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New Delhi: More than 80 Padma awardee doctors from across the country on Thursday issued an unprecedented joint national advisory warning that India’s air pollution crisis has escalated into a “direct and ongoing threat to human life”, with its health impacts now reaching unmanageable levels.
In the strongly worded statement, the signatories said air pollution is no longer a seasonal or environmental issue but a year-round public health emergency, particularly endangering children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic heart and lung conditions.
Citing 2025 data, the doctors said India records nearly 1.7 million air-pollution-related deaths annually. Over one-third of respiratory deaths are linked to poor air quality, while as much as 40 per cent of stroke-related mortality is attributed to pollution exposure.
PM2.5 levels in North India often reach 20–40 times the WHO safe limit, they said, adding that almost 70 per cent of Indians are now breathing unsafe air. Toxic air is also linked to nearly four lakh child deaths each year.
The advisory noted that long-term exposure to PM2.5 causes chromosomal breakages, telomere shortening and genetic instability, raising the risk of cancer, metabolic disorders and worsening diabetes outcomes. Microplastics and nanoplastics detected in ambient air—especially near high-traffic zones—are now associated with chronic inflammation and endocrine disruption, while VOCs, hydrocarbons and heavy metals are contributing to cancers, cognitive decline, developmental delays and poor control of hypertension and diabetes.
The group outlined how exposure impacts health over time. Immediate effects include eye irritation, throat burning, asthma attacks and blood pressure spikes; short-term exposure worsens COPD and asthma and increases infections; long-term exposure leads to permanent lung damage in children, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, cancer and neurological decline.
Calling the situation “deeply alarming and medically unacceptable”, the doctors urged the government to adopt emergency public-health-first measures.
Their recommendations include revising GRAP thresholds to reflect real health risks, declaring severe pollution days as public health emergencies, enforcing stricter controls on construction dust, industrial emissions and open burning, regulating old diesel vehicles, expanding electric public transport and introducing AQI-linked school protocols.
They also called for a national microplastics monitoring programme, stronger controls on hazardous waste and industrial emissions, and coordinated multi-state action to curb emissions in both urban and rural regions.
The advisory provided detailed guidance for households as well. Those with resources were advised to use HEPA air purifiers and N95 masks outdoors. Homes without purifiers should wet mop regularly, avoid incense sticks, dhoop, camphor and mosquito coils, improve kitchen ventilation and use triple-layer masks if N95 masks are unavailable. Children should avoid outdoor assemblies during high AQI days, and elderly individuals, pregnant women and patients with heart or lung disease should minimise exposure. Pneumonia and influenza vaccination was recommended for vulnerable groups.
The doctors stressed that while individual precautions are important, systemic reform is essential. Clean air, they said, must be recognised as a non-negotiable human right. They expressed readiness to support governments through scientific consultation and public health expertise but warned that without urgent coordinated intervention, India risks long-term and irreversible health damage across generations.
The advisory was signed by more than 80 Padma Awardee doctors, including Air Marshal Dr Padma Bandopadhyay, Dr Naresh Trehan, Dr Randeep Guleria, Dr Nikhil Tandon, Dr Ambrish Mithal, Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Dr Yash Gulati, Dr Tejas Patel, Dr T S Kler, Dr Arvind Lal, Dr Purshotam Lal and several other eminent clinicians.
