‘Pollution forces heart to work harder, even limited exposure can be harmful for high

Delhi’s air stayed heavily polluted in October, recording an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 223 — the second-worst for October in five years. Delhi spent nearly two-thirds of October breathing ‘poor’ air or worse — 11 days in the ‘poor’ category, seven in ‘very poor’ and none in the ‘good’ category. Experts say consistent exposure to high AQI poses a significant threat to heart health by increasing the risk of inflammation, blood clots, and high blood pressure that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Dr Mukesh Goel, a cardiologist, tells Ankita Upadhyay that even short-term exposure can trigger chest pain, shortness of breath, or palpitations in people with existing heart conditions as the heart is forced to work harder in a polluted environment. Edited excerpts

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