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World Health Organization’s data that indicates Delhi has the most polluted air in the world has confirmed what they have anecdotally known all along, say doctors in the city. They claim the deterioration in air quality has clearly been reflected in the number of patients with respiratory ailments and poor lung function, which has gone up several times over the past few years. In 2012, the statistical handbook released by the state government said that an average of 23 people die every day due to respiratory diseases in the capital. The number of cases, data showed, had doubled in the past four years. Doctors say worsening air quality, a major trigger for respiratory conditions such as chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and infections, may cause more fatalities in the coming years if appropriate measures are not taken.