For the last few years, ever since high levels of air pollution in Delhi/NCR have been compromising lung health across age groups, Dr Anjana Singh, director and head, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at Fortis, Noida, has seen a sea change during her rounds in the paediatric ward. “Nowadays each newborn is spending a longer time in the nursery before they can be discharged because they are born with respiratory problems and their lung function needs to be stabilised. Some of them have delayed lung development and congenital asthma later. More and more babies are being born with jaundice,” she says.

In fact, pollution, be it in the form of particulate matter floating about in the air, pesticides, gases, fumes and water contaminated with heavy metals, is impacting new-borns like never before. “C

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