Danger
in the Air
When
I moved to the United States from India in 2024,
the biggest improvement was the air. Having
grown up in the city of Bengaluru in southern
India, my lungs were accustomed to an air
quality index (AQI) that is among the worst in
the world. But in my new home, New York City, I
could walk for longer without feeling
breathless; my nostrils were not accosted by the
acrid smell of smog, thick with PM2.5 — minute
particles (2.5 micrometers or smaller) of
airborne dust, soot, chemicals, and metals that
enter our bloodstream and make us sick.
I’m
currently visiting family in Bengaluru, where
the smog is bad but not as bad as in the
country’s capital, New Delhi, where residents
recently rose up in a rare protest to
demand clean, breathable air. New Delhi’s AQI
has been particularly high these past few
months, surpassing all thresholds of danger. By
some estimates, this exposure could shave nearly
12 years off
the lives of residents.
Reading
about the protest, I felt grateful for the US
Clean Air Act, the federal law that regulates
air pollution in order to protect public health.
But last week, the Trump administration abruptly
changed how the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) enforces certain parts of this act. As
The New York Times reported, “the
EPA would no longer take health effects into
account in the cost-benefit analyses necessary
for clean-air regulations.” Not surprisingly,
experts have criticized how this move ignores
the public health harms of air pollution and
grants impunity to offending sources — like we
see in India.
From
India to the US, leaders have taken an
industry-first approach that’s exposing their
citizens to the myriad health risks of air
pollution. It’s past time for them to take a
stand and use all the tools in their arsenals to
protect people and the planet.
As
I wrap up my time in India and prepare to return
to New York, I cannot help but think how our
ability to breathe clean, fresh air — in both
countries — is contingent upon our respective
governments prioritizing human health over
wealth. |
