BAD AIR DAZE

AIR POLLUTION'S EFFECTS GO BEYOND THE LUNGS, IMPACTING FERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH, BESIDES YOUR EYES AND SKIN

- Puja Awasthi

Every breath you take, depending on where you take it, is poisonous in varying degrees.

Five years after the country launched its National Clean Air Programme, it is distressing to note that even in cities that have seen the greatest improvement in Air Quality Index (AQI), the air still falls in the ‘moderately polluted’ category. The National AQI describes this bracket as one that “may cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma, and discomfort to people with heart disease, children and older adults”.

Air pollution, despite its ascendancy in public consciousness, remains a partially understood challenge. No, it is not limited to the winter months. No, it does not assume monstrous proportions only in north India. No, it is not an urban curse. And a big no for believing that it only affects lung health.

One of the most alarming impacts of air pollution is on fertility—the ability to conceive a child. This is an effect that transcends individuals and generations, for it can and will lead to disastrous demographic consequences.

A decline in fertility and a global increase in life expectancy equal a rapidly ageing world population, thus precipitating a series of problems such as labour shortage and heightened financial pressure. While multiple factors like more women getting education and entering the workforce, social acceptance of late marriage, overall health condition, body weight, nutrition and choice play a role in fertility, the challenge is to tackle avoidable factors, including pollution, for those who want to have children.