Typically, fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground. Fog consists of minute droplets of clean water. Fog generally takes a beautiful and white form during the mornings. However, in most large cities today, there is a change occurring in fog. This is turning into something very hazardous, which is called “smog”.
The name “smog” is composed of two words: smoke and fog. When such air is calm and foggy, it works like a lid on a box of jelly. It covers everything below it. For a city, this means that smoke from vehicles, dust from factories and chemicals from heating elements get suspended inside the fog. Rather than water drops, microscopic pollution particles will be suspended in this environment.
Smog is more detrimental to health compared to fog for three main reasons:
Health Problems: Inhaling smog is harmful for lungs. Smog can make people cough, cause people trouble in swallowing or speaking and make breathing a problem for asthma patients.
Poor Visibility: Smog tends to be thicker and darker compared to normal fog. As a result, drivers have poor visibility of the road, which translates to higher cases of automobile accidents.
The Smell: While natural fog is odorless, a characteristically pungent chemical or plastic-burn odour is often attributed to smog.
How can we stay safe? When the news states that the smog is heavy in your city, the following are what you need to do: wear a mask, as a good mask will filter out the tiny pieces of pollution; try to remain inside when the smog is heavy in the morning; and use air purifiers i.e. if you are indoors, close your windows to keep the “dirty” fog out.
The good news is that the governments are now focusing to the growing problem of fog, by developing parks in cities, banning smoke-emitting vehicles, regulating polluting industries, etc.
Rooman Mazhar
Islamabad
