Amritsar's artificial ‘lungs’ turn black in just 10 days

GS Paul

Amritsar, April 19

It took just 10 days for the giant pair of ‘faux lungs’, installed at a busy junction in the city, to turn black, raising concerns among city residents about the impact of breathing polluted air on their health.

Titled as “The Billboard that Breathes”, these artificial lung billboards were put up at Novelty Chowk on April 8, as part of a campaign initiated by Clean Air Punjab along with EcoSikh, Voice of Amritsar, Phulkari: Women of Amritsar, Amritsar Vikas Manch, and the Amritsar Municipal Corporation to raise awareness about the air quality.

HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters were used to produce the chalk-white lungs. To trap dust, the same filters are used in operating rooms, anti-pollution masks and other locations. The lungs have been equipped with fans that suck in air to simulate how the lungs work while breathing. Particulate matter (tiny pollutant particles that can readily enter the lungs and create health problems) from dust pollution and vehicular emissions captured in these HEPA filters turned their colour from chalk-white to brown to black.

The lung colour changed due to high levels of particulate matter, which is a clear indication of high levels of air pollution.

Experts and Amritsar citizens have urged the Punjab Government to view the results of this ‘experiment’ as a red flag and take immediate action to improve air quality.

Indu Aurora, vice-president of Voice of Amritsar, said, “The faux lungs are one of the most effective techniques to show Amritsar residents what happens when they breathe filthy air. It necessitates a serious action to be taken by the government, the industry, and People of Amritsar to collaborate in order to improve air quality and preserve people’s health. We urge the Punjab Government to take immediate measures to check air pollution and give priority to citizens’ health and well-being. The billboard for Breathable Lungs serves as a reminder that the time for action is now.”

Dr Amrita Rana, an Amritsar-based radiologist, said in just a week, the citizens and administration witnessed faux lungs turning black highlighting that the same process was happening within our bodies, so it was critical that we all should work together to decrease air pollution.

“The number of persons complaining of shortness of breath, chronic and episodic cough, chronic bronchitis, obstructive airways disease, rhinitis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure is directly proportional to the levels of pollution. Walking, cycling, public transportation, and car-pooling are all steps in the right direction,” she said.

Punjab has a total of 9 non-attainment/million-plus cities under the National Clean Air Action Plan (NCAP), and Amritsar is one of them. A non-attainment city is one that does not meet the prescribed air quality standards set by the Union Environment Ministry. Residents also pointed out that the speed at which the faux lungs turned black was also an indicator for Amritsar having more air quality monitoring stations as the current infrastructure was woefully inadequate.

Dr Supreet Kaur, president of EcoSikh, said, “The reality is right in front of us in the form of this lung billboards turning black in just eight days. Consider the status of our lungs after years of breathing contaminated air for years and sometimes throughout our lives. It is high time to wake up and take action to aid ourselves and our fellow citizens. We sincerely hope that citizens and authorities take it as a warning bell for controlling the unhealthy air quality in Amritsar.”