BAD AIR DAZE
THE WEEK India|April 07, 2024
AIR POLLUTION'S EFFECTS GO BEYOND THE LUNGS, IMPACTING FERTILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH, BESIDES YOUR EYES AND SKIN
Puja Awasthi
BAD AIR DAZE

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.

This story is from the April 07, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 07, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK INDIAView All
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 mins  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 mins  |
November 17, 2024