Gig workers in South Asia are suffering health impacts from pollution

At 9 on a cold January morning, Sami Iqbal got ready for work at his home in Lahore’s old quarter, a stone’s throw from the historic Badshahi Mosque. It was 6 degrees Celsius and the city was beginning to come alive — chai stalls in the vicinity pushed open their shutters and the doughy smell of flatbreads puffing up in iron skillets filled the air. Iqbal wrapped a muffler around his face before revving up his Honda motorbike to begin his day as a bike-taxi rider. 

Iqbal is a self-employed gig worker who works across…