Not just outdoor, indoor air in Delhi polluted too: Study

Do you know that you fill and release 13,000 litres of air throughout the day and if you live in a city like Delhi, then you are 'swallowing' poison. On the occasion of World Lung Day, a survey conducted in Delhi-NCR houses has revealed that not only dusty particles but also dangerous gases like carbon dioxide are present in houses. Surveyors claim that installed air purifiers are also proving to be ineffective on dangerous gases present indoors.

From April 2018 to March 2019, air data of 400 houses in 200 colonies of Delhi-NCR was collected. After a year of checking with the help of modern monitoring gadgets, the result was that indoor air pollution in these homes is at dangerous levels. Three standards were evaluated during the survey.

PM 2.5, the concentration of fine particles of dust in the air, should not be more 15 micrograms per cubic meter. Carbon dioxide gas should not exceed 750 ppm (parts per million), however, in many households, the amount of this gas was found to be 3,900 ppm.

The survey company claims that air purifiers are able to control only PM 2.5. Barun Agarwal, CEO of Breatheasy Solutions, says that air purifiers present in the market only control dust particles. "In such a situation, it can be guessed that in the coming winter, when the pollution will be at a dangerous level, what can happen to our lungs."

According to Kamal Mittal, who created Paharpur Business Center, Delhi's first green building, some plants like the money plant, Areca Palm and Mother-In-Law Tongue plant have been considered effective against pollution. "Not just two-four plants, a variety of plants should be planted. Then the air inside the house will be considered breathable. On average, three to four plants per person can reduce some pollution."

Zee Media Newsroom