What is bad about Air Pollution? | Shahana Khurshid | TEDxLahore

Dr. Shahana talks about the science and health impact of Air Pollution. She asks why we should worry about the minuscule smog particles, telling everyone that they do not break down or wash away with mucus, can reach our lungs like violent invaders and can wage a war on our respiratory and overall health. Some of the major culprits of air pollution are identified as unsustainable transport, industrial emissions, brick kilns, burning of plastics & unprocessed waste follow behind. Dr. Shahana Khurshid obtained her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from MIT, M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research is on air pollutants and their ability to cause adverse health effects. In addition to physical and chemical characterization of air pollutants, she studies biologically-relevant metrics of particles such as the concentration of reactive oxygen species and the oxidative potential of particles. She has also studied the inflammatory proteins expressed by lung cells in response to exposure to pollutants. Over the last 19 years she has led research projects on air quality, exposure to pollutants, environmental conservation, cell lines, polymers, and biomedical assays in academia, environmental consulting firms, and U.S. federal labs. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at