Air pollution level in city schools ‘alarmingly high’

The Times of India , Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Correspondent : TNN
NEW DELHI: On the new government's first day at work, Greenpeace India, an environmental NGO, released findings of its air quality monitoring survey that highlighted how poor the air is inside five prominent schools in the capital. In its statement, Greenpeace campaigners said dealing with poor air quality should be an immediate priority for the new government.

Greenpeace India used a portable device —PDR1500— to monitor air quality for about 15 minutes on the school premises. Real-time monitoring data from all five schools revealed PM2.5 (fine, respirable particles) to be very high.

According to World Health Organization, air pollution impacts the most vulnerable sections of the population and children are among the worst-hit. "Studies by US Environmental Protection Agency have concluded that exposure to PM2.5 in children will mean reduced lung functioning, and increase in asthma and respiratory illnesses. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified particulate matter pollution as carcinogenic to humans in 2013 and designated it as a 'leading environmental cause of cancer deaths'," a statement by Greenpeace India said.

"Air pollution levels inside Delhi's schools are alarmingly high and children are consistently breathing bad air. The new government needs to acknowledge the severity of air pollution in the city," Aishwarya Madineni, campaigner with Greenpeace, said.

Dr Vikram Jaggi, director of Asthma and Allergy Centre, said in the Greenpeace statement that the winter of 2014 has been a particularly bad one for asthmatics.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Air-pollution-level-in-city-schools-alarmingly-high/articleshow/46268742.cms
 


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