When outdoors in New Delhi, India’s capital, everyone breathes air now considered the most polluted in the world. This toxic environment is estimated to contribute to the deaths of about 1.7 million people in the country annually, according to global health researchers. The effects are most severe during winter in the New Delhi metro area, where stagnant winds and cooler temperatures after the annual monsoon season lead to a surge in air pollutants. This week, the Indian government imposed emergency measures to address the severe pollution plaguing the city of 32 million residents, including halting nonessential construction, banning older vehicles, and shifting schools from in-person to online classes. The urgency of this crisis was also highlighted at the COP 30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, where the agenda underscored the public health dangers posed by "super-pollutants" like airborne soot.

For the past decade, many upper- and upper-middle-income Indian households have equipped their living rooms with clunky, typically Chinese-made air-purifying machines to reduce particulate matter indoors. However, Dr. Lancelot Pinto, a pulmonologist at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, noted that while “reducing the quantum and duration of exposure to these particles” is beneficial, partial reductions offer limited effect when the air contains 30 times the World Health Organization’s acceptable limit for fine-grained dust.

A few homegrown companies are now pitching a more comprehensive and effective solution, though at a cost that places it far beyond the reach of the average Indian household. Your Own Green Area, or YOGA, a start-up with a factory near New Delhi, provides a service called the Clean Air Bubble to an elite clientele of around 5,000 homes nationwide, with about 90 percent of its customers located in the capital. Unlike free-standing indoor purifiers that gradually clean and recycle air, the YOGA machine sits outside the house, drawing in polluted air and forcing it through thick, highly-efficient filters. This filtered air is then continuously pushed inward through custom-fit openings in a home’s exterior, creating a pressurized bubble that effectively prevents dirty air from infiltrating the interior.

The company asserts that this approach is particularly effective against PM2.5, the microscopic particles responsible for the deadliest forms of air pollution. Beyond causing premature death, high concentrations of PM2.5 have been shown to cause dementia and to hobble the national economy by shortening productive life spans. While there is currently no peer-reviewed academic study on the YOGA system’s efficacy, customers who have installed the product report PM2.5 levels in their homes dropping to nearly undetectable levels, verified by third-party monitoring devices. This principle is similar to that used in modern commercial buildings in the United States and in "clean rooms" within laboratories. The YOGA machine also consumes less energy than an air-conditioner, and company technicians manage regular filter replacements.

The price, however, makes this solution unattainable for most households in India, where hundreds of millions rely on the government for grain rations and most families cannot even afford air-conditioning, despite summer temperatures frequently exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Installing YOGA’s Clean Air Bubble in a three-bedroom apartment costs approximately $1,900, in a country where the average annual income is only $2,800. Despite this staggering cost, the number of families willing to pay for the privilege of clean air indoors is surging. Since its first system installation in 2020, YOGA has relied solely on word of mouth, with founder Sachin Panwar stating that the business has doubled in size each of the last three years. Vaidehi Kanoria, a YOGA customer and wellness coach, expressed her wish for broader access to the technology, acknowledging, “There are haves and have-nots, and it’s very unfortunate. But I do feel it’s important to protect your own health, however you can.”

Another company, Breathe Easy, was founded in New Delhi in 2013 by Barun Aggarwal. At that time, many Indians did not fully grasp the magnitude of the pollution problem, finding it shocking to learn that New Delhi’s air quality was worse than that of Beijing, then notorious for its smog. Mr. Aggarwal noted that "Education about this is at a nascent stage," pointing out that Americans and Germans spend significantly more on air purifiers despite less harmful air quality in their countries. Breathe Easy, which licenses technologies from Japan, Sweden, and Switzerland, now sells the VaaYoo pollution shield, a system priced around $1,700 that cleans and pumps outside air into controlled spaces, similar to the YOGA system. While Breathe Easy has historically focused on solutions for larger spaces like schools and malls, it is now re-entering the home market. Both YOGA and Breathe Easy have plans to sell smaller, more affordable versions, and YOGA’s founder, Mr. Panwar, is also developing a wearable device to provide clean air for individuals working outdoors.

Despite the Indian government’s apparent failure to effectively address the crisis, air pollution is rarely a topic for politicians during elections. However, a growing groundswell of residents is voicing exasperation at the inaction. On Sunday, several hundred protesters, wearing protective masks, gathered in the murky air around New Delhi’s India Gate. They carried placards with messages such as “There is Poison in the Air” and “Why is Breathing a Privilege?” While some families relocate from New Delhi to other parts of India in search of better air, many households with more limited resources have no choice but to stay. Avishek Hazra, a public health researcher, recounted how his 7-year-old son, Saptak, immediately felt the smoky air upon returning to New Delhi from his grandfather’s village. His son said the village air was so clean he never felt tired, but back in the city, Saptak’s eyes and throat burned, and he didn’t want to play outside. Mr. Hazra’s family owns a car, an air-conditioner for the bedroom, and a $230 air purifier in their living room, but he admits, “I don’t think this works well.” The purifier’s built-in monitor provides haphazard readings, often twice the W.H.O.’s safety limit, and the family hasn't replaced its costly filters. Mr. Hazra concluded, “But we don’t have the luxury of changing machines.” The urgent need for systemic, affordable solutions has never been clearer, as the privilege of clean air exacerbates a devastating public health crisis.