Since human learned how to catch fire, the environment started getting polluted.
The rate of air pollution started increasing since the industrial revolution globally. India is not behind in the list of polluted environment. Consequently, it's increasing the risk of diseases. A recent report by Lancet study showed shocking impact of air pollution on human health. In this article, we will discuss excerpts from the latest reports and strategies to stay healthy amidst pollution.
Lethal Air Pollution: “Nearly 33,000 deaths in 10 cities in India every year can be attributed to air pollution levels that are below India's national clean air threshold,” according to the Lancet Planetary Health.
Warning for These Cities: The report mentioned: “Across 10 cities in the country - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla, and Varanasi, around 33,000 deaths per year can be attributed to air pollution levels that are above the WHO guidelines.”
“A significant number of deaths were observed even in cities not considered to have high air pollution, such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai. India's national air quality standards should be made more stringent, and efforts to control air pollution redoubled,” Lancet report added.
The highest number of air pollution-related deaths were reported in Delhi. The Indian capital reported 12,000 deaths every year.
However, there is a ray of hope as some cities showed decreasing pollution level. The cleanest city was reported to be Shimla.
Yoga & Pranayama: Scientifically, yoga is one of the best ways to detoxify your body and eliminate pollutants. Some of the yoga to promote lungs health are Ustrasana, Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Bhujangasana, and so on. Apart from these, breathing exercises like Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Anulom Vilom are effective in keeping your respiratory system healthy.
Air Purifier: Sometimes, the indoor pollution levels become higher than outdoor. From our daily used products to paintings, curtains, all those household items carry a lot of invisible pollutants. The best step to stay healthy inside the house is using good air purifier.
Change in Habit: Generally, we check the rainfall probability before going outside. Now, we must focus on air quality too. Knowing the highly polluted areas beforehand will help people to be extra careful and put up masks while traveling. If you have a habit of morning outdoor exercise, you must follow this. Sometimes, the pollution level remains high in the dawn. Moreover, keeping shoe or socks outside and using seprate footwear for indoor is a good practice to prevent health from the effects of air pollution.
Additionally, steam inhalation and consuming fruits with high antioxidants can help purifying your respiratory system. Your diet should include lots of fruits, veggies and nuts.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, nearly 7 million people die every year due to air pollution globally. Despite location, we get exposed to numerous pollutants every day. Not only lungs, these pollutants can affect heart and other organs too.
As we cannot do much about ongoing air pollution, we can only safeguard ourselves through these practices.
