Written by Mustafa Mir
In the last couple of months Lahore has been struck by smog. Smog is a kind of air pollution, caused by a mixture of fog and smoke. It is produced by a set of complex photochemical reactions involving volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides and sunlight, which form ground-level ozone. This is often a result from the burning of non- renewable energy sources, mainly fossil fuels.
The impacts of smog affect countless people all over the Globe. It can inflame breathing passages like nostrils, decrease breathing capacity of the lungs, cause shortness of breath, pain while inhaling deeply, or coughing etc. Smog contains concentrations of ground level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, which are especially harmful for children and patients suffering from asthma. Respiratory diseases also increase as a result, along with lung cancer.
There are ways to reduce the impact of smog. According to the scientists of NASA In times of smog, it is very important for individuals to have lots of plants inside their houses, this will allow some of the harmful chemicals inside smog to absorbed, and will act as air purifiers in your home, a very useful plant is the Aloe Vera. Invest in air purifiers; because they reduce the chemical pollutants in the air quicker than natural sources such as plants, they can instantly improve air quality of rooms.
Make sure to stay indoors during smog, as the Air Quality outdoors is way worse, with higher concentration of chemical substances. Moreover, one should also wear air filter face-masks prevent inhalation of some denser pollutant molecules, and provide another layer of protection against some pollutants. Also, smog is usually worst in the morning where there is less air movement, so avoid leaving indoors during this time, so stay in classrooms and don’t walk outside in the school ground. TNS students can contribute to mitigate this problem. Plant trees, not just in your garden rather in many different public areas as well, as trees are absorb these harmful chemicals present in smog. Raise awareness on the impacts of smog and the need for the plantation of trees, tell your relatives and friends to help set up funds to build trees. Try to reduce the usage of cars, and rather carpool more frequently with friends, as this will reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, so more people can get transport with fewer vehicles used. Be more energy efficient, through using more LED lights that use less energy. I urge you not to support organisations with poor environmental practices such as Nestlé, rather buy from local companies having a lower carbon footprint.