As winter smog season settles over South Asia, a new report from Pakistan has put a stark number on what dirty air costs ordinary people: nearly four years of life expectancy, on average, across the country.
The assessment, released this week by the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, estimates that air pollution contributes to around 128,000 premature deaths in Pakistan every year and carries an economic burden equal to about 6.5 per cent of the country’s GDP. The report brings together ground-level readings, satellite data and fuel and vehicle figures into what it describes as the country’s first unified, multi-sector emissions inventory, covering the major urban airsheds of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad-Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
Lahore, long one of the world’s smoggiest cities, bears the heaviest burden. The report puts the city’s annual average concentration of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, at more than 110 micrograms per cubic metre — over 22 times the World Health Organization’s recommended annual guideline of five. Sustained exposure at that level could cut life expectancy in Lahore by as much as seven years, the report warns. The timing could hardly be worse: on Thursday, Lahore topped global pollution rankings with an air quality index reading of 419, in the hazardous range, as winter temperature inversions began trapping polluted air close to the ground.
The report identifies transport as Lahore’s largest single source of primary PM2.5 emissions at 35 per cent, followed by industrial activity at 28 per cent and brick kilns at 17 per cent. It also offers a measure of hope, outlining measures that could cut emissions by up to half.
The findings land alongside a separate global study published this month in The Lancet Planetary Health, which analysed nearly 350 million hospital records across six countries and territories and found that short-term spikes in PM2.5 were linked to elevated hospital admissions for up to three weeks afterwards — not only for breathing problems, but across a wide range of conditions. Taken together, the two reports underline why smog season deserves to be treated as a health season, not just an inconvenience.
Staying healthy during smog season
You cannot fix a city’s air on your own, but a few everyday habits can reduce how much polluted air you breathe in while smog lingers:
- Check the air before you head out. Make the daily air quality index part of your morning routine, just like the weather forecast, and plan outdoor exercise and errands for clearer hours and days when you can.
- Move workouts indoors on heavy smog days. A brisk walk or workout inside keeps you active without long exposure to hazardous air, and it beats skipping movement altogether during a smoggy stretch.
- Keep windows shut at peak smog times. When the haze is thickest, usually in the early morning and evening during winter inversions, keep windows closed and air out your home when the air clears instead.
- Cut down indoor smoke and dust. Avoid burning incense or candles on bad-air days, run the kitchen exhaust fan while cooking, and dust and mop regularly so indoor air stays as clean as possible.
- Look out for the most vulnerable. Children, older adults and anyone who already has breathing difficulties feel poor air first, so keep their time outdoors short on bad-air days and encourage them to rest indoors when the smog is heavy.
This article shares general wellness information only and is not medical advice. If you or a family member experiences persistent breathing difficulty, chest discomfort or other worrying symptoms, consult a healthcare professional for personal advice.
