NEW DELHI: As air pollution levels soar to hazardous levels, health experts are raising alarms over its devastating effects on children’s lung development.
With young lungs at a critical growth stage, prolonged exposure to Delhi’s toxic air is leaving an entire generation vulnerable to chronic respiratory diseases and lung damage.
In Delhi, a city plagued by alarming concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and other harmful pollutants, doctors are witnessing the dire consequences firsthand.
“If possible, send younger children to a relative’s house in a less-polluted area,” advised Dr. Sumit Chakravarty, Associate Director of Paediatrics at Asian Hospital.
The situation is especially dire for children with pre-existing conditions like allergies or those prone to pneumonia during smog season.
“Each ICU admission costs a child not just physical strength but also lung capacity,” Dr Chakravarty warned.
“We see children who are admitted every year to ICU as they suffer from Pneumonia. A child can lose up to 10 per cent of his body weight in a single ICU admission. Imagine the plight of those who go through this every year,” the doctor said.
“Besides, each admission cost their lungs heavily. In the long term, their capacity and breathing power decreases. Working out becomes difficult for them and they may also invite chronic respiratory diseases,” he added.
Former AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria echoed these concerns, comparing living in polluted areas to smoking cigarettes daily. He pointed to studies that reveal stunted lung development, reduced capacity, and heightened susceptibility to chronic illnesses like asthma among children exposed to high pollution levels.
“For children living in a place with high levels of air pollution, it is like making them smoke cigarettes every day. Recent studies have shown a correlation between the functioning of the lungs and the air quality inhaled,” Guleria said.