Delhi's cyclical waves of toxic air have already started taking their toll -- and infants seem to be at a serious risk. Top doctors from AIIMS Delhi have flagged a 'neonatal health crisis', with children reportedly getting respiratory diseases within weeks.
The prevalence of asthma in newborn children has increased over the last 10 years. Most of these conditions also seem to be seasonal and are observed during the winter months in Delhi, when air pollution is at its peak.
Dr Kana Ram Jat, a doctor at AIIMS Delhi, told Indian Express that "over the last 10 years, there has been an increasing prevalence of asthma in children." He added that "every November, as pollution spirals, their number increases. Some even report to the emergency with complicated respiratory conditions."
Delhi pollution and infants
It all starts when the baby is in the womb. The mother's exposure to harmful pollutants is not safe for the baby either. Doctors explained that the child has a risk of being born with a compromised respiratory system. And most of it is attributed to its dependency on the mother’s blood supply for oxygen and nutrients.
The unborn child's exposure leaves it vulnerable to inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced oxygen delivery. All of these interfere with healthy growth and organ development even before birth.
"When pollutants enter the maternal bloodstream, the foetus is indirectly exposed too. This can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced oxygen delivery, all of which interfere with healthy growth and organ development even before birth," Dr Kana Ram Jat told Indian Express.
New Delhi with its sprawling metropolitan region of 30 million residents is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted capitals.
Acrid smog blankets the skyline each winter, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories and heavy traffic.
A study in The Lancet Planetary Health last year estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.
The United Nations children's agency warns that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.
