Key Highlights
- In addition to this, the burning of Bhogi bonfires and waste leads to increased air pollution, further deteriorating air quality, explained the APPCB Chairman in a press statement on Saturday.
- Many people, knowingly or unknowingly, throw tyres, plastic items, flex banners, painted furniture, and electronic waste into the fires during the festival.
- When such materials are burnt, toxic pollutants such as dioxins, furans, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, cadmium and mercury are released into the atmosphere, he added.
- These toxic emissions pose serious health risks to people of all age groups.
- They can cause or aggravate lung-related diseases, respiratory problems, asthma and allergies, eye irritation, nose and throat itching, heart-related ailments, and in the long run even increase the risk of cancer, he cautioned.
