‘Ultimately, everyone’s health is going to be affected due to pollution’

The situation seems to be getting worse, we have to tackle it on a war footing rather than taking small steps, says AIIMS doctor

It affects several organs. The respiratory tract is the most affected as it is in contact with the airway. In the upper respiratory tract, problems such as nose irritation, inflammation, infection of the sinuses, sore throats, shortness of breath, cough with phlegm occur — these are short-term effects.

People, especially those with already diseased lungs, will notice more serious impact like chest infections. And the implications of this will be seen not just short-term, but also long-term.

Even though you can’t see it right now, there are long-term impacts such as damage to lungs. Also, life expectancy is highly likely to be shortened by a few years due to air pollution. If children are exposed to this level of air pollution, their lungs would not grow to the normal level. All this will show the effect when they are adults.