A panel of esteemed doctors have raised a red flag about the poor air quality in Kolkata, mentioning that breathing the air in the city is as bad as smoking cigarettes.

Kolkata is already infamously known as the Lung Cancer Capital of the country and reports claim that breathing the polluted air, is as bad as smoking cigarettes. It has been noted that lungs of non-smokers is as bad as that of smokers due to air pollution. Raising the red alert - eminent Doctors, Air quality Experts and Environmentalists came together under the banner of Kolkata Clean Air. They shared alarming data and facts on the issue at a press conference on Thursday - claiming there is a Health Crisis unfolding in the city of Joy due to Air Pollution.

Speaking at the event Dr.Suman Mallik, Medicine, Consultant Radiation Oncology, Narayana Super Specialist Hospital said that “Air pollution is one of the most important cause of respiratory diseases and lung cancer. The City of Joy- Kolkata has not only touched the country’s capital but have also surpassed in quite a few days in terms of air pollution. Kolkata Clean Air has come forward to spread the awareness among all citizens and to work hand in hand to provide a clean and safe environment for us and more precisely for our next generation." Eminent doctors specializing in cardiology, pulmonary, pediatrics all echoed that - children, elderly and people working outdoors were falling in the most vulnerable categories and were getting severely affected due to pollution.