BANGALURU: For SarmilaKarmakar, wearing a dupatta is not just a style statement; it comes handy as a protective gear whenever she steps out. The threat of inhaling dust prompts her to create a balaclava (a form of cloth headgear) out of her cotton dupatta, especially when she rides a two-wheeler. "I believe it saves my skin from tanning and shields me from pollution to an extent," Sarmila says.
Tushar Thapa, a college student from Electronics City, recently started using a mask while riding to his college. "I am a native of Uttarakhand. I have been suffering from cold and allergies for almost six months after coming to Bengaluru. Wearing a mask helps, but it turns black in a week," he says. But the truth is masks and dupattas don't protect people from pollutants, says experts.
The mask that Tushar Thapa uses is available in local drugstores. Both Sarmila and Tushar are under the impression that they protect themselves from noxious gases at busy traffic intersections they pass through every day. But the reality is different, say experts.
Bengalureans, mostly twowheeler riders, use sterilized, surgical masks available at pharmacies. Most women depend on thin scarves or dupattas. But in a city where air pollution continues to spiral upward, wearing masks available in the market is not effective enough.
Whitefield and Silk Board Junction recorded a rise of more than 200% of residual suspended particulate matter (RSPM) of 2.5 microns in the air. Last year, RSPM in these areas rose by 213% and 203%, respectively, compared to 2014. The reason: Vehicular emissions. Both places are extremely congested. Silk Board is the gateway to the IT corridors of Marathahalli, Whitefield and Sarjapur in one direction and Electronics City on the other.
USE MASKS WITH HEPA FILTERS
Says Dr H Paramesh, paediatric pulmonologist: "Ozone at the ground level is released from vehicle emissions. It causes asthma and respiratory problems and has a cumulative effect on the body too. Formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds cannot be filtered by simple surgical masks that people usually use. There should be minimum of two layers of filters in a mask to prevent particulate matter and gases to a maximum extent. These can be filtered by masks having High-Efficiency Particulate-Arresting (HEPA) capacity. HEPA filters are used in vaccum cleaners and air cleaners." HEPA filters can restrict RSPM of diameter of less than 0.5 microns. But air cleaners having HEPA filters follow the US Department of Energy (DoE) standards and there are no such standards for HEPA filters in India. "Pollution levels in India are higher than in the US. HEPA can be used indoors," he adds.
Dr VivekAnandPadegal, director, chest diseases, Fortis Hospitals, says the right kind of mask is yet to be developed in India. "Masks with HEPA filters are not just difficult to wear while driving, but hardly prevent gases like carbon monoxide, ozone and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur.These are mostly used by industrial workers and painters, but are hardly seen in India.Perhaps helmet manufacturers should make headgear having thin layers of HEPA filters; riders can use a double-layered cotton mask for protection," he said.
