarjung Hospital.
To protect herself when she’s outdoors, Garg covers her nose and mouth with a mask to filter out dust.
“Wearing a mask is a good idea but only if they are of good quality meant to filter air pollutants; plain surgical masks do not provide any protection against air pollutants,” says Dr Maurya.
“Since ensuring cleaner air requires the collective effort of various agencies, things are actually beyond what an individual can do. The ideal way to escape pollution is to avoid polluted areas altogether but since that is not feasible, you have to choose what works best for you to minimise damage to your health,” says Dr Suri.
GOVT IN ACTION
The government has constituted a national expert group on climate change to assess the damage to the health of Indians due to climate change, which includes air pollution.
Former director general Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr VM Katoch, who heads the panel, said, “We have met once in August and will be collecting data from the agencies concerned to know the magnitude of the problem to look for possible solutions. As of now, we have very sketchy data that’s a result of research done by individual agencies. We aim to bring agencies involved under one roof.”
Dr Katoch was talking during the National Meeting on Climate Change, Energy and Health organised by Public Health Foundation of India (PFHI) in the Capital on Monday. DR VIKAS MAURYA, chest specialist at BLK Super Speciality Hospital ALOE VERA: Absorbs benzene found in paint and chemical cleaners PEACE LILY: Improves air quality by 60% by absorbing mould spores, alcohol and acetone vapours CHRYSANTHEMUMS: Filters out benzene found in detergents, paints, plastics and adhesives SPIDER PLANT: Absorbs mould and other allergens, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide ENGLISH IVY: Absorbs airborne faecal matter, formaldehyde and benzene
INDUSTRY: Introduce higher energy-efficiency targets for industry and make online emission monitoring mandatory
EATERIES: Minimise emissions from roadside eateries and make emission trap system mandatory for hotels and restaurants.
CONSTRUCTION: Embed a dust-management plan in all construction plans and building by-laws. Impose heavy penalty for non-compliance.
URBAN FORESTS: Identify tree-adoption zones for every 100,000 population
They (air purifiers) work, especially for people prone to recurrent attacks or are allergic to dust. They work by filtering out air pollutants as long as the room is closed to keep out the bad air.
WASTE BURNING: Ban burning of biomass in the NCR region and setup biomass plants for proper disposal