Delhi Chokes At AQI 500: How Children Attending Online Classes May Still Be Breathing Polluted Air

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AQI 500, home is not automatically a safe zone. For children studying indoors, clean air requires conscious, daily intervention, not just closed doors and cancelled playground time.When Delhi’s Air Quality Index touches 500, it officially enters the Severe Plus category, a level where even short exposure can trigger serious health consequences. While authorities suspend outdoor sports and issue advisories, many risks to children’s health now come from everyday parenting choices that seem harmless but aren’t in toxic air.

Indoor doesn't always mean healthy

To begin with, one of the most common mistakes that parents make is assuming that indoor air is automatically safe. Whereas, in reality, polluted outdoor air can easily seep in through the windows, doors or even ventilation systems. Older buildings and poorly sealed homes allow outdoor pollution to circulate freely inside, sometimes keeping indoor AQI dangerously high throughout the day. Without air purifiers, children would be forced to continue breathing harmful air with particulate matter even when they are sitting inside the house. Only True HEPA (H13) filters paired with activated carbon can effectively remove fine particles and toxic gases, making them essential for protecting children’s developing lungs at home. They remove 99.97% of PM2.5 and PM10 particles and are also effective against dust, smoke, smog, pollen, and allergens

Poor ventilation choices during peak pollution hours

Many parents also open the windows partially through the day, thinking they are letting in 'fresh air' but during days when pollution is 500+ this can work against the health of the children. Cross-ventilation, usually healthy, can backfire when outdoor AQI is extremely high. Ventilation needs to be strategic, timed for relatively lower AQI hours or supported with filtration, not left to habit.

Household activities that worsen indoor pollution

Daily activities can silently make indoor air worse. Cooking on gas stoves, frying food, burning incense or agarbatti, using mosquito coils, room fresheners, or candles all release additional pollutants. Without proper ventilation that is planned during the less polluted hours of the day or ample air purification, children attending online classes may be sitting for hours in air that is just as unhealthy as the outdoors.

Ignoring early health warning signs

Ignoring early symptoms is another risky habit. Wheezing, breathlessness, eye irritation, persistent coughing, nosebleeds, and usual tiredness are often brushed off as seasonal problems. During Severe Plus conditions, where the AQI has touched 500, these can be warning signs of pollution-induced stress on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and should not be ignored. .

Not stressing on nutrition

Dietary neglect during high-pollution periods is also common. When the pollution is so high, parents need to double down on providing extra strong nutritional support, including antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, adequate hydration, and foods high in vitamins C, E, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Processed snacks and low fluid intake can worsen inflammation and reduce the body’s ability to cope with pollutants. So that will be a goodbye to fries for a while.

Delaying medical consultation

Finally, many households delay medical consultation, declaring early signs to be 'normal' and waiting for symptoms to 'settle on their own.' Doctors warn that early intervention is crucial during extreme pollution episodes, especially for children with asthma, allergies, or recurrent respiratory infections.When AQI reaches 500, normal routines are no longer safe routines. Protecting children now means rethinking daily habits, prioritising indoor air quality, monitoring symptoms closely, and treating pollution exposure as a serious health risk, not a temporary inconvenience.