Air pollution is a growing problem and, for many, an inescapable reality.
It is often called an "invisible killer," but in heavily polluted cities, it can't be missed. A resident of one of the most polluted cities in the world shared photos of their regularly hazy sky to r/mildlyinfuriating.
"This is how it looks like," they wrote. "... It's getting worse and worse. My sister fell really sick yesterday due to this."
The Redditor lives in Rewari, India, and shared an additional photo with the city's air quality index. It was a shocking 854 — hundreds of points above what's considered safe.
AQI is a measurement of air pollution in an area. The concentration of polluting particles, which includes smog, carbon dioxide, benzene, and other particulates, determines the AQI — the more particles in the air, the higher the AQI.
Living in an area with a high AQI can be hazardous to your health. A pollution monitor in India categorizes scores over 400 as severe, the BBC noted, and the threat is especially dangerous to older adults, children, and people with respiratory illnesses.
Continuous exposure to a high AQI can result in respiratory irritation and illness as well as cancer, and it can contribute to an early death. Air pollution is responsible for an estimated 100 million deaths each year.
Many countries have climate goals to reduce air pollution by tightening industrial regulations, adopting renewable energy, and drastically decreasing the use of coal and gas.
Commenters were shocked by the photos, with some acknowledging they take their clean air for granted.
"I just looked my city's AQI score up and it's 5," one user shared. "That's appalling that you have to live in that!"
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"I'm sorry, OP" another Redditor wrote. "Los Angeles was once horribly bad, and both the city and the state of California made lots of changes in order to make it much better these days. I really hope that kind of change can come your way, too, and that you have some way to help make it happen."
|
Do you think your city has good air quality? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 🥰 
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
