For nearly a week, the capital of India, New Delhi, has been in a state of health emergency due to air pollution. A fog composed of fine particles surrounds the city. The level is 20 times higher than the maximum recommendations formulated by the World Health Organization (WHO). This situation prompted the local authorities to prevent heavy goods vehicles from entering the city, to close construction sites and schools. This thick toxic fog is caused by the approach of winter, the cold and lack of wind preventing vehicle and factory emissions from dissipating.
Angry parents
However, to the unpleasant surprise of the children (and the anger of the parents), the schools reopened on Monday, November 13. School officials fear that exams will be delayed if class breaks are prolonged. However, the levels of fine particles have hardly fallen. The All India Parents Association is outraged and warns of the endangerment of children.
These fine particles infiltrate the body through the lungs. They increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer lungs. Harmful to anyone, they are more harmful to children who breathe more air for their height. Their exposure to air pollution is therefore greater. The meteorological services said the fog was expected to persist for several more days and that the rain forecast for November 15 would not be enough to sweep it away.
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