Capital's air quality unhealthy as pollutant ratio recorded high.

ISLAMABAD -- Health experts have warned citizens to avoid unnecessary outdoor exertion as hazardous pollutants were higher in ratio in the capital's air quality on Friday.

The air with high pollutant ratio was injurious to the health of children, teenagers and old people while the patients of lungs and heart diseases were at high risk, the medical practitioners said.

According to the data released by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the particulate of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which was a hazardous ambient air pollutant causing chronic respiratory diseases and premature deaths, was higher than safer limits in the capital's air.

PM2.5 was recorded 56.42 micrograms per cubic meter in Islamabad, which is much higher than the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of 35 micrograms and the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 20 micrograms per cubic meter.

The air quality data revealed the presence of 40.77 micrograms sulphur dioxide and 32.4 micrograms nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter against the NEQS of 120 micrograms and 80 micrograms per cubic meter respectively.

According to an EPA official, prevailing dry weather and increased vehicular emissions was the main reason for the bad air quality, caused due to presence of PM2.5 above the NEQS limit. It was the most health damaging environmental pollutant causing chronic respiratory diseases and premature deaths as it could easily penetrate into human blood through lungs cells, the official told reporter.

The official futher said sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were released from...