every breath you take: indian capital's smog leaves children gasping for air - top quality air purifiers

NEW DELHI (Reuters)-
Dipa tempi is very worried about the air that her two children breathe.
The garment exporter says she believesyear-
Grand daughter Mahika and 12-year-
Due to serious pollution in New Delhi, both the old son Vihaan had asthma.
She banned them from playing outdoors and even moving schools twice in four years so that they could use indoor sports facilities.
When the Indian capital is shrouded in toxic smog
Like in recent days --
She makes sure the air purifier runs at home and in the car, and they wear masks when the children go out.
"Every winter, we breathe with oral steroids, inhaler and nebulizer," she said . ".
"I deprived my children of a very simple pleasure in their lives --being outdoors.
Mahika is an athlete and Vihaan likes to play football, but in order to protect their health, they have to change these things to indoor activities such as table tennis and dance.
"Family pediatricians advise them to leave the Delhi area because of their children's asthma, and in the past they even considered immigration," Tampi said.
But when she runs a business and her husband is a partner in a law firm, such a big change is not easy. (
Picture: A window leading to deadly pollution in Delhi)
BILLSTampi, a medical company that lives in Noida, a suburb of the city, is a minority.
She has knowledge and, more importantly, money to reduce the impact of contaminated toxic cocktails on her children.
This is not the case for the majority of more than 20 million people in New Delhi, many of whom are worried about where the next day's work or next meal comes from.
Ravi Shankar Shukla, 35, is a driver who says his 8-year-
The old son, who attended a government school in Noida, complained that when the pollution came, his eyes were smart and his nose was blocked, even though he had never worn a mask.
Rajesh Kumar, 37, a contract employee at a catering company, said his two children started coughing from the middle
When pollution levels rose in October, air quality improved in January.
"We have increased our medical expenses this season," Kumar said . " He has 12-year-A 9-year-old sonyear-old daughter.
"The school has given the children masks, but children generally don't like to wear masks because they feel too tight to wear them.
They are also afraid of being laughed.
"Doctors say thousands of children are victims of respiratory diseases in Delhi and its suburbs.
According to the federal government, more than 10% of primary school students in India suffer from asthma.
Pollution levels in the city rose to "severe" on Thursday, a day after revelers set off fireworks late into the night to celebrate the Hindu Diwali.
The two federal government pollution indexes show that the air is "very poor" and "severe", suggesting that prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory diseases.
The World Health Organization said earlier this year that cities in northern India, including Delhi, are among the world's worst air-quality cities.
Arvind Kumar, a leading chest surgeon in New Delhi, said: "I know that pediatricians in my hospital have doubled or tripled the number of children they see with respiratory diseases," and co-
Founder of the lung Care Foundation.
Basic operation is easy to keep tough (BEST)
Clubs in more than 30 schools in Delhi train students and teachers to raise awareness of air pollution and its causes and effects and advise on how to deal with asthma.
Kumar said he heard from the principal that most children now have some sort of persistent cough.
"Cough is the first symptom of your respiratory irritation.
"When things get worse, you start to shrink, which is manifested as breathing difficulties, and then you need a nebulizer," Kumar said . ".
Last month, the federal government launched an 11-language school Asthma Handbook after several incidents, including death, were blamed for a lack of awareness of the disease.
Mala Kapoor, founder and principal of Ghaziabad Silver Line prestige school in eastern Delhi, said about 10% of her students suffered breathing problems during the winter. The 3,000-
A student school established in 1989, crowded with air in smokespewing small-to-medium-
Large scale factory, new high
High-rise buildings, busy flyovers and railways.
Kapoor says students are occasionally rushed to nearby hospitals if they have serious breathing problems.
"This is an example of bad planning," Kapoor said . " He pointed out that the school was built before the factory.
"I didn't land in the mess, but the mess was created around me. " (
Report of Mei Nong;
Editor Martin Howell and Alex Richardson)