PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE CHILDREN

On Saturday, the concentration of deadly pollutants PM2.5 – fine particles in the air that cause the most damage to health – was more than 40 times the level considered acceptable by the WHO. PM2.5 levels on Sunday morning exceeded it before falling slightly.

Last week, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four “hot spots” in the city.

Tuk-tuks equipped with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, as are restaurants that grill without filters.

Government offices and private companies will have half of their staff work from home from Monday.

Children are particularly vulnerable because they have less developed lungs and breathe faster, taking in more air relative to their size than adults.

Last month, authorities banned schoolchildren from exercising outdoors until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from traveling when pollution is at its most punishing.

Pollution exceeding levels considered safe by the WHO shortens the life expectancy of Lahore residents by an average of 7.5 years, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

According to UNICEF, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution and half of childhood pneumonia deaths are linked to air pollution.