It’s that time of the year again when our cities will be on high alert for pollution, and everyone will do everything in their might to ward off the bad air but still do nothing to prevent the things that cause it in the first place. While we love the festival season, our lungs definitely have good cause to rebel, and for an unlucky few like me – a chronic asthmatic, they’re prone to giving up on cue. To prevent our lungs from hating on us, and actually giving your body the love it deserves when others are performing self and public destruction, here are few preventive measures you can take. Use these methods to save yourself from pollution this festive season, and thank us later.
1. Keep car windows closed
When you’re on the road during festival season, keep your windows rolled up at all times. The roads are already abundantly polluted with CO and CO2, and during Dusshera or Diwali the levels are a lot higher. There’s only so much your lungs can take, and it’s best to create a barrier for pollution whenever you can.
2. Invest in an air purifier
When indoors, use an electronic air purifier for cleaner particle free air. An air purifier may be slightly pricey, but trust us, it’s a great investment that will take your metropolitan city dwelling lungs a long way.
3. Open windows
It sounds like something you shouldn’t do, but opening your windows for a few hours in the day, before crackers or smoke dissemination begins, can help circulate the air indoors and freshen your home environment.
4. Clean your home at regular intervals
Thanks to the gazillion things that burn during this season, the ash and debris from crackers contribute to a lot more dust which accumulates in our houses. You must clean your home regularly, to ensure that dust doesn’t come anywhere near your respiratory tract.
5. Stay away from crackers and pollutants
This is a no-brainer, but the best way to save yourself from pollution caused due to crackers and smoke is to stay away from them. Especially if you’re prone to cough, eye problems, and respiratory allergies, staying away from anything that can aggravate it is the best thing you can do.
6. Get an N95 Mask
If you really want to be part of the action, and don’t want to feel like you are missing out, invest in an N95 mask and wear it when you’re in the midst of the metaphoric line of fire. You might look ridiculous donning this, but that’s a very small price to pay for something that can save your life.
