Delhi's Toxic Air Creating Generation of Respiratory Patients
Fourteen-year-old Aahan Bhalla watches helplessly as winter approaches, knowing it will force him to abandon his beloved cricket. When smog blankets Delhi and the Air Quality Index crosses 300, he finds himself wheezing and struggling to breathe during games. This young athlete has battled asthma for years, joined now by his eight-year-old sister who wakes up gasping at night without her inhaler.
Their mother, Jaya Shroff, navigates the grim reality that both her children depend on inhalers and nasal drops, with doctor visits becoming a seasonal ritual. What was once exceptional has become commonplace in Delhi's medical landscape.
Hospitals Overflowing with Young Respiratory Patients
At AIIMS Delhi's pediatric OPD, Dr. Kana Ram Jat faces overflowing clinics filled with restless, exhausted children suffering from severe coughing fits. Many are repeat visitors, developing recurrent lung infections and breathing problems with each pollution season.
"Over the last decade, asthma prevalence among children has increased dramatically," confirms Dr. Jat. "Every November, as pollution levels spiral, we see more young patients. Some arrive at emergency departments with complicated respiratory conditions that require immediate intervention."
Dr. Rahul Sharma, additional director of Pulmonology at Fortis Noida, wasn't surprised when both Bhalla children developed asthma. "Asthma and allergies have become extraordinarily common among children and pre-teens in recent years," he states matter-of-factly.
The Damage Begins Before Birth
The medical community points to a disturbing pattern that starts in the womb. Foetuses exposed to pollutants often develop compromised respiratory systems, explaining why many newborns require extended stays in neonatal units.
"A foetus breathing polluted air through the mother typically arrives with low birth weight," explains Dr. Jat. "These babies face higher risks of developing allergies and asthma as they grow."
The mechanism is straightforward yet alarming: pollutants entering the maternal bloodstream reach the developing foetus, causing inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced oxygen delivery. This interference with healthy growth can lead to lifelong consequences, including higher infant mortality rates, developmental delays, and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Manish Mannan, Head of Paediatrics and Neonatology at Paras Hospital in Gurugram, has documented worrying patterns among his young patients. "Infants with compromised lung capacity need longer NICU stays and extended oxygen support," he reports. "The long-term risk is deeply concerning because it predisposes them to chronic respiratory illnesses in adulthood."
How Pollution Attacks Unborn Children
Toxic particles inhaled by pregnant women cross the placental barrier, directly interfering with foetal development. The process begins with placental inflammation that restricts blood flow, followed by blood vessel damage that reduces nutrient delivery to the developing baby.
Fine particulate matter like PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide can critically impair organ development in the foetus. Since lung development continues throughout pregnancy, chronic pollution exposure results in smaller lung volumes, immature airways, and compromised immune function.
"Essentially, these babies are born with lungs unprepared for the outside world," Dr. Mannan explains. "They experience respiratory distress immediately after birth."
Research also connects maternal exposure to air pollution with increased stillbirth risks, particularly during the third trimester. Microplastics floating in urban air—emanating from synthetic clothing, car tires, and plastic waste breakdown—act as endocrine disruptors that interfere with hormonal systems.
These microplastics have been detected in human placentas, umbilical cords, and cord blood, confirming they transfer from mother to foetus, where they hamper organ development and central nervous system formation.
A Decade of Dramatic Deterioration
Dr. Mannan observes unmistakable changes over the past ten years. "Previously, most neonatal infections resulted from delivery complications or hospital-acquired pathogens. Now we witness healthy babies developing respiratory distress and pneumonia within weeks of birth."
Pollution weakens both maternal and infant immunity, particularly affecting families in cities and industrial zones. More newborns require respiratory assistance at delivery, while conditions like low birth weight, preterm delivery, and persistent cough in infants have transformed from exceptions to routine occurrences.
Protective Measures and Policy Imperatives
Medical experts recommend practical steps for protection, including using air purifiers at home, limiting exposure to indoor smoke from incense and mosquito coils, keeping windows closed during peak pollution hours, and maintaining good nutrition with antioxidant-rich foods containing vitamins C and E.
Parents like Jaya Shroff are taking action by adding house plants, purchasing air purifiers, and even crowd-funding for school air purification systems.
However, Dr. Mannan emphasizes that individual efforts must be complemented by systemic changes. "Urban planning and public policy are equally crucial. Cleaner fuels, stricter emission controls, and better air monitoring systems aren't luxuries—they're necessities."
He delivers a stark warning: "Air quality isn't just an environmental issue—it's a neonatal health crisis." As Delhi's children continue breathing toxic air, the medical community watches a public health emergency unfold, one tiny lung at a time.
