What is Chemical Pneumonia? A Deadly Consequence of Delhi’s Toxic Smog

As Delhi's air turns toxic again, is it any surprise that rare forms of pollution-related diseases are on the spike?

Delhi’s air is witches’ brew of cancer-causing microbes. Is it any surprise then, that rare forms of pollution-related diseases are on the spike?

(Photo: iStock, altered by The Quint)

The fact that the air in the capital is more toxic than an airport smoking lounge, is not news anymore.

According to experts, exposure to toxic air pollution can inflict damage equivalent to smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes a day.

As pollution season rolls in, major cities in India like Delhi, Churu in Rajasthan, Sonipat in Haryana, and Patna in Bihar are recording AQI levels above 200 (very poor air quality). You've probably noticed the effects too—burning eyes, itchy throat, and a wheezing cough.

According to doctors in Delhi, they've also been seeing a rise in cases of chemical pneumonia.

Usually pneumonia is a bacterial disease but this is a condition where the lungs develop an inflammation after inhaling toxic fumes.

Chemical Pneumonia Raises Its Ugly Head In Delhi

WHO has said that Indians have the weakest lungs in the whole world and the highest global death rate from respiratory diseases like asthma. (Photo: iStock)

A small percentage of pneumonia cases are not caused by a bacteria but with exposure to poisonous dust, fumes or particulate matter. The unprecedented swathe of acrid atmosphere shrouding Delhi is a cocktail of harmful gases, so no one really can say for sure if this form of chemical pneumonia will only harm the lungs or cause damage to other organs as well.

Chemicals from the toxic smog enveloping Delhi can penetrate deep in the lungs, make breathing stiff and difficult. Exposure to heavy pollution should be avoided. Those who are already suffering from asthma should consult a doctor to avoid severe asthma attack. A doctor will be in a better position to alert the family and advise medication accordingly. Also, kids should be fully immunised- measles vaccines, diphtheria and Hib, the essential vaccines, protect the respiratory tract in children.

Dr V. K. Paul, Senior Pediatrician, All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Chemical pneumonia can be both acute and chronic, if left unchecked it can lead to respiratory failure and even death. Symptoms can sometimes take months to show but seek medical help if you are suffering from persistent cough, shortness of breath, a wet gurgling sound and a burning sensation in the chest.

The Elderly, Children and People With Existing Breathing Conditions Are Most At Risk

Just breathing the capital’s air is causing a range of respiratory illnesses, doctors in Delhi are seeing a sharp rise in chest and throat infections in people above the age of 60 and school-going kids.

Post Diwali, the concentration of fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 or less shot up to 29 times the safe limit marked by the World Health Organization and is the worst smog which Delhi has ever experienced in 17 years. Even though Delhiites are acclimatised to acrid, noxious air, this time the smog is so bad, that it can be smelt, tasted and choked on. Literally.

Asthma, allergy, bronchitis, complaints of itchy-red eyes, have more than doubled in the OPD. Kids and older people should stay indoors as much as possible, especially during peak traffic hours. Infections are taking longer to cure as well. 

Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospital

And yet the level of awareness of the dangers of air pollution is so low that instead of masking up and stepping out only if necessary, people in Delhi were risking their health to take stupid smog selfies against the hazy India Gate!

Spending a Day Outdoors in Delhi Is Equal to Smoking a Pack of Cigarettes.

Each successive winter, the number of days the Delhi smog stays up is increasing and so are the number of patients in OPDs. (Photo: Reuters)

A pollution study done by America’s National Academy of Sciences in North China, the region which has seen a 17 percent reduction in air pollution between 2010 and 2015, in comparison to India, which recorded a 13 percent increase in toxic pollutants in the same period, found that air pollution cuts down life expectancy by five-and-a-half years in completely healthy people.

Source: Greenpeace

If anyone should clean up their act, it’s the capital. Various governments have long known the dire impact of pollution, the present chief minister is himself ailing from persistent cough and diabetes, which is known to get worse with pollution, yet each winter the smog comes up.

So till the time the government and citizens launch an ‘airmageddon’ to make the air somewhat breathable, learn to manage your life around PM 2.5. Air quality apps should be the staple of your smartphone, morning and evening walks in this smoke-filled air is lethal, invest in a heavy duty canister filter and use it each time you’re outdoors.

You can watch our comprehensive guide to buying the right air mask over here, read all about air purifiers if they’ve caught your fancy and these 8-points to surviving this dreaded smog should be your mantra this smog season.

Got your own toxic smog choking stories? Share with us in the comment section below.

(This article has been republished from The Quint's archives over rising pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.)