Chennai: With temperatures soaring and pollution levels rising, the Chennai police commissioner, A.K. Viswanathan issued pollution protection masks to the traffic police on Tuesday. Also, a session on health hazards of pollution was taken. It was attended by the traffic police personnel from all the divisions.
Talking on the issue, Dr Prasanna Kumar Thomas, a pulmonary specialist, said a traffic policeman inhales smoke that is 30 times more hazardous than cigarettes when he is deployed at work each day.
Surgical masks which the policemen were previously using are of no help and the new masks help filter chemicals from entering the respiratory system. “All they need to do is wash the filter and fit it to frame everyday.”
“The new N-95 masks help protect the traffic police from pollution and this initiative would help all the traffic police personnel deployed at the traffic junctions, that are prone to larger lung disorders,” said Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, South, R Sudhakar.
