Given the deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in most cities, fresh air is becoming a luxury of sorts.
For instance, a person in Delhi could be smoking up to 15-20 cigarettes—without even touching one—on a bad day. In October 2019, the overall AQI in Delhi was reported to be crossing above the 400 mark (which is considered to be severe).
Similarly in Mumbai, the overall AQI was reported to be up to the 200 mark in October 2019. Air pollution reaches every age-group alike, including infants, children, and the elderly. Dheeraj Kunzru, a Mumbai-based advertising professional, says, “With growing age, I realized I have to be little more health conscious. I started doing all the right things, I started eating well, exercising, and got into a good sleep rhythm. I thought all this was having a positive impact on me and could tell the difference. But every year during September or October, I would experience breathlessness and burning sensation in my eyes. Climbing stairs would become a task for me. That’s when I realized that in spite of all my efforts, it is bad quality of air that is having such a negative impact on my health.”
Dangerously high levels of air pollution may lead to wheezing and coughing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and even premature death. Ironically, indoor air—where people spend approximately 90% of their time—can be more polluted than outdoor air in most metro cities. Take the case of Swati Mohan, a dance artist and yoga practitioner, who started experiencing extreme amount of lethargy and fatigue in 2017. “The air that we breathe is crucial element of our being. I began to feel extreme amount of lethargy, fatigue that would never just leave me and consistent headache, my neck and face would feel congested, my hair began to fall for no reason and I had to investigate it because it started interfering with my work. I used to fall sick quite often.” She consulted a naturopath who diagnosed her deteriorating health condition was directly related to air pollution.
Exposure to indoor air pollution has been linked to the development of various health concerns—from infections to asthma to even lung cancer. Headaches, nasal congestion, nausea, fatigue and dry eyes are some lesser evil side-effect. For Navin Yadav, a Delhi-based management consultant, it was the concern for his elder daughter that got him thinking seriously about the air pollution. “You can feel the side-effects of deteriorating air quality in your throat, nose and eyes. The trigger for me was my elder daughter when I thought that while for us it is okay as we are used to it. But when you have someone you really care about so much, I had to give my child the best if overall we cannot give her the best environment as the outside is not within your control. I had to give her the best air inside the house.”
In fact, owning an air purifier is making more sense now than ever before. It, therefore, makes sense to have an air purifier at home, especially an air purifier that takes care of allergies that are brought on with the changing season. Kunzru says, “I purchased a Philips air purifier after doing a thorough research. Life has become much better now. The breathlessness, burning sensation in my eyes is much under control. I feel much happier and healthier and last year we had the best Diwali in a very long time.”
If your home or office is prone to indoor air pollution, Philips air purifier can be helpful to remove harmful particles and improve the air quality. The air purifier is known to remove 99.97%* air pollutants in just 6 minutes. It removes particles, allergens, harmful gases, bacteria and viruses, and maintains optimal humidity levels. That includes particle matter like pollen, pet dander, and mold spores, as well as harmful gases like TVOC and odours. “Over the course of time, I began to observe how the energy began to rise in the classes. We had so much more stamina. I was no longer experiencing lethargy the whole time. Overall performance began to rise. I began to think that I need to extend it to my home as well because I have old parents. It is just good living and so basic and we need it. We installed one at home and it has been helpful this time,” says Mohan.
Yadav quite aptly sums up the urgency to install a Philips air purifier at home when he says that why would anyone want to expose themselves to 20 cigarettes a day and shorten their life-span. According to him, the benefits are significantly higher than the cost one pays for purchasing an air purifier. Some food for thought indeed.