A toxic fog is creeping over New Delhi. Children trudge to school with plastic masks strapped to their faces. Sports events are canceled. Eyes burn. Throats itch. Chests heave. It’s the dreaded pollution season in India, when the amount of vehicle fumes, dust and smoke from agricultural fires spikes to levels so high that experts say children breathing this air could suffer permanent brain damage. Agra. Lucknow. Varanasi. New Delhi. India’s most fabled cities are now among the world’s most polluted. According to some recent rankings , India holds nine of the top 10 spots. In a sign of how many people — especially the elite — are distressed about this, shops in Delhi now sell “pollution guard” sunscreen and shampoo. Toxic air has become a global menace that kills seven million people each year, the United Nations Environment Program said in a bleak report released […]