Due to increasing pollution in Delhi and its surrounding areas, the condition of our lungs is getting worse. In a special conversation with TV9 Bharatvarsha, senior radiologist Dr. Sandeep Sharma said that just as our lungs were in bad condition during Covid, in the same way, due to pollution, a lot of patches are being seen in the lungs and it is affecting our body.
Dr. Sandeep Sharma told that pollution is very harmful for your lungs. He said that generally CT scan and chest X-ray reveal the condition of the lungs. He said that microscopic particles like PM 2.5 present in the air are directly reaching the depths of the lungs and into the blood, due to which the risk of not only respiratory diseases but also cancer is increasing.
Dr. Sandeep said that how much pollution is damaging your lungs can be understood like if the AQI level is around 300, then it causes as much harm as smoking 15 to 20 cigarettes a day. Polluted air causes irritation and swelling in the respiratory tract, which reduces the ability of the lungs to function.
Due to damaged lungs, the risk of serious diseases increases further. For example, due to pollution in cities like Delhi, cases of lung cancer are increasing even among non-smokers. The number of lung cancer cases in India is expected to increase to approximately 81,200 in 2025.
Due to pollution, hospitalization of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma has increased. Additionally, pollution can permanently stunt lung development in children and worsen existing respiratory diseases in the elderly.
