Is Your Family Breathing Clean Air?

This is a sponsored post for Eureka Forbes AeroGuard and was first published on MyCity4Kids.com

It was just a few days back that our social media feed was full of articles about severe air pollution in our capital city. We were all shocked when the Government declared the 'Delhi air pollution' as an emergency and schools were shut and construction work halted as harmful pollutants reached levels that were more than 16 times the safe limit! Hospitals in the city reported increasing number of patients suffering from respiratory diseases (of which India already has the highest rate in the world – with 159 deaths per 100,000 people even as early as in 2012 according to the World Health Organisation).

My little one came home from school one day that week saying they were told the news in their assembly that schools in Delhi would be shut for a week and demanding to know why. I told him it was because of the air pollution the city was facing and the smog that refused to clear. And to my shock and surprise he said, “Cool! So we should shut schools in Bangalore too!”

When asked for an explanation as to why he thought so he said; “...think about it, we too have cars that pollute the air in Bangalore and we too have construction going on everywhere; what’s more, schools in the city had even warned us during the Diwali season to not burst too many crackers as it is harmful for the environment in many ways! So then why is it that only schools in Delhi are shut and we have to go?”  Well, no doubt he had a point.

In fact, it was my little one himself, who had decided to have a cracker-free Diwali this year – the first ever year I did not buy or use crackers since my own childhood days, can you believe it! But that is beside the point...

What got me thinking was that he was speaking the truth! Air pollution in Delhi was in the news because it got to alarming levels, yes; but that did not mean that we, residing in other cities should not be worried about air pollution at all! We too – with our increasing use of automobiles and wood burning practices to stay warm in the harsh winters and garbage burning – are at equal, if not more risk of going the ‘Delhiway’ when it comes to air pollution! And that’s one scary thought…

Plus, here’s something that hits even closer to home – you see, I live in an apartment that is very close to a major roadway; connecting the townside with a some very important places in our city; and there’s not a minute in a day (not even at 2 AM in the morning) when there are no vehicles on this road. And that is what scares me the most! That my family could be breathing polluted air 24x7; and there is nothing I can do about it! Not to mention several people like me who live in similar situations and even those who are not as close to a road, maybe, but are still at the same risk; as air pollution is something that is widespread and has no barriers! Imagine the health hazards of air pollution this exposes our families to – the respiratory problems including Asthma this poor quality of air could cause in the long run (even more so with the ever present pollen in Bangalore air)!  

Now, I cannot single handedly control the air pollution on Bangalore roads, but I have heard about air purifiers; and how they can purify the air within the house; rendering it clean and healthy for breathing!  What makes these air purifiers even more attractive, is that they come from reputed companies that we have heard of since our own childhood days, such as Eureka Forbes! I still remember their Aquaguard ad that I knew by heart as a child; and am happy to know that they have come up with Dr. Aeroguard, an air purifier that suits every need and space with a focus on performance.

Knowing that someone so responsible claims to give my family the purest air to breathe gives me comfort beyond words... And while I truly believe that it is time we do what we can, even our tiniest bit, to control the pollution in our cities; it makes sense to purify the very air we breathe in our homes first, while we do that!