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Updated November 7th, 2021 at 08:50 IST

Health expert Naresh Trehan says people with chronic diseases, kids vulnerable to poor AQI

Dr Naresh Trehan on Saturday said that it is a difficult phase as air pollution is leading to multiple health issues in patients as well as children.

Reported by: Vishnu V V
Naresh Trehan
Image: Twitter/ Unsplash | Image:self
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As the air quality in Delhi continues to remain poor, Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta Hospitals on Saturday said that people with chronic diseases and children are more vulnerable to air pollution. Trehan said that severe air pollution was not only affecting the lungs but other parts of the body also. The national capital saw the Air Quality Index (AQI) continue to mark the quality under 'severe' category on Saturday.

Speaking about the ill effects of being exposed to such poor air quality, Dr Trehan said that it could even cause issues relating to blood pressure. "Air pollution is not only affecting lungs but also other parts of the body. Each person who has some chronic problems like heart disease will suffer hugely. Pollution directly affects the breathing of a person where you are taking in all these toxins to your lungs. Then they set up a full reaction in your body where your blood pressure can go up, your heartbeat can go up if you are already suffering from a condition of heart attacks," Dr Trehan told news agency ANI.

"People are complaining of headaches, breathing problems, especially those who have had asthma and other chronic lung diseases," he added. Dr Trehan also raised concern over the vulnerable effects of air pollution on Children's health. "The younger children are very vulnerable. They are at the stage when their brain is developing and nitric toxins that come out of all the emissions affect their brain development. So I think the consequence must be taken into its entirety," he said.

The health expert called for decisive and concrete measures to contain the recurrent problem and said that the recurring issue must be solved. "This is happening year after year and around this time every year, we have a discussion like this. But unfortunately, it has never been corrected or addressed. Decisive action needed to be taken so that does not happen again. Because when you are exposed to something like this, and people suffer, that damage is permanent," he said.

Delhi AQI continues to be 'severe' 

There was no significant improvement in the quality of air as the AQI of Delhi remained in the 'severe' category on Saturday. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the AQI of Delhi stood at 437 on Sunday morning. Apart from Delhi, the pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR), namely Noida and Gurugram, were also reported being worrisome. While the air quality in Noida was reported under the 'hazardous' category at 523, the air quality in Gurugram stayed in the 'severe' category at 469. Delhiites woke up to severe air quality in the days after November 4, as people decided to burst firecrackers and defy the government's orders. Apart from Diwali celebrations, the smoke from stubble burning in nearby regions are also cause for the poor air quality here.

(With ANI inputs)

Image: Twitter/ Unsplash

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Published November 7th, 2021 at 08:50 IST

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