In today’s modern society, the quality of the air we breathe has become a critical issue. For those of us who live in cities or suburbs, urbanization and highways shape the landscape and bring pollutants with them. In rural areas, air quality is mainly affected by industrial farming and mining activities. As wildfires burn longer and in more places, entire regions are exposed to air quality alerts.
Air pollution has been linked to a range of health problems. The specific health effects depend on the type and concentration of pollutants in the air, but the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household and ambient air pollution causes 6.7 million premature deaths each year
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the health effects of air pollution and some of the most common culprits.
How does air pollution affect your health?
Poor air quality leads to premature death through various mechanisms affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Exposure to air pollution can lead to both acute (sudden and severe, but potentially short-term) and chronic (potentially incurable, long-term developing health conditions) health conditions. Here are some ways air pollution can cause deaths:
Inflammation: Exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3), can cause inflammation of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, as well as other organs. This inflammation can exacerbate respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular problems that lead to heart attacks and strokes
Reduced lung function: Prolonged exposure to certain pollutants, especially fine particulate matter (PM2.5), can cause lung function to decline over time, making individuals more susceptible to respiratory diseases. PM2.5 can also cross the blood-brain barrier and cause brain damage
Increased blood pressure: Pollutants, particularly from traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone and PM, have been linked to increased blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Atherosclerosis formation: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to the development of atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries), leading to cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke.
Oxidative stress: Exposure to pollutants can cause oxidative stress, causing damage to cells and tissues. This oxidative damage has been linked to the development of various health conditions, including stroke and cancer. It can also speed up the body’s aging process
Cancer: For some people, exposure to air pollution can cause lung cancer as much as smoking. Air pollution has also been linked to breast cancer
The increase in premature deaths from air pollution is often associated with chronic diseases caused by long-term exposure to air. However, even short-term exposure can have strong negative effects. A study has shown that healthy teenagers develop irregular heartbeats within hours of short-term exposure to air pollution
Health problems associated with air pollution exposure include respiratory and cardiovascular inflammation, reduced lung function, increased blood pressure, hardening and narrowing of the arteries, cell and tissue damage, lung cancer and breast cancer.
So we need to pay more attention to the air, at this time our products will provide you with cleaner air.
REFERENCES
1 Household air pollution. (2023, December 15). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health.
2 Grunig G, Marsh LM, Esmaeil N, et al. Perspective: ambient air pollution: inflammatory response and effects on the lung’s vasculature. Pulm Circ. 2014 Mar;4(1):25-35. doi: 10.1086/674902.
3 Li W, Lin G, Xiao Z, et al. A review of respirable fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-induced brain damage. Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Sep 7;15:967174. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.967174.
4 Pizzino G, Irrera N, Cucinotta M, et al. Oxidative Stress: Harms and Benefits for Human Health. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:8416763. doi: 10.1155/2017/8416763.
5 Pro Publica. (2021, November 2). Can Air Pollution Cause Cancer? What You Need to Know About the Risks. Pro Publica. https://www.propublica.org/article/can-air-pollution-cause-cancer-risks.
6 High levels of particulate air pollution associated with increased. (2023, September 12). National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/high-levels-particulate-air-pollution-associated-increased-breast-cancer-incidence.
7 He F, Yanosky JD, Fernandez‐Mendoza J, et al. Acute Impact of Fine Particulate Air Pollution on Cardiac Arrhythmias in a Population‐Based Sample of Adolescents: The Penn State Child Cohort. Jour of Amer Heart Assoc. 2017 Jul 27.;11:e026370. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.026370.
8 Cancer and air pollution. (n.d.). Union for International Cancer Control. https://www.uicc.org/what-we-do/thematic-areas/cancer-and-air-pollution.
9 Final Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM). (2024, February 7). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/final-reconsideration-national-ambient-air-quality-standards-particulate-matter-pm.
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