Protecting yourself against a rising AQI

by Prashant Kapadia / NHN

Dr. SC Ajmani, Consultant General Physician, New Delhi: As winter commences in our Capital city like every year it is clutched in pollution’s ever-tightening hold, turning out to be a health disrupter for many. An uncontrolled rise in fumes from stubble burning, coupled with commuter-led pollutions has left us worse for wear. These are short-term issues that may go away after some time but prolonged exposure to pollutants may damage the delicate lining of the lungs, thereby increasing the risk of prolonged illnesses.

As per records, the concentration of PM2.5 – dangerous tiny pollutants in the air – had maxed out at 999 per cubic meter in some parts of Delhi a few days ago, according to the government’s air quality monitors. Several other places around Delhi NCR recorded figures close to or higher than 500, which falls within the “severe” category. Itchy throats and watery and inflamed eyes are common complaints of the citizens as the air quality has turned hazardous. The present conditions also make it vital to limit our outdoor trips for important reasons only and where we have very strong and unavoidable reasons to go out, we most definitely seek protection of a good quality respirator for such trips.

As per experts, India holds 22 of the 30 most polluted cities on Earth where toxic air kills more than one million people each year. We developed a habit of wearing a mask every time we stepped outside due to the pandemic and we need to carry forward this habit, as masks also act as a barrier against tiny particles in polluted air from entering your system and can prevent or reduce respiratory irritation led coughing. Given the inhalation of tiny pollutant particles are even more harmful to those already suffering from respiratory problems like asthma, such people should most definitely consider protecting themselves in this situation. What’s vital under these situations is to choose a mask or respirator that is effective in such conditions. Normal cloth masks or medical masks while do offer some protection over not wearing a mask,their ability to confer respiratory protection is quite limited as compared to more superior IS Certified FFP2 S grade masks like the ones from Savlon, which are well proven to reduce the risk of exposure to particles as low as 0.3u.

When worn properly and as recommended, a good quality respirator like SavlonFFP2 S can provide a high degree of protection preventing airborne particulates like PM2.5, from entering our airways thereby, decreasing the chances of illness and diseases caused by air pollution. Given Savlon FFP2 S masks are constructed with different layers of non-woven fabrics and Melt Blown Electrostatic Filtration layers, they can also provide high breathability even when offering very high filtration efficiency.

As additional steps of protection, with such raised and alarming levels of AQI, it could also be a wise decision for consumers to invest in a good air purifier. A good quality air purifier can help clean pollutants like Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide gases from breathable air, that enter your home through minute gaps and ventilation duct. A good air purifier can also help filter particulates and restore healthy breathing environment in indoor closed spaces.

Advanced Air purifiers with HEPA filters have been scientifically proven to cleanse the internal environment and reduce allergic pollutants in air by up to 99.7 percent, enhancing the sleep quality along with a longer life expectancy amongst users.

In a nutshell, keeping good health is key to avoiding illness caused due to varied environmental pollutants around us. Along with the important behaviors that we have been practicing such as physical distancing, thoroughly washing hands often, it is equally imperative to keep ourselves safe from some of the hazardous air borne infections and diseases As they say, health sahi, toh sab sahi!