With Lucknow's Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 140 and more, especially in the winders, it has come to light that residents are passively smoking cigarettes. During a day-long workshop on climate change and air pollution, by Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and Lung Care Foundation (LCF), in the city, it was found that Lucknowites are inhaling poor air equivalent to 7-8 cigarettes per day.

“Of all the patients suffering from lung infection that I used to treat in the 1980s, about 85% were smokers. But now, over 50% of my patients are non-smokers but have lungs resembling that of a smoker who smokes 7-8 cigarettes a day,” LCF founder Dr Arvind Kumar said.

Last year, Lucknow ranked 16 out of top 50 most polluted cities in the world. The current PM2.5 concentration in Lucknow is about 8.4 times the value given by WHO under annual air quality guideline.

The workshop, 'Solutions for Health, Air Pollution and Environment in Uttar Pradesh (SHAPE-UP)', exhorted people to alter their lifestyle and quit smoking.