Jun 13, 2019

Philips India undertakes series of initiatives to observe No Smoking Day

Aims to create awareness around the ill effects of indoor air pollution being equivalent to smoking cigarettes

NEW DELHI: Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, has launched a series of initiatives reaching out to respiratory patients, and young parents across digital platforms as well as on ground, making them aware of the health impacts associated with indoor pollution which is equivalent to cigarette smoking.

According to a correlation drawn by Berkeley Earth, average PM2.5 level in Delhi NCR in 2018 was equivalent to smoking 7 cigarettes a day. Air pollution kills more people worldwide each year than does AIDS, malaria, diabetes or tuberculosis. It is arguably the greatest environmental catastrophe in the world today. With the present PM2.5 levels across top polluted cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Agra, Lucknow, Hyderabad, etc., almost the entire population is exposed to the health impacts of smoking without actually smoking cigarettes. Philips India, through its leadership in technology and innovation in air purification segment, is raising awareness about the existence of hazardous indoor air pollutants and the role of air purifiers to breathe healthy.

According to WHO India has 120 million smokers and is home to 12% of the global smokers. Smoking combined with air pollution and bio mass fuel exposure is the leading cause of respiratory illnesses in our country. Worst hit are women and children, who are unsuspectingly, exposed to smoke. Smoking, including passive smoking is a major killer, and is a cause of COPD, Lung cancer and respiratory infections in our country. Smoking kills your joy and happiness and makes you and your loved ones suffer! Let us all take a pledge to stop this menace for now and forever!

Dr. Arjun Khanna

MD DM, Senior Consultant Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

To create awareness across the country around indoor pollution levels, which are almost 8-10 times more toxic than WHO recommended levels, the initiative will witness Philips organizing live demonstrations across 100 stores in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru reaching out to respiratory patients and parents of young kids to increase awareness about health impacts of air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, and how air purifiers can make a difference to the lives of the consumers. Philips is also running a campaign tilted ‘‘Save your lungs: Breathe Healthy’ across its social media handles including, Facebook, Instagram and Google Display Network.

Unfortunately, India has 7 out of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world in terms of exposure to ambient air pollution of PM2.5. This is leading to tremendous increase in health issues among Indians like Asthma, COPD, breathing issues in children, and many other respiratory issues. We, at Philips, believe in healthy breathing and through this initiative, we aim to reach out to a broader community through Philips Air Purifiers by reducing the triggers that cause respiratory disorders, hence, enabling people to breathe healthy. We hope to address the community at large to create awareness around health impacts of indoor air pollution and encourage people to adopt effective solutions to lead a healthier life

Mr. Gulbahar Taurani

President, Philips Personal Health for Philips India Sub-continent

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, has launched a series of initiatives reaching out to respiratory patients, and young parents across digital platforms as well as on ground, making them aware of the health impacts associated with indoor pollution which is equivalent to cigarette smoking.

Further to Philips' commitment to deliver meaningful innovation in personal health and well-being, through such initiatives, the company is dedicated to improving the quality of air by developing superior air purification solutions, in turn, helping people lead healthier lives.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2018 sales of EUR 18.1 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.