Air Quality at Five Major Schools in Delhi Very Unhealthy: Greenpeace

Real-time monitoring data collected by Greenpeace says that air quality inside five prominent schools in Delhi is at ‘very unhealthy levels.’ The air-quality monitoring survey carried out by the NGO inside the five schools found particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) levels to be four times the Indian safety limits and 10 times that of the World Health Organisation.

The study was conducted at Greenfield Public School in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, Mirambika School (251) in south Delhi’s Aurobindo Marg, Delhi Police Public School (246) in south Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave, Salwan Public School (243) in central Delhi’s Rajender Nagar and American Embassy School (209) in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri.
School authorities could not be reached for their comments.

Greenpeace said publicising reliable air quality data along with a set of precautionary measures are the first steps needed to tackle air pollution in Delhi.

Quoting the WHO, it said air pollution affects the most vulnerable sections of the population and children are among the worst hit. Studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency 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 in 2013 classified particulate matter pollution as carcinogenic to humans, and designated it as a “leading environmental cause of cancer deaths”.

Source-Medindia