As Delhi battles an annual air pollution spike ahead of the winter onset, Dr Saurabh Mittal, Associate Professor, Department of Pulmonary, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, talks to The Indian Express about the impact of prolonged exposure and minimising the damage.

Acute exposure to very high levels of particulate matter and other pollutants can increase the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, and trigger acute exacerbations of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma attacks. Prolonged exposure, however, is more concerning, as it can cause cumulative damage to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Elderly people and those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions are particularly vulnerable.

To explain it further, acute exposure is a spike that hits your body, like on the days around Diwali. Prolonged exposure can be months or years of breathing the same air. A spike can push a weak body over the edge.…