Air monitor records pollution level in Lahore 80 times above WHO limit

Lahore, Pakistan: Air pollution in Pakistan s second biggest city Lahore soared on Saturday more than 80 times over the level deemed acceptable by the...

Lahore, Pakistan: Air pollution in Pakistan's second biggest city Lahore soared on Saturday more than 80 times over the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO), with an official calling it record high.

The level of deadly PM2.5 pollutants -- fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health -- peaked at 1,067, before dropping to around 300 in the morning, with anything above 10 considered unhealthy by the WHO.

"We have never reached a level of 1,000," Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore told AFP.

For days, Lahore has been enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.

"The air quality index will remain high for the next three to four days," Anwar said.