Delhiites may have to face air pollution for generations to come, warn experts

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Ill-effects of air pollution may keep of haunting people of Delhi for generations to come, experts have warned.

New studies in this area, indicating the air pollution impact may be 'transgenerational', have unsettled pollution experts and doctors here.

T K Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, told PTI that a study by the US-based National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has uncovered this fact.

"New research that has shaken all of us says that if a fetus is exposed to air pollution, she has change in her genes, and these changes are such that they don't remain confined to her only.

"The impact is transgenerational. That means her children, her grand children will be affected. And you cannot undo a change in gene. If we don't control this then we are creating lot of diseases to which we do not have any cure, like asthma, cancer, stroke," Joshi said.

While the phenomenon holds true for people cutting across the world, it will be more so for residents of cities like Delhi, known for notoriously high levels of pollution.

(With PTI inputs)